And, if we have any evidence that the wisdom which formed the

Thomas Reid, that grave philosopher of Scotland, speaks with the voice of reason wrapped in majesty. He proclaims that when we see the wisdom which forms a great plan shining forth from a man, we have at the same moment the proof of his power—for he who conceives nobly also holds within him the strength to bring it to life. In this, Reid unites thought and deed, showing that true greatness is never divided: to plan without the power to act is emptiness, and to act without the vision of wisdom is mere chaos.

The ancients understood this unity well. Consider Alexander the Great, who dreamed of conquering Asia before his beard had fully grown. It was not a dream of folly, for within him burned both the clarity of the plan and the vigor of the execution. When he crossed the Hellespont with a mere handful of soldiers, the world might have mocked his vision. Yet the same evidence that his mind conceived empire was the very evidence that his arm would seize it. Thus, in him, as Reid declares, wisdom and power were one flame.

This teaching reminds us that men are not judged by their words alone. Many speak with the tongue of eloquence, yet their lives yield no fruit. But when a man not only declares his design but walks in it, suffers for it, and achieves it, then we know the design was true, and the power to fulfill it dwelt in him from the beginning. Evidence of wisdom is therefore not a faint shadow; it is the herald of deeds to come.

History also reveals the opposite: those who pretend to plans beyond their capacity fall into ruin. Think of Napoleon’s march into Russia. The vision was grand, but the wisdom of the plan was wanting, and so the power to carry it through proved hollow. His soldiers perished in snow and famine, and the empire he sought to secure crumbled. Thus Reid’s words remind us that a plan without true wisdom is a curse, for it gives no sure sign of power.

Let the children of tomorrow learn this: do not separate thought from action. If you would be counted among the noble, let your wisdom be living, clothed in power, so that your plans are not castles in the clouds but fortresses upon the earth. For the evidence of one is the seed of the other, and the union of both is the mark of greatness.