Yearn to seek knowledge. (Article)
One of the students of Hadeeth used to crave and yearn for seeking knowledge. So he would visit the elder teachers and sit in their gatherings. Then when some time had passed, he saw that he had not benefited at all and that he had not attained a great deal of knowledge. So he said: “I am not fit for this knowledge” and gave it up, since he thought that there was something wrong with his understanding or that he was not qualified for seeking knowledge.
One day, after he had left off seeking knowledge for some time, he passed by a rock that had water falling on it, drop by drop. The continuous dripping of water had affected the rock to the point that it had made a hole in it. The man stood there for a while, contemplating and reflecting, and said: ‘This water, in spite of its softness, was able to have an effect on this rock, in spite of its hardness. And my mind and heart are not harder than this rock and neither is this knowledge any softer than the water.’
So he became determined to go back to seeking knowledge, which he did and excelled at. And he later became one of those referred to with regard to it.
[Al-Jaami Li-Akhlaaq-ir-Raawee wa Adaab as-Saami]