Lessons from a child and from a thief (attributed)

A well-known teaching in the Maggid's name, said to have been told to Rebbe Zusha, holds that one can learn three things from a small child: to be happy for no particular reason, never to sit idle, and to cry to his Father for what he needs. From a thief one learns to work at night, to keep trying after failing, to value what one does, to keep one's efforts private, and more. Every part of life can become a teacher in avodas Hashem. (This teaching is transmitted in later Chassidic collections and oral tradition; versions of the list differ.)