One secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his

Benjamin Disraeli, the statesman-poet of Britain, once proclaimed: “One secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.” In this single utterance, he unveiled a truth as old as the stars—that destiny visits every man and woman, but only those who are prepared recognize her face. For opportunity does not linger; it arrives like a swift wind, unseen until it brushes the cheek, and gone if the hand is too slow to grasp it.

To be ready is the essence of Disraeli’s wisdom. Many wait idly for fortune, dreaming of their moment, yet when it arrives they are untrained, unarmed, and unworthy. The victorious, however, are those who labor in obscurity, sharpening their skills, disciplining their minds, and preparing their spirits long before opportunity appears. Thus, when the door opens suddenly, they do not stumble—they stride forward as if it had been meant for them all along.

History offers a vivid witness in the life of Abraham Lincoln. Before his presidency, he endured failures in business, defeats in elections, and ridicule from rivals. Yet he did not waste his trials; he forged himself in patience, in wisdom, in humility. Then, when the storm of civil war threatened to tear America apart, his opportunity came. Had he not prepared through years of hardship, he would have been crushed beneath its weight. But because he was ready, his name now endures as one of history’s greatest leaders.

Disraeli himself embodied his saying. As a young man, he suffered humiliating defeats in Parliament, mocked for his flamboyant speech and inexperience. Yet he prepared, he learned, he endured. Years later, when his moment came, he rose not as a novice but as a master, becoming Prime Minister of Britain. His rise was not sudden fortune, but the fruit of long preparation meeting the right moment. This was the secret of success he passed down: be ever ready, for the hour of opportunity will come, though you know not when.

The ancients too knew this wisdom. The Greeks spoke of kairos, the opportune moment, a sacred instant when action determines destiny. They taught that the wise man does not simply wait, but prepares himself so that when kairos arrives, he can seize it. So too did the Romans declare that fortune favors the bold—but boldness without preparation is recklessness. Disraeli’s words are but the modern echo of this eternal law: chance favors the ready heart.

The meaning, then, is both heroic and humbling. We are not called to command opportunity’s arrival, for it comes of its own accord. But we are called to command ourselves—to train, to grow, to labor in patience so that when opportunity comes, we may stand unshaken. The world remembers not those who merely waited, but those who were prepared when the moment struck.

For those who hear this teaching, the lesson is clear. Do not squander your days in idleness or waste your failures in despair. Each effort, each discipline, each trial is training for a moment you cannot yet see. Live as though your opportunity were coming tomorrow, and you will be ready when it arrives. Practical steps follow: cultivate your craft, sharpen your mind, strengthen your character, and endure with patience. In this way, when destiny calls, you will not falter—you will answer.

Thus Disraeli’s words resound like a clarion across the ages: “One secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.” Take this wisdom to heart, and let your preparation be constant, your spirit steadfast. For opportunity comes to all, but only the prepared will rise with it into greatness.