Daisaku Ikeda, a Japanese Buddhist philosopher and peace advocate, has often spoken and written about the perseverance of the human spirit. This encouraging metaphor comes from a speech he gave to students at Soka University in 1974 on the transformative power of creativity. He cautioned students not to be discouraged or indolent when faced with difficulties, because “the creative essence of life is never crushed or vanquished by such things.” Instead, he encouraged them to keep working, producing, and creating. He urged, “Never for an instant forget the effort to renew your life, to build yourself anew.”