I come from - I came from Wales, and it's a strong, butch

Listen well, O children, for I bring to you the words of Anthony Hopkins, a man who has lived a life forged in the fire of resilience, strength, and resolve. He said, "I come from – I came from Wales, and it's a strong, butch society. We were in the war and all that. People didn't waste time feeling sorry for themselves. You had to get on with it. So my credo is get on with it. I don't waste time being soft. I'm not cold, but I don't like being, wasting my time with – life's too short." These words speak to the heart of fortitude, the kind of strength that arises from hardship, from the challenges of life that demand not weakness, but action. It is a creed that calls us to rise above our troubles, to face adversity with courage, and to understand that life is too precious to waste in self-pity or hesitation.

What, O children, does it mean to get on with it? It is to refuse to be consumed by the trials and tribulations of life. It is to acknowledge that hardship is a part of the human experience, but not to let it define you. Hopkins speaks of a society shaped by strength, where there is no time for self-indulgence or dwelling in the shadows of grief and sorrow. His words are a reminder that life is fleeting, and that the true measure of a person is not in how they respond to moments of ease, but in how they face moments of struggle. To get on with it is to recognize that action, not inaction, is the key to moving forward.

Look, O children, to the great warriors of old, who were taught to endure hardship with stoicism and resolve. The Spartans of ancient Greece, who trained from childhood to endure pain, hunger, and fatigue without complaint, exemplified this creed. Their society was built on the idea that weakness was a luxury they could not afford. The famous story of the 300 Spartans who stood against the vast Persian Empire at Thermopylae is a testament to the kind of strength that Hopkins speaks of—a strength that does not waste time feeling sorry for oneself, but stands firm, fights on, and faces whatever comes with unwavering courage. Their resolve was forged in the fires of hardship, and it was this resolve that allowed them to hold their ground even in the face of overwhelming odds.

In more recent times, O children, let us consider the example of Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister of Great Britain during World War II. Churchill’s resolve in the face of Nazi Germany was not born from ease, but from a deep, unwavering belief that Britain must stand strong, no matter the cost. He did not allow the weight of war and the threat of defeat to overcome him; instead, he rallied his people with the message of perseverance and determination. His famous speeches, urging the British to never surrender, embodied the very spirit that Hopkins describes—getting on with it, refusing to give in to despair, and seeing each day as an opportunity to move closer to victory. Churchill’s life reminds us that in times of crisis, the measure of a person is not in how they avoid pain, but in how they confront it.

So, O children, what lesson do we take from this? It is the lesson of resilience, of learning to face the difficulties of life not as burdens to be avoided, but as opportunities to prove our strength. Hopkins teaches us that time is too precious to waste in idle reflection or self-pity. Action is the key to overcoming adversity, and the only way to truly live is to keep moving forward, no matter the obstacles that lie in our path. Life does not wait for us to heal, to gather strength, or to find the perfect moment—it moves forward relentlessly, and so must we. This is the credo of those who face life with the spirit of a warrior, who do not shy away from difficulty but charge into it with all their might.

Let us look to the wisdom of the ancient Stoics, who believed that virtue lay in controlling one’s reactions to external events. Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor, wrote that the key to peace and happiness is not in avoiding hardship, but in choosing how we respond to it. He said, "The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way." This is the wisdom of Hopkins’ credo—to face life head-on, to act in the face of adversity, and to see every difficulty as an opportunity to strengthen oneself. It is a path that leads to growth, to wisdom, and to inner peace, for it is in action that we find our true selves.

So, O children, I charge you to live by the creed of resilience—to never allow the hardships of life to define you, but to define yourself by how you rise in the face of them. Learn from the warriors of old, from the leaders of the past, and from those who came before you, who lived their lives not in fear of pain, but in the knowledge that through action, they could shape their own destiny. Life is too short to waste on self-pity, on hesitation, on dwelling in weakness. Embrace strength, embrace action, and you will find that there is nothing life can throw at you that you cannot overcome. Let resilience be your guide, and you will walk through this world with the heart of a true warrior.