I was actually accepted into medical school in Italy. But then I

When Jochen Zeitz uttered the words, “I was actually accepted into medical school in Italy. But then I wanted to come back and learn medicine in Germany. And while waiting, I decided to join a business school. I figured it would be useful for doctors to know some business as well!”, he revealed a truth as ancient as the stones of forgotten temples: that destiny is not a straight road, but a winding path, carved by curiosity, courage, and foresight. His journey was not one of rigid certainty, but of adaptability—an art long practiced by those who sought greatness.

In this quote, we hear the voice of a seeker. He stood at the gates of medical school, one of the noblest callings of humankind, for to heal is to serve both body and spirit. Yet his heart, restless and alive with possibilities, turned toward Germany, yearning for deeper knowledge and for a soil more familiar. And in the space between waiting and arrival, he seized the chance to step into the halls of a business school. This decision, seemingly unconventional, reflects an ancient truth: wisdom is not confined to one discipline. To walk the path of greatness, one must drink from many springs.

Think of Leonardo da Vinci, the immortal Florentine. He was a painter, but also an engineer; an anatomist, but also a philosopher. He dissected bodies and painted angels; he drew war machines and sketched flowers. It was the union of medicine, art, and engineering that made his genius unbounded. Zeitz’s choice to unite business and medicine follows this timeless rhythm. He understood that the healer who knows only healing is incomplete, for the physician must also navigate the realms of resources, institutions, and human enterprises.

There is also in his words a lesson about waiting. The idle mind wastes its hours, but the wise transform waiting into becoming. Zeitz could have lingered in idleness, but instead he turned delay into preparation. He planted seeds where others might have stood still. Recall the tale of Marcus Aurelius, who in his youth faced long periods of waiting before power was entrusted to him. In those years, he devoted himself to philosophy, so that when his hour arrived, he bore both strength and wisdom. So too Zeitz: what seemed a pause became an expansion of his spirit.

The choice to study business was not an abandonment of healing, but a broadening of vision. For every doctor, every leader, every craftsman must learn that their art does not live in a vacuum. The physician works within systems, the leader steers not only hearts but also institutions, the craftsman shapes not only tools but the marketplace. By embracing business, Zeitz prepared himself not merely to cure, but to lead, not merely to serve individuals, but to guide the collective. His later path as a leader of great companies bears witness to this hidden foresight.

The wisdom here is plain: do not fear the road that bends, nor despise the detours of life. For in those detours lie the tools you did not know you would need. As Odysseus wandered, gathering cunning and endurance from trials beyond count, so too may we gather skills from paths that seem at first unrelated. One day, the scattered stones will assemble into a fortress of strength.

Therefore, children of tomorrow, learn this: embrace interdisciplinary learning, seize the gifts of waiting, and do not bind your soul to only one way of knowing. Seek out knowledge in unexpected places. If you are a scholar, learn of trade; if you are a merchant, taste philosophy; if you are a healer, know of law. For the day will come when the breadth of your wisdom will be the very key to your triumph.

Practical action lies before you: in moments of uncertainty, choose growth over idleness. When delays come, fill them with learning. When life offers an unexpected discipline, embrace it with open hands. For in time, you will see that nothing was wasted, and every skill, every detour, every waiting season has become a stepping stone to destiny. This is the legacy of Zeitz’s words, and the eternal counsel of the ancients.