Two men among my acquaintances cursed every breath right up to the time that they were converted, and have never cursed since. But those men did not learn to curse in an instant. They began by using slang and apparently innocent bywords. There was never a man who used perfectly pure speech until a certain moment, and very profane language from that moment on. One quit drinking in a day, but he did not become a drunkard in a day.
Life is like a boat on the surface of the river.
If one is not rowing, he is drifting. Every moment that one is not rowing he is drifting. One may drift unconsciously, but he rows purposely. If one looks only at his own boat and the surface of the river about him, he may drift far before becoming aware of it. The only way he can locate himself is by looking at some fixed object on the bank.