When Hayyim of Zanz was a young man, he set about trying to reform his country from its evil ways. But when he reached the age of thirty, he looked around and saw that evil remained in the world. So he said, “Perhaps I was too ambitious. I will begin with my province.” But at the age of forty, his province too remained mired in evil. So he said, “I was still too ambitious. From now on I will only try to lift up my community.” But at fifty, he saw that his community had still not changed. So he decided only to reform his own family. But when he looked around, he saw that his family had grown and moved away, and now he remained alone. “Now I understand that I needed to begin with myself.” So he spent the rest of his life perfecting his own soul.
-Author Unknown