Four boys sat in theheadmaster's office, waiting for their punishment. When the headmaster came in,he told the boys, "You have1 a lot of work for our janitor (看门人) by writing on the walls today. But he won't do the cleaning. Youboys will clean the2 every day after school for a week."
After school that day, the boyswent to the janitor's office to get the tools and3 their cleaning work. It took a long time andthey worked all week.
On the last day, when they4 finished the job and turned to leave, thejanitor said, "Hey, boys, let me tell you5. In the country where Igrew up, we had few6. We hardly had books orteachers. Even to7 a new pencil was a big thing."
"You used pencils towrite on the walls. A pencil is a lot like a person. For a person, there is thepoint on the outside,8 it's what's in the inside that does all thework," he explained. "Every once in a while, you have to get apainful sharpening (磨砺). That's what you've hadthis week," he said. "From now on,9 leaving your mark on the walls, leave yourmark on life. Write your own10 using what's inside you."
The boys understood andthey never wrote on any walls again.
