"Isn't it strange that princes and kings,
And clowns that caper in sawdust rings,
And common people like you and me
Are builders for eternity?
Each is given a bag of tools,
A shapeless mass, a book of rules;
And each must make.. ere life is flown
A stumbling block, or a stepping stone.
-- R. L. Sharpe, "A Bag of Tools""