As old saying goes: “Water constantly dropping wears holes in stone.” Indeed, in daily life, persistence is the most important factor to success. Jules Verne, the French novelist, wrote the book Around the World in 80 Days, which has a good demonstration of the nature of persistence.

In 1872, Mr. Phileas Fogg, a rich gentleman, made a wager with some members of a social organization known as The Reform Club. Phineas, together with his servant, would travel around the world in 80 days. The wager made against this was a large sum of money: twenty thousand pounds. During the trip, Phileas and his servant met with countless problems that would delay the trip and make them lose the wager, and almost their lives. They encountered the delays of train and sea, hindrance from Detective Fox, delays to rescue a woman from death,  a fight with Indians on a moving train and the loss of much fuel in the sea. A few days before the deadline, Mr. Fogg, who had just reached Britain, was sent to prison because he looked similar to a robber who had stolen a lot money from a bank. Phileas was released from jail, however, when it was heard that the thief had been caught several dats ago. As a result, the story has a happy ending: they toured the world in 80 days.

While I was reading, I found myself lost in the book and my feelings thoroughly dependent upon Mr. Fogg’s adventure. When the trip was delayed, I was always worried and even hoped that they would pull through! I was truly touched by how calm Mr. Fogg was, and by the courage of his valet, Mr. Passepartout. They were real heroes in my heart. Jules Verne authentically described what Passepartout thought through the story and the brave actions Mr. Fogg and Passepartout undertook, together with fabulous views of different countries. All of these things came together to make the novel so attractive.

I am the type of person who always has a clear plan but sometimes fails to stick to it. Maybe I am lazy? (Not really.) After reading Around the World in 80 days. I realize that a clear goal is as necessary for success as a detailed plan. In the book, the aim was to travel around the world in 80 days, and the plan was, for example, when to leave and when to come back. If you do not have a clear goal, you will bounce around aimlessly and be unsuccessful. In short, doing things aimlessly will probably not lead to success.

I remember that I already read the Chinese version of Around the World in 80 Days in primary school. Now, I am in tenth grade and I am reading the book in English. Obviously, reading the whole book in English is a challenge for me, especially the descriptions about views in the cities and on the sea. To be honest, I want to give up while reading. However, I am always surprised to find that Mr. Fogg did not give up under each terrible circumstance that he encountered. The book encouraged me to keep reading with its lively and interesting plots. I am thankful to Around the World in 80 Days, and the writer Jules Verne.