After years of observing human nature, I have decided that two qualities make the difference between men of great achievement and men of average performance curiosity and discontent. I have never known an outstanding man who lacked either. And I have never known an average man who had both. The two belong together.

Together, these deep human urges（驱策力）count for much more than ambition. Galileo was not merely ambitious when he dropped objects of varying weights from the Leaning Tower at Pisa and timed their fall to the ground. Like Galileo, all the great names in history were curious and asked in discontent, "Why? Why? Why?"

Fortunately, curiosity and discontent don't have to be learned. We are born with them and need only recapture them.

"The great man," said Mencius（孟子）, "is he who does not lose his child's heart. " Yet most of us do lose it. We stop asking questions. We stop challenging custom. We just follow the crowd. And the crowd desires restful average. It encourages us to occupy our own little corner, to avoid foolish leaps into the dark, to be satisfied.

Most of us meet new people, and new ideas, with hesitation. But once having met and liked them, we think how terrible it would have been, had we missed the chance. We will probably have to force ourselves to waken our curiosity and discontent and keep them awake.

How should you start? Modestly, so as not to become discouraged. I think of one friend who couldn't arrange flowers to satisfy herself. She was curious about how the experts did it. How she is one of the experts, writing books on flower arrangement.

One way to begin is to answer your own excuses. You haven't any special ability? Most people don't; there are only a few geniuses. You haven't any time? That's good, because it's always the people with no time who get things done. Harriet Stowe, mother of six, wrote parts of Uncle Tom's Cabin while cooking. You're too old? Remember that Thomas Costain was 57 when he published his first novel, and that Grandma Moses showed her first pictures when she was 78.

However you start, remember there is no better time to start than right now, for you'll never be more alive than you are at this moment.

That cold January night,I was growing sick of my life in San Francisco.There I was,walking home at one in the morning after a tiring practice at the theatre.With the opening night only a week away,I was still learning my lines.I was having trouble dealing with my part-time job at the bank and my acting at night at the same time.As I walked,I thought seriously about giving up both acting and San Francisco.City life had become too much for me.

As I walked down empty streets under tall buildings,I felt very small and cold.I began running,both to keep warm and to keep away from any possible robbers.Very few people were still out except a few sad-looking homeless people under blankets.

About a block from my apartment,I heard a sound behind me.I turned quickly,half expecting to see someone with a knife or a gun.The street was empty.All I saw was a shining streetlight.Still,the noise had made me nervous,so I started to run faster.Not until I reached my apartment building and unlocked the door did I realize what the noise had been.It had been my wallet falling to the sidewalk.

Suddenly I wasn’t cold or tired anymore.I ran out of the door and back to where I’d heard the noise.Although I searched the sidewalk anxiously for fifteen minutes,my wallet was nowhere to be found.

Just as I was about to give up the search,I heard the garbage truck pull up to the sidewalk next to me.When a voice called from the inside,"Alisa Camacho"I thought I was dreaming.How could this man know my name?The door opened,and out jumped a small red-haired man with an amused look in his eye."Is this what you’re looking for" he asked,holding up a small square shape.

It was nearly 3 a.m. by the time I got into bed.I wouldn’t get much sleep that night,but I had gotten my wallet back.I also had gotten back some enjoyment of city life.I realized that the city couldn’t be a bad place as long as people were willing to help each other.

Jon Hoffman was sitting at a red light when he saw a man run out of a store carrying a plastic donation jar full of cash. The Plano, Texas, detective# dressed in plain clothes but wearing his badge and gun, caught the man and pinned him to the hood of his car. But Hoffman had trouble containing the thief, and they got into a struggle.

“The detective has a martial (军事的) arts background, and he said he thought the suspect must have a martial arts background, too, because he was able to break away so easily,” a Plano police spokesperson said.

The detective called out for help as a crowd gathered. Among those watching: Andre Harvey and Kirby Sample, two day laborers. Harvey did what has become common these days—he took out his phone and hit record. “I hate to say it, but I thought that this policeman was doing something stupid,” Harvey said. “But when he asked for help, I thought, well, there won’t be a shooting if I get over there in time.” Harvey jumped into action —while he was still recording the video—as did Sample.

“Harvey caught hold of the suspect’s arms, while Kirby seized his legs, and they were able to get the suspect to the ground to help Detective Hoffman put the handcuffs (手铐)on,” said the police spokesperson. The 27-year-old suspect was charged with resisting arrest and other offenses. The charity jar he stole held less than $ 50.

“I’ve been on the wrong side of the law several times in my life,” Harvey told WFAA. “It feels good to be on the right side and do something positive.”

After the arrest, the three men got to know each other over steaks and ribs at a local steak house — Hoffman’s treat, as a thank-you. But the rescuers say Hoffman deserves credit too. “It could have turned real ugly,” Sample told KFOR. com. “He handled himself like a real professional.”