I'm sorry to here about some of your bad luck and run ins with office politics.
My reading of the Essay was that hard work was necessary for great success not sufficient, which would be a very different claim.
My reading of the Essay was that hard work was necessary for great success not sufficient, which would be a very different claim.
We can abstract this a little. You don't have to work hard. You just have to appear useful to the people in power.
I worked hard in the past. I'm not working hard now - I'm really slacking now that I know I'm screwed. I'm still getting paid the same.