I like to compare human beings to ships, as Carlyle used to do. It’s estimated that about 95 percent can be compared to ships without rudders. Subject to every shift of wind and tide, they’re helplessly adrift. And while they fondly hope that they will one day drift into some rich and bustling port, you and I know that for every narrow harbor entrance, there are a thousand miles of rocky coastline. The chances of their drifting into port are a thousand to one against them.
