Which language convention is violated in the sentence: 'The gist of the saying went something like this: If a person wants to get ahead in life, you have to be willing to work for it'?

The sentence correctly uses a colon to introduce the quote, which is appropriate after a complete independent clause. The use of a colon in this context does not constitute a violation of language conventions, as it effectively signals that what follows is a direct quotation or explanation of the preceding clause.

The verb tense in the sentence is consistent and appropriate. It uses the past tense "went" to refer to the gist of the saying, and the phrase "you have to be willing" is in the present tense, which is acceptable in this context as it conveys a general truth. Therefore, there is no violation concerning verb tense.

The pronoun "you" in the sentence correctly agrees with its antecedent "a person," as it represents a general reference to individuals. There is no violation of pronoun-antecedent agreement in this case, as the pronouns used are consistent in terms of number and gender.