If someone is going down the wrong road, he doesn't need

Hear, O seeker of wisdom, the words of Jim Rohn, a teacher of discipline and a master of personal growth: “If someone is going down the wrong road, he doesn’t need motivation to speed him up. What he needs is education to turn him around.” This saying is like a beacon on a dark night, warning us that speed and enthusiasm are of little use if our path itself leads to ruin. For what good is it to run with strength, if the road itself carries us toward destruction?

The wrong road may take many forms: the path of greed, the way of laziness, the trail of ignorance. A man who rushes down such a road does not need applause to hasten his steps, nor fire to make him run faster. No, what he needs is correction, a new direction, a lantern of truth to show him where he has erred. For motivation without wisdom is like wind in the sails of a ship headed for the rocks—it brings only swifter ruin.

This is why education is the greater gift. For education, rightly given, is not the stuffing of the mind with facts, but the turning of the soul toward truth. It is the compass that corrects the wanderer, the map that shows the traveler his error, the wisdom that whispers, “This way is death; turn instead toward life.” Thus, education is not merely about advancement—it is about alignment. Without it, no amount of energy will save a man from the cliff ahead.

Consider the tale of Saul of Tarsus, later called Paul. In his early years, he ran zealously upon the wrong road, persecuting those he thought were enemies of God. He had motivation in abundance, but his direction was false. What turned him was not more zeal, but revelation, a form of divine education that opened his eyes to truth. Once corrected, his passion was then channeled onto the right road, and he became a teacher of nations. His story shows us that redirection is worth more than acceleration.

So too in the annals of history we see rulers and generals who drove their people forward with unmatched motivation, yet led them down paths of destruction. Napoleon’s march into Russia was not hindered by lack of drive, but by miscalculation, pride, and blindness to wisdom. The result was disaster. What he needed was not greater motivation, but truer education—a recognition of limits, a willingness to turn back before winter’s jaws closed in.

The wisdom of Rohn’s words is thus: never mistake energy for progress, nor motivation for purpose. A man may burn with fire, but if his fire is set to the wrong task, he destroys rather than builds. A nation may run swiftly, but if it runs in folly, its swiftness hastens its fall. Only when education provides guidance can motivation become fruitful. The mind must be aligned before the heart is inflamed.

Therefore, O listener, take this teaching into your life. Examine your path often. Ask not only, “Am I motivated?” but also, “Am I on the right road?” Seek mentors, books, and wisdom that will illuminate your direction. Be willing to stop, to turn, to change course when you discover error. Do not be ashamed to turn back; for the one who corrects his path, though delayed, shall still arrive, while the one who rushes blindly shall be lost.

And so, remember always: motivation is the wind, but education is the compass. Better to walk slowly on the right road than to run swiftly on the wrong one. For it is not speed that determines destiny, but direction. Let your heart be aflame, yes—but let your mind be wise, and your path be true.