When the highflying students who swooped 10As in this year's Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination were mobbed by the media and asked about their secret of success, among heady answers such as "Strive for excellence", "Work hard, play hard" and "The future is what counts" is this refreshing one: "Humility brings improvement". It is hard to keep your feet on the ground at the moment when you are lavished with praise and glory, so for this teenager to be able to make this remark, like Jesus retreating to the mountain when he realised that people were trying to make him king (John 6:14-15), is exceptional.
Coincidentally, Sir Alex Ferguson, manager of Manchester United Football Club was today quoted by the media as saying: "Adversity is always an important factor in developing and improving".
The verdict - humility and adversity are both essential ingredients in the recipe for improvement.
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