Beethoven is called a genius. But we need to be aware that his genius was based on incredibly strenuous effort. It all comes down to hard work, to tenacious efforts. You cannot become a person of the highest caliber if you have a casual, easygoing attitude, thinking things will somehow just fall into place. Accordingly, Beethoven’s motto was “No day without a line.” Every day without fail, he wrote music. He would not let even a single day pass without working assiduously. To continue every day–this is just like our practice of gongyo. Making persistent efforts each day is a source of tremendous strength.
from sgi.org