The Arrow and the Fish
Thought is difficult to guard and difficult to hold back. The fletcher makes the arrow straight anyway. Thrown on dry ground, the mind trembles like a fish trying to escape Mara. The body is a jar. The thought must be a fortress. A well-directed mind will do greater service than mother or father.
Key Insight
You do not wait for the mind to feel tame. You straighten it the way a craftsperson straightens wood: repeatedly, before the shot is needed.
“As a fletcher makes straight his arrow, a wise man makes straight his trembling and unsteady thought, which is difficult to guard, difficult to hold back.”Explore full theme analysis
