Nikola Tesla Books
He didn’t want other people’s money, even if he won it in card games. However, others did not treat him the same way; instead, they kept everything they received from him for themselves.
One day, Nikola gambled a large sum of money and lost it all, but he didn’t want to hide it from his good mother. It saddened his mother, so she gathered all the money she had, placed it on the table in front of Nikola, and told him, “Here, son, take this. This is all we have. Go and gamble it away. At least we will know afterward that we have nothing left. We will know that our son has squandered everything.” The good mother knew that gambling ruins health and destroys one’s wealth, but she also anticipated that these words would have the strongest impact on Nikola’s good heart and would deter him from this terrible vice. She was not mistaken. These words had such an effect on Nikola that he begged his mother for forgiveness and promised her that he would never gamble or smoke again.
He kept his promise. Since then, Nikola truly never gambled again, smoked only occasionally for better digestion, and later gave up even that.
Nikola provides a good example here that a person can self-improve and break free from bad company, bad habits, and vices, as long as they recognize their mistakes.
A rotten apple spoils healthy ones. Bad society can ruin even the best. Stay away from bad society.
