Page 21 - All India Magazine Feb-2025

Getting rid of limitations
It is said and repeated, and there are people who will prove
it: to do something well one must specialize. One must do that
and concentrate. If one wants to become a good philosopher,
one must learn only philosophy, if one wants to be a good chem-
ist, one must learn chemistry only. And if one wants to become a
good tennis-player, one must play only tennis. That's not what I
think, that is all I can say. My experience is different. I believe there
are general faculties and that it is much more important to acquire
these than to specialise — unless, naturally, it be like M. and Mme.
Curie who wanted to develop a certain science, find something
new, then of course they were compelled to concentrate on that
science. But still that was only till they had discovered it; once they
had found it, nothing stopped them from widening their mind.
This is something I have heard from my very childhood, and I
believe our great grandparents heard the same thing, and from all
time it has been preached that if you want to succeed in some-
thing you must do only that. And as for me, I was scolded all the
time because I did many different things! And I was always told
I would never be good at anything. I studied, I did painting, I did
music, and besides was busy with other things still. And I was
told my music wouldn't be up to much, my painting wouldn't be
worthwhile, and my studies would be quite incomplete. Probably
it is quite true, but still I have found that this had its advantages
— those very advantages I am speaking about, of widening, mak-
ing supple one's mind and understanding. It is true that if I had
wanted to be a first-class player and to play in concerts, it would
have been necessary to do what they said. And as for painting, if I
had wanted to be among the great artists of the period, it would
have been necessary to do that. That's quite understandable. But
still, that is just one point of view. I don't see any necessity of
being the greatest artist, the greatest musician. That has always

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