Shankaracharya says: 'A human birth, desire for emancipation, and contact with holy men-these three are very rare and are attained only through the grace of the Lord. But even these three advantages are not enough. We must be eager to profit by these and must be willing to sacrifice everything for spiritual life. There must be the readiness to undergo any hardship, pay any price, to achieve the supreme goal of life.

We should look upon it as a great fortune that, for some reason or other, our mind possesses an attraction for the higher and eternal things, and should see that we steadily and gradually proceed along the higher path, never flagging till we reach the goal.

Reference: Meditation and Spiritual Life by Swami Yatiswarananda (p.3)