Many years after receiving my graduate degree, I returned to my alma
mater as a faculty member. One day, while in a crowded elevator, someone
remarked on the elevator's inefficiency. I responded that they had not
changed in the 20 years since I began there as a student.
When the doors finally opened, I felt a compassionate pat on my back,
then turned around to see an elderly nun smiling at me. "You'll get that
degree, dear," she whispered. "Perseverance is a virtue."