I couldn't wait for success, so I went ahead without it.

Hear now the words of Jonathan Winters, the jester-sage whose humor cloaked wisdom, who declared: “I couldn’t wait for success, so I went ahead without it.” Though wrapped in laughter, this utterance is no jest alone. It is a teaching for all who tremble before the gates of destiny, waiting for permission to begin. Winters proclaims that success is not a key that must first be placed in the hand; rather, it is a door one pushes open by walking forward, even when empty-handed.

For behold, many sit idly, waiting for a sign, for applause, for the crown of recognition before daring to act. They say, “When success comes, then I shall begin.” But Winters, impatient of such waiting, teaches that the path itself must be walked, with or without the garland of approval. True strength is in motion, not in delay. To go ahead without success is to seize life with courage, to trust in the journey before the reward has appeared.

Consider the story of Vincent van Gogh. In his lifetime, he knew not the embrace of success; his works were unsold, his genius unrecognized, his spirit often tormented. Yet he did not wait. He painted fields, stars, and faces with burning passion, leaving behind a treasury of art that would one day astonish the world. He went ahead without success, and though fame came too late for him to taste, his legacy proves the truth of Winters’s words: the act of creation itself is a triumph greater than worldly applause.

History bears also the tale of Galileo Galilei. Scorned, silenced, and condemned, he dared to say that the earth moved and the heavens turned, not the other way. Success was denied him, for his age was not ready to honor truth. Yet he went ahead, charting stars, proving theories, enduring exile. Centuries later, his name shines brighter than his persecutors. He could not wait for success, so he went ahead without it—and in so doing, he gave light to all mankind.

Mark this wisdom well: success is not a destination to await, but a companion that joins only those already walking. If you sit still, waiting, it will never arrive. If you move forward, laboring, daring, creating, it may catch up with you—or it may not. Yet even if it never comes, your life will have been lived in fullness, in courage, in authenticity. To go ahead without success is to say: I will not measure my worth by crowns or coins, but by the strength of my journey.

The lesson is plain: do not wait for the world’s permission to live your calling. Begin your work, your song, your craft, your labor of love—even if no one yet calls it great. Trust that in doing, you are already successful, for action is the seed of growth. The applause, if it comes, is but the echo of what you already created in silence. And if it never comes, your joy is still secure, for you have lived boldly.

Practical wisdom calls for this: start now. If you would write, take up the pen. If you would build, lift the stone. If you would love, speak the word. Do not delay for the arrival of success, for it is a fickle guest. Better to feast without it than to starve while waiting. In time, perhaps, success will knock at your door. But even if it does not, you will have lived as one who moved forward, and in this lies a truer, deeper success.

Thus, beloved, remember Jonathan Winters’s playful yet powerful words: “I couldn’t wait for success, so I went ahead without it.” Let this be your creed. Go forward without fear, without waiting, without demand for reward. For life is not about being crowned at the end, but about having walked the path bravely, with laughter, with love, and with unshakable spirit.