English Explanation of Pirkei Avot 2:12

Rabbi Yose said:
Let the property of your fellow be as precious unto you as your own;
Make yourself fit to study torah for it will not be yours by inheritance;
And let all your actions be for [the sake of] the name of heaven.
Let the property of your fellow be as precious unto you as your own: a person should take care of his fellows’ property as it were his own. For instance, if you see a fire on your friend’s property you must help him protect his property. This principle is learned from the Torah which teaches that one has a responsibility to return lost objects to their rightful owners. From here the general principle is deduced that a person has a responsibility over his friend’s property.
Make yourself fit to study torah for it will not be yours by inheritance: while the Torah might in some ways be the “inheritance” of the Jewish people it is not acquired automatically, the way that an inheritance is. Just because your father, or nowadays your mother, was a scholar of Torah does not mean that you will become one as well. A person must labor over Torah, and push himself to study.
This statement is also a statement against the concept of fate. A person is not born “fated” to be a Torah scholar, or indeed anything else. Rather a person works to shape his future; he must prepare himself for all that he will do in life. First and foremost, he must prepare himself to study Torah.
And let all your actions be for [the sake of] the name of Heaven: this means that even ordinary actions that a person does, such as eating, drinking, sitting down, getting up, walking, lying down, sexual intercourse, conversation and all bodily needs, should be done in such a way that serves God. All things that one does should lead to the improvement of his relationship to God and of his moral character.