Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by

Hear, O seeker of strength, the words of William Butler Yeats, the poet who gave voice not only to beauty but to courage: “Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.” His wisdom is forged like the very metal of which he speaks. It teaches us that opportunity is not a gift to be passively awaited but a fire to be kindled by our own action. To wait idly for the perfect moment is to wither, but to act boldly is to create the moment itself.

The ancients knew this truth well, for the image of the blacksmith was sacred to them. The iron does not heat itself; it is brought to fire by the labor of the smith. And when the hammer falls upon it, the shape of destiny is made. So it is with human life. One cannot simply sit by, waiting for fortune to shine. One must strike first, again and again, until the very act of persistence turns cold metal into glowing flame. Yeats calls us to courage: to act, even when the world seems unready, and by acting, to make it ready.

Consider the tale of Alexander the Great. As a youth, he was given the wild horse Bucephalus, a beast deemed untamable by seasoned men. Many would have waited for a more “favorable” chance, but Alexander seized the moment. By studying the horse, by turning its face toward the sun so its shadow would not frighten it, he mounted and mastered the animal. In that act he proved himself destined for greatness. He did not wait for the iron to be hot—he made it hot by striking. And his life became a march across the world, a testament to boldness.

In our own age, look to the example of the Wright brothers. They did not wait for some era of perfect engines or unshakable support. They acted in the face of doubt, ridicule, and countless crashes. Each failure was a hammer’s blow, each attempt a spark. By relentless effort, they heated the cold iron of impossibility until at last it burned bright, and mankind took flight. Their story is Yeats’ wisdom alive: opportunity is not found—it is forged.

Thus, O child of tomorrow, learn this lesson: do not tarry, waiting for conditions to ripen. For they seldom will. If you wait for courage before acting, you may never act; but if you act, courage will come. If you wait for the perfect time to begin, that time will never arrive; but if you begin, the time becomes perfect. To shape destiny, you must bring the fire yourself, and with steady blows, forge your own path.

Let your heart be resolute. When doubt whispers that you must wait for the right hour, silence it with action. When fear says the iron is too cold, remind yourself that every strike is heat, every attempt a spark. Progress is not given—it is made, step by step, blow by blow. The world yields not to those who wait, but to those who act with persistence.

In practice, take this counsel: do not delay in pursuing your goals. Begin with what you have, where you are, even if the tools are crude and the way uncertain. Work daily, for daily effort is the hammer that heats the iron. Break your great dreams into small actions, and let each action strike the metal until it glows. And above all, never cease striking, for even the coldest iron yields to relentless force.

So I say unto you: do not wait for the iron to be hot. Strike it, and in striking, make it hot. For life belongs not to the idle who linger, but to the bold who dare. And when the fire rises from your labor, you shall see that destiny itself was hidden within your blows, waiting for your hand to awaken it.