In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can

The words of Franklin D. Roosevelt resound like a warning bell through the corridors of time: “In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.” This utterance is no idle phrase, but a revelation of how power moves beneath the surface. To the unwise, events may appear as chance, as scattered dust carried by the wind. But to those who know the hidden hand of governance, every shift, every decree, every war or treaty bears the mark of design. In the realm of politics, chaos is but a mask for intention.

The ancients, too, knew this truth. The emperors of Rome did not rise by fortune alone; they schemed with allies, silenced rivals, and bent the Senate to their will. When Caesar crossed the Rubicon, was it a reckless leap? No—it was a calculated act, born of long deliberation and cunning foresight. So too does Roosevelt remind us: what appears sudden is in truth the flowering of seeds sown long before. In the heart of power, chance is but a word for hidden preparation.

Consider the story of World War II itself. Roosevelt, with eyes set beyond the present, prepared his nation for the storm. While many in America clung to isolation, he strengthened the navy, drafted secret agreements, and laid the foundations of the Lend-Lease Act. When the day of reckoning came, it seemed as if the United States leapt suddenly into the fray. But those who study history know it was no accident—every move was planned, every step foreseen. Thus the nation stood ready, not by fortune, but by design.

This teaching is both a warning and a guide. It warns us not to be naïve, thinking that the rise of rulers, the fall of empires, or the making of laws are born from coincidence. They are crafted, often in the shadows, by minds who weave strategies as spiders spin webs. Yet it also guides us: if nothing is by accident, then the wise must learn to read the patterns, to uncover the purposes hidden beneath the surface, to see the plan before it is revealed.

Let the generations remember: when they behold a sudden war, an unexpected law, a leader who rises as though from nowhere—ask not, “How did this happen?” but “Who planned it so?” For in the realm of politics, chance is but illusion. To know this truth is to walk with open eyes in a world where many still sleep.