The Boy and the Nettle

A BOY was once stung by a Nettle. Crying with pain, he ran home and told his mother, saying, "Although it pains me so much, I did but touch it ever so gently, for I had been hurt by it before."

"That was just it," said his mother. "It was that which gave you so bad a sting. The next time you have occasion to touch a Nettle, grasp it boldly, with courage and resolution. It will be as soft as silk in your hand and will not hurt you in the least. And you will meet many persons, as well as things, that must be handled in the same way, if you would escape discomfort from them."