I can give you a six-word formula for success: Think things

Eddie Rickenbacker, the great aviator and warrior of the skies, once proclaimed: “I can give you a six-word formula for success: Think things through – then follow through. These words, though brief, are carved with the strength of stone. They are not the idle musings of a dreamer, but the hard-won wisdom of one who risked his life in the vast heavens, where every careless thought spelled death, and every careful plan meant survival. His message is simple, yet eternal: first use the mind to chart the path, then use the will to walk it. One without the other is nothing. Thought without action dies unborn, and action without thought runs blindly into ruin.

The first half of his teaching, think things through, speaks of foresight, patience, and the quiet strength of the mind. To think is to see the unseen, to weigh the choices, to anticipate the storm before it strikes. In the ancient world, the generals of Sparta and Rome spent long nights under torchlight, mapping every possible move, every weakness, every chance of betrayal. They knew that victory begins not on the battlefield, but in the chamber of thought. To think is to prepare, to fortify the soul against both failure and temptation.

But thought alone is not enough. Many have been rich in plans yet poor in deeds. Rickenbacker’s second command, follow through, is the fire that ignites the vision. To follow through is to rise after the planning is done, to act without hesitation, to commit the body and spirit to what the mind has resolved. It is the power to finish what has begun, to press on when doubt gnaws and fatigue whispers surrender. Without follow-through, dreams remain dreams, forever haunting the halls of regret.

Consider the life of Rickenbacker himself. In World War I, as a fighter pilot, he faced enemies in the skies where seconds decided life or death. He could not rely on reckless courage alone. He studied his craft, thought through the maneuvers of his foes, and learned every detail of his fragile machine. But when the moment came, thought gave way to action—swift, decisive, unflinching. Because he thought, he was prepared; because he followed through, he became America’s “Ace of Aces.” His victories were not accidents, but the offspring of thought and action joined as one.

History offers another tale: Julius Caesar crossing the Rubicon. Long he considered the risk—the wrath of Rome, the gamble of rebellion. He weighed every consequence in his mind. But when thought reached its end, he acted. He followed through with boldness, saying, “The die is cast.” That act, both calculated and courageous, changed the fate of empires. Had he only thought without daring, Rome’s history would have remained unwritten. Had he acted without thought, his legions would have marched into folly. But by joining both, he seized destiny itself.

The lesson for you, seeker of wisdom, is clear: do not lean only on thought, nor only on action. Hold both as twin blades, sharp and ready. When you face a choice, pause and think things through. Do not rush into chaos, nor be lulled by haste. Then, when the way is clear, do not delay—follow through with strength, and let nothing stop you until the task is done. This is the formula Rickenbacker gives, not for fleeting victories, but for the enduring crown of success.

In your own life, practice this daily. When the dawn rises, plan your course with clarity. Ask yourself: What must I do? How shall I do it? What obstacles may arise? And when the answers come, act upon them. Finish what you begin. Do not abandon the book half-written, the dream half-built, the promise half-kept. In small acts of discipline, you will forge the great acts of destiny. For thought and action together make the human being mighty, but divided, they leave him broken and unfulfilled.

So remember Rickenbacker’s six words as if they were carved in stone: Think things through – then follow through. To live by them is to live with purpose. To neglect them is to drift like dust in the wind. Hold them, therefore, as a torch to guide your steps, and let your life shine as proof that wisdom, when joined to courage, builds a legacy that endures beyond the grave.