I tie my wedding ring around my neck with an old shoelace. It's

In the words of Andrew Strauss, “I tie my wedding ring around my neck with an old shoelace. It's to remind me of why I play cricket: for my family—my wife Ruth and my boys Sam and Luca,” we hear the sacred truth that the greatest battles are not fought for glory, but for love. The wedding ring, symbol of union and fidelity, bound not to his hand but hung close to his heart, becomes here more than ornament. It becomes a talisman, a living reminder that the sweat and toil of the field are offered in devotion to those he cherishes most.

The simplicity of the old shoelace is itself a teaching. Great symbols need not be forged of gold or silver to carry weight. Even the humblest cord can carry the memory of covenant when it holds fast what the heart deems most precious. In this, Strauss shows that meaning is not in wealth, but in intention: the shoelace transforms into chain, the ring into beacon, the athlete’s labor into act of love.

History recalls Marcus Aurelius, emperor and philosopher, who though burdened with rule over Rome, often wrote in his Meditations of his family, his teachers, and the simple lessons that grounded him in humanity. Like Strauss, he understood that power and skill are nothing unless tethered to purpose. The ring at Strauss’s neck is akin to Aurelius’s reflections: a constant reminder that greatness is not for the self alone, but for those who depend upon us.

The family named—Ruth, Sam, and Luca—are not only individuals, but emblems of why every man or woman endures hardship. It is easier to falter when striving for oneself alone; but when one strives for the faces of loved ones, strength is renewed. The cricketer does not swing his bat only for records or applause, but for the invisible thread that binds him to home. In this, his game becomes sacrifice, his sacrifice becomes love.

Thus, let this wisdom endure: bind your labors to a cause greater than yourself. Whether with a crown, a ring, or a shoelace, hold always close the reminder of whom you serve and why you endure. For strength drawn from pride fades quickly, but strength drawn from love endures storms, defeats, and the passing of years. Strauss teaches us that true victory lies not in the scoreboard, but in the knowledge that every effort was given for the ones who make life worth living.