<p>The saying "No pain, no gain underscores the idea that progress is not possible without sacrifice. From our world around us and through the recent advances in history, we can see that every example of progress came with a price tag named sacrifice.</p>
<p>The twentieth century was an era of many inventions and advancements. However, these did not come freely to humanity. A famous author once said, "I often think there is a man behind the counter who controls our progress. When we make progress, we are forced to return something back to this man. For example, you may have airplanes to help you move faster, but the birds will lose their wonder, and your skies will smell of gasoline." It is evident that although the airplane was a huge leap forward in terms of human progress, we were forced to sacrifice much to obtain it.</p>
<p>Another example of sacrifice linked with progress can be seen clearly in the school system - a system that encourages students to succeed. However, for this progress to be made, students must sacrifice much time and effort into reviewing notes, studying for tests, etc. The end result of this sacrifice is, unsurprisingly, progress. Each year, thousands of high school students graduate, with many moving on into college and successful careers. Contrasting this with the student who refuses to sacrifice effort, drops out of school, and subsequently working at minimum wage for the rest of his/her life, we see again how sacrifice is essential for progress. </p>
<p>All around us, we see examples of progress - proud high school graduates, airplanes in the sky, etc. However, it is important to note that without signifant sacrifice, these examples of progress would never have occured.</p>
<p>its 287 words, i know its short, but I have trouble with length in 25 minutes. Thanks.</p>