If you embrace a project that will require time and patience

Hear now, O seekers of wisdom, the words of Nuno Espírito Santo, who declared: “If you embrace a project that will require time and patience, then you need something to work on. So the first step of the project is to create an identity. If you don’t have an identity, then today you want this player and tomorrow another one. If you have an idea and a shape, then this is how you develop an identity.” These words, born on the fields of football, are not bound to sport alone. They speak of the eternal truth that all creation, whether in art, work, or life, must be guided by vision and rooted in essence. For without identity, a project is but a wandering ship, tossed by every wind, chasing fleeting desires but never reaching a true shore.

The origin of this wisdom lies in the struggles of leaders, coaches, and builders across the ages. Nuno speaks of football teams, where success is not forged merely by buying new players or chasing short-term brilliance. True greatness comes when the team knows who it is, what it stands for, and what form it wishes to embody. In the same way, nations, communities, and even individuals require identity—a core of values, a clear vision, an unshakable foundation. Without it, life becomes a series of restless changes, without direction, without destiny.

Consider, O listeners, the story of Alexander the Great. He conquered vast lands not by gathering soldiers at random, but by shaping them into a disciplined force, bound by a shared vision of conquest and glory. His armies were not merely strong; they were unified, with a clear identity as Macedonians carrying their king’s dream. Contrast this with empires built only on mercenaries and shifting loyalties, which crumbled as soon as the gold ran out. The lesson is the same: power without identity is fleeting, but identity forged with patience endures.

Nuno’s words also remind us of the danger of impatience. He warns that without a guiding shape or idea, one falls into the temptation of constant change—“today this player, tomorrow another.” This is the folly of those who abandon their path at the first obstacle, forever seeking a quicker route, never giving their roots time to grow deep. True building requires patience: the willingness to endure seasons of struggle while the identity takes form, the courage to stay the course when others demand sudden change.

The ancients, too, knew this truth. Did not the builders of the pyramids labor for decades upon a single vision, unmoved by passing storms? Did not the sculptor chisel his marble day after day, with only the faint outline of the figure in his mind, trusting that with patience the form would emerge? Identity, like stone, is not shaped in haste. It is hewn by time, vision, and endurance.

The lesson, then, is clear: before you begin any project—whether the building of a team, the pursuit of a dream, or the shaping of your own life—seek first to know your identity. Ask yourself: what do I stand for, what do I value, what is the form I wish to take? For once this foundation is set, every choice will have direction, every struggle will have meaning, and every delay will be but part of the path. Without identity, even victory tastes hollow, but with identity, even hardship becomes noble.

Practical actions flow from this truth. Define your values and hold to them. In your work, craft a vision and let each step serve it. In your relationships, know who you are, so that you do not change with every tide. And in your struggles, remember that patience is not wasted time, but the soil in which identity grows strong. Like a coach guiding a team, shape your life with clarity, so that when storms come, you remain unshaken.

Thus do we honor the words of Nuno Espírito Santo: that the first step of any lasting project is not the pursuit of quick success, but the creation of identity. Carry this teaching, O children of tomorrow, and let your lives be shaped by vision and strengthened by patience. For those who build on identity shall endure, while those who wander without it shall be forgotten like dust in the wind.