Don't fight the problem, decide it.

The words of George C. Marshall, “Don’t fight the problem, decide it,” resound with the voice of a man who bore the burdens of war and peace alike. They remind us that life’s trials are not always conquered by endless struggle, nor by frantic resistance, but by clarity, judgment, and decisive will. To fight the problem is to wrestle endlessly with confusion, anger, and fear. But to decide it is to bring order out of chaos, to cut through uncertainty with the sword of resolution.

In this wisdom lies the spirit of true leadership. Many men waste their strength locked in combat with the appearance of a problem—complaining, resisting, or postponing. They rage against the obstacle, exhausting themselves without moving forward. But the leader sees deeper. He knows that no amount of flailing will clear the path. Instead, he seeks understanding, weighs the options, and then acts with firm resolve. In decision, the problem ceases to be a master and becomes a servant of progress.

Consider Marshall himself, Chief of Staff of the United States Army during World War II. The world stood aflame, allies pressed on every side, and resources stretched thin. To fight the chaos of war in a blind frenzy would have been futile. Yet Marshall, calm as stone amid the storm, refused to be consumed by turmoil. He studied the situation, made decisions of staggering consequence—where to send forces, how to sustain them, which battles to risk and which to forgo. His genius was not in wrestling with the problem endlessly, but in deciding it swiftly and wisely. Because of this, he was later entrusted with the rebuilding of Europe, and his name lives on in the Marshall Plan, a testament to the power of decisive clarity.

History shows this truth again in the tale of Alexander the Great and the Gordian Knot. Many had tried to untangle it, fighting its endless twists and ties. But Alexander, refusing to waste his strength in fruitless struggle, decided the problem with one stroke of his sword. The knot was undone, not by fighting but by resolution. So too in life: the knots we face are rarely unraveled by resistance, but often severed by the courage to decide.

This teaching does not despise struggle—it acknowledges that some struggles are necessary. But it warns against drowning in endless resistance without purpose. Problems will not vanish because we lament them. They yield only to those who choose with wisdom and act with courage. To decide is to transform fear into direction, hesitation into momentum, and chaos into order.

The lesson is clear: when confronted with obstacles, do not spend your days wrestling shadows. Seek first to understand. Then, with steady heart, decide your course. Do not be paralyzed by the weight of choices, for indecision itself is defeat. Even a difficult decision, once made, clears the fog and sets the spirit free to move forward.

So I say to you, children of tomorrow: when trials rise before you, remember the words of Marshall. “Don’t fight the problem, decide it.” Do not give your life to endless struggle against the storm; instead, chart your course through it. Decide boldly, act faithfully, and let the power of decision carry you beyond the obstacle.

If you would practice this teaching today, take one problem that has long lingered in your life. Do not complain about it, nor postpone it. Write down your choices, weigh them, and then choose. The very act of deciding will release you from the chains of uncertainty, and in that moment, you will discover the strength that Marshall himself wielded—the strength not merely to endure problems, but to command them.