Hard work or Passion?

This idea is appealling for a toefl essay task that might also get students thinking.

Hard work has nothing to do with success. It does not produce success. It does not sustain success. And it certainly does not reverse a failure. It is passion that drives success. Love for one's activity is infinitely more important to creating success than hard work. Yet for some twisted reason, parents, teachers, and leaders insist on emphasizing the importance of hard work.

If you emphasize hard work to the youth, you will create a generation of most obedient servants. However, if you inspire passion in them, the sky is the limit for what can be accomplished.

99% of my students would argue the opposite point of view.


On the other hand, I'm also thinking that passion as an ingredient for success may be a hopelessly Western white middle-class inulgence. Individualistic and self centred?