By study;
by attentiveness;
by orderly speech;
by and understanding heart;
by a perceptive heart;
by awe;
by fear;
by humility;
by joy;
by ministering to the sages;
by cleaving to colleagues;
by probing discussion with pupils;
by calmness in study;
by study of Scripture and Mishnah;
by a minimum of business;
by a minimum of sleep;
by a minimum of small talk;
by a minimum of worldly pleasure;
by a minimum of frivolity;
by a minimum of worldly pursuits;
by patience;
by a generous heart;
by trust in the sages;
by acceptance of suffering;
knowing one’s place;
contentment with one’s lot;
guarding one’s speech and taking no personal credit;
being beloved;
loving God;
loving all creature;
loving charitable deeds;
loving rectitude;
loving reproof;
shunning honor and not boasting of one’s learning;
not delighting in giving rulings;
sharing the burden with one’s fellows;
influencing them to virtue;
setting them on the path of truth;
showing them the path of peace;
concentrating on one’s studies;
asking and answering questions;
absorbing knowledge and contributing to it;
studying in order to teach;
studying in order to perform mitzvoth;
sharpening the wisdom of one’s teacher;
transmitting precisely what one has learned;
quoting one’s source.
From this we learn that a person who cites the source brings deliverance to the world; as it is written: “And Esther spoke to the king, in the name of Mordecai.” (Esther 2:22)
Pirkei Avot VI:6