A young man is reported to have approached the renowned composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (one of the great musical prodigies of all time), and asked, “Herr Mozart, I have the ambition to write symphonies and perhaps you can advise me how to get started.”
Mozart said, “The best advice I can give you is to wait until you are older and more experienced, and then try your hand at less ambitious pieces.”
The young man looked astonished. “But, Herr Mozart, you yourself wrote symphonies when you were considerably younger than I.”
“Ah,” said Mozart, “but I did so without asking advice.”