Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education alone will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
Easing himself through the hole as carefully as possible, Julian clicked on his flashlight. The air in the small cave had a strange odor to it. Considering when it was sealed, he realized he might be smelling the first century BC. He considered this for a moment, the idea that every age has its own scent. Then his elbows were in the fine soft dirt and he was pulling his legs in after him. There was just enough room that he could stand without having to duck. But little enough room that he still felt like he needed to.
Light from the opening behind him aided the flashlight, giving him a vague visual sense of the entire chamber. It was small, about the size of his kitchen back home in Surrey. Other than where it had been sealed off, it appeared to be an entirely natural formation. And every single inch was covered in writing. It wasn’t hieroglyphics or cuneiform, but bore characteristics of both. And characteristics of some writing system he had never seen before. Even though he couldn’t read it, felt incredibly familiar. His initial impression was that it had been written haphazardly, madly on every surface. But on closer inspection, he realized it was in a precise gridlike pattern—it was simply the writing surfaces that curved and flowed in unexpected manners. Natural rock.
Forum 
