His earnestness and industry is the key-note to his achievement. He
worked harder than any composer we have any record of, with the possible
exception of Wagner. If we consider how the compositions improved in his
hands, while being worked over, as is shown by the sketch-books, a
simple process of reasoning will convince the reader that any man's
work, in any line, can be improved by adopting the same methods.
Beethoven's own words in this connection are, "the boundary does not yet
exist, of which it can be said to talent cooperating with industry,
'Thus far shalt thou go and no farther.'" The more he worked over his
compositions the better they became. When he required a theme for a
particular purpose, if the right thought did not at once come to mind,
his practice was to write as near it as possible. By the time this was
done an improvement would suggest itself. He would then write it again,
and before the ink was dry, would start at it yet again, each effort
bringing him nearer the goal, and this progress was the incentive that
led him to continue until the idea he was reaching for became a reality.
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