Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.
William Butler Yeats
MEANING OF THIS QUOTE
Almost all of us have grown up learning that we must make the most of the opportunities that come our way. This is actually good advice, only it suffers from a couple of shortcomings. One, fate is generally not so kind to most of us. In fact, opportunities are a rare blend of fate and ability, so one would have to get really lucky to have the rub of the green. And two, because this doctrine encourages a reactive approach to life; it inculcates in us the notion that it is okay to sit around and wait for everything to fall into place.
BUT SOMETIMES ONE DOES NEED TO BASE THEIR FUTURE ACTIONS ON HOW THINGS PAN OUT IN THE PRESENT, RIGHT?
Probably. However, that shouldn’t be an excuse for putting off action on your part. Even if you feel short of ideas, you can always weigh what your possible options are. Believe it or not, there is always something you can do to boost your chances. Even if it may not seem to have a direct bearing on the project at hand, it can be something that can, say, improve your skill-set for possible opportunities ahead. Think of it this way: daydreaming or speculating about the outcome won’t get you anywhere; proactively working on things just might.
CONCLUSION
Sitting back and waiting for things to happen can be detrimental to one’s prospects, especially in this day and age. One should instead cut the excuses and look for ways to make things happen. The world doesn’t belong to people with such a passive mindset; it rather belongs to those who know how to take the bull by the horns.
William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet, dramatist, and writer. Regarded as one of the most prominent figures of twentieth-century literature, William Butler Yeats was also known for his profound, inspirational quotes. One such quote goes as follows: “Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.”.