Have the courage to face a difficulty lest it kick you harder

“Have the courage to face a difficulty lest it kick you harder than you bargain for.” Thus spoke Stanislaus I, once King of Poland and Duke of Lorraine, a man tempered by exile, loss, and the shifting winds of fortune. His words rise not as a warning alone, but as a timeless truth — that fear unchallenged becomes the very thing that conquers us. The difficulty we flee grows in the shadows, gaining strength from our hesitation. The one who dares to face hardship while it is small masters it; the one who delays becomes its servant. In this brief saying lies an eternal law of life: that courage is not only noble, but necessary, for avoidance invites greater suffering than endurance ever could.

The meaning of Stanislaus’s wisdom rests upon the nature of fear itself. When we turn away from what troubles us — the task undone, the truth unspoken, the wound unhealed — we think we buy peace. Yet this is an illusion. The burden does not vanish; it grows heavier in the dark. Every difficulty unattended gathers momentum, until what once could have been met with a firm heart returns to strike with doubled force. The wise, therefore, learn to confront pain swiftly and honestly, for in the act of facing it, they strip it of its power. Courage, then, is not the absence of fear but the decision that fear shall not rule.

To understand the origin of this insight, one must look to the life of Stanislaus Leszczyński himself. Twice he was made king, and twice he was driven from his throne. Betrayed by allies, exiled from his homeland, and cast into uncertainty, he knew well the taste of hardship. Yet he faced his reversals not with despair but with calm dignity. In his later years, ruling the small duchy of Lorraine, he became known as a philosopher-king — a man who had learned through suffering that difficulty, when met with courage, refines the soul. His own life embodied his saying: he had faced the blows of fate, and by meeting them head-on, he had turned defeat into wisdom.

History, too, bears many witnesses to his truth. Consider Abraham Lincoln, who faced the towering difficulties of war and division in his nation. Had he turned away from conflict, seeking comfort or compromise at any cost, America might have fractured forever. But through steadfast courage and quiet perseverance, he endured what seemed impossible. The difficulty that might have destroyed him instead became the forge of greatness. So it is in every age: those who stand before their trials with open eyes emerge transformed; those who flee them are pursued by their own avoidance, struck harder each time they run.

To live by this teaching is to cultivate the habit of bravery in small things. Face the conversation you fear to have, the truth you dread to speak, the effort you have delayed. Do not let difficulties grow roots in your heart. Approach them while they are still tender enough to be managed. In doing so, you strengthen the sinews of your soul, preparing yourself for the greater challenges that life will surely bring. Each time you meet hardship with courage, you build a fortress of resilience within — a power that no misfortune can shake.

But there is also gentleness in this wisdom. To face a difficulty does not mean to meet it with anger or stubborn pride. It means to accept it as part of the path, to look upon it with calmness and resolve. The warrior who rushes blindly into battle is no wiser than the coward who hides. The one who endures with clarity — acknowledging fear but refusing to bow to it — walks the middle path of strength. Courage, rightly understood, is not reckless; it is disciplined, born of patience and faith.

The lesson, then, is clear and enduring: do not flee what frightens you, for it will return magnified. Meet your troubles as one who commands them, not as one who is hunted by them. The hardships you avoid today will become the storms of tomorrow. Yet those you confront with heart and humility will become your teachers. So, my child, when the shadow of difficulty falls upon you, lift your gaze. Let your heart say, “Come — I will not run.” For the one who has the courage to face the challenge finds not only freedom from fear, but mastery over life itself.