And what do we mean by competence?
Not success! God knows it is something very different from success! Any fool may be successful, if the gods wish to hurt him.

Competence means that splendid joy in your own powers and the approval of your own heart, which great men feel always and lesser men now and again at favoured intervals.

There are a certain number of things in the world to be done, and we have got to do them.

We may fail--it doesn't in the least matter.

We may get killed in the attempt--it matters still less.