At the age of 16, Einstein always played with a group of naughty(调皮的)kids. Because he was so busy playing, he didn't study enough and failed his final exam.
One morning, when Einstein was holding a fishing rod and was about to go fishing with his friends, his father stopped him and said calmly, "Einstein, you're so fond of playing all day that you failed your exam. I'm worried about your future."
"What are you worrying about? Jack and Robert also failed, but don't they still get to go fishing?"
"My boy, you can't think like that," his dad said. "There is a story that people tell in our hometown. Listen to it now.
"There were two cats playing on a roof. One cat got caught off guard and fell down the chimney (烟囱) while holding the other cat. When the two cats climbed out of the chimney, one of the cats had soot on his face, while the other cat's face was clean. Seeing the soot-faced cat, the clean cat thought its face must be dirty, so it quickly ran to the riverside and washed its face. The soot faced cat saw the clean-faced cat and thought its face was also clean, so it just swaggered(大摇大摆地走)down the street."
"Einstein, no one can be your 'mirror'. You have to think for yourself. If you always notice what others say and do, you will never learn,"
Hearing this, Einstein laid down his fishing rod and returned to his room. He decided to pay more attention to his studies and less attention to what his friends were doing. This allowed him to be successful.
