An elderly teacher, with a pupil by his side, took a walk through a forest.
Suddenly he stopped and pointed to four weeds close at hand.
The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself pretty well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth had become a little tree.
The tutor said to his young companion, 'Pull up the first weed.'
The boy did so eagerly, using only his fingers.
'Now pull up the second.' The youth obeyed but found the task more difficult.
'Do the same with the third,' he urged. The boy had to use all his strength to uproot it.
'Now,' said the instructor, 'try your hand with the fourth.' The pupil put his arms around the trunk of the tree and couldn't even shake its leaves.
'This, my son, is just what happens with our bad habits...
