As you walk down the fairway of life you must smell the roses

Hear the wise and gentle counsel of Ben Hogan, master of the game and philosopher of the heart: “As you walk down the fairway of life you must smell the roses, for you only get to play one round.” At first, these words wear the garments of golf, simple advice from a sportsman to his fellows. Yet beneath them lies a teaching for all humanity: that life, fleeting and singular, is not merely to be endured, but to be savored. For Hogan reminds us that our days are not an endless tournament; we are granted but one round, and when it is finished, no second chance is given.

The origin of this wisdom lies in Hogan’s own life, a man forged by hardship and triumph. Known as one of the greatest golfers in history, he was not spared suffering. In 1949, he survived a near-fatal car crash, his body shattered, his career thought ended. Yet through iron discipline and indomitable will, he returned to the game and claimed victories that astonished the world. Out of such trials, Hogan learned that strength alone is not enough. One must also learn to pause, to rejoice in the fragrance of life’s simple gifts, to smell the roses even while striving for greatness.

History offers us countless mirrors to this truth. Consider the emperor Marcus Aurelius, who though burdened with the rule of Rome, would pause in his writings to marvel at the rising of the sun, the beauty of a horse in motion, the kindness of a friend. Though duty consumed his days, he too believed that life is brief, and to miss its sweetness is to miss its meaning. Hogan’s wisdom thus joins the chorus of sages across ages: greatness is hollow if it is not balanced with joy.

Yet how many souls forget this? They run tirelessly upon the course of ambition, eyes fixed only on the hole ahead, never lifting their gaze to the flowers blooming at the edge of the path. They labor, they strive, they accumulate, yet at the end of their journey they discover they have played the game but never lived the round. They made a living, but not a life; they completed the course, but never smelled the roses. Hogan’s words rise like a trumpet to awaken such souls from their slumber of striving.

And yet, let us not mistake his meaning. To smell the roses is not to abandon discipline or cast away excellence. Hogan himself was relentless in training, a craftsman of detail. But he knew that perfection without joy becomes emptiness, and ambition without gratitude becomes slavery. To walk the fairway of life is to pursue one’s calling with diligence, yet never be so consumed that one forgets to laugh, to love, to behold the beauty laid along the path.

The lesson, O listener of tomorrow, is this: you will only live once. Your life is a single round upon the course of time. Do not rush through it heedlessly. Treasure your family, rejoice in friendships, honor beauty, and give thanks for the small wonders that each day places before you. For at the end, it will not be the trophies or the wealth you recall most, but the roses you stopped to breathe, the joys you dared to notice.

Therefore, take action. Begin today. Step out upon your fairway with purpose, but let your steps be light enough to pause when beauty calls. Lift your head from toil and see the sky. Speak kind words while there is still time. Share laughter at the table, embrace those you love, and walk with gratitude. For your round is already underway, and when it is finished, no man may play again. Live, then, as Hogan taught: not only with discipline, but with joy, not only with striving, but with the fragrance of roses.