Many years ago, I asked Maggie Fry to speak to one of my classes. She came and was simply wonderful. My students saw a delicate, very prim and proper, little lady who had served as Poet Laureate of Oklahoma, and I was thrilled to have her. Later, Maggie invited me to her home for dinner with her and her husband. As we visited throughout dinner, Maggie told me that people always asked her how she had accomplished so much. Her terse answer: “I just worked like hell.”
I almost fell out of my chair, but as the years have gone by I have recounted that moment to hundreds of people. It reveals something that seems to be lost in today’s world. Even though God may have given you an enormous intellect and ability, the truly accomplished add a generous dose of work to the mix. True greatness is not achieved by simply the luck of the draw but through continuous effort and focus. Maggie knew that.
-by Linda Batty
