The Falstaff people, romantics all, went for it. They were so

"The Falstaff people, romantics all, went for it. They were so anxious to find out what I was going to do that they could hardly bear to wait out the two weeks. I was rather anxious to find out what I was going to do, too." – Bill Veeck. These words, simple yet profound, carry the weight of an adventurer’s spirit, a romantic’s passion, and the unpredictable nature of life itself. In them, Bill Veeck, the legendary baseball executive, reflects on the tension between expectation and uncertainty—the drive to leap into the unknown, both for the thrill and for the discovery of one’s own path.

The term "Falstaff people" draws from the character of Sir John Falstaff, Shakespeare’s roguish and larger-than-life figure who embodies the joy of life, the love of adventure, and the refusal to conform to the mundane rules of society. The romantics Veeck refers to are those who, like Falstaff, are captivated by the allure of the unpredictable, the extraordinary, and the novel. These individuals are not content to live by the rules, for their hearts long for something more—a purpose, a story, an experience that defies the ordinary, a leap into the unknown where they may find what they did not expect.

Throughout history, such figures have inspired both admiration and disbelief. The great explorers, like Christopher Columbus and Marco Polo, embarked on journeys driven not by certain knowledge, but by desire—a desire for something more, a belief that there was something to discover beyond the horizon. And like those who followed Veeck’s unpredictable endeavors, they too were driven by the thrill of not knowing what would come next. What kept them moving forward, despite the perils, was the same thing that captivated Veeck’s "Falstaff people": the intoxicating romance of uncertainty and the promise of something greater.

But in this uncertainty lies a deeper truth. Veeck’s own admission that he was just as anxious to find out what he was going to do as his audience shows us the shared human experience of doubt and expectation. Even the most confident or visionary among us does not have a clear map of the future. Every moment of anticipation is filled with a mix of hope and fear, of excitement and nervousness. To live as Veeck lived is to understand that the path forward is often unclear, that even the ones with bold dreams and schemes may not know what will unfold. In this lies a universal lesson: that uncertainty is not a foe, but a companion to growth.

Consider the case of Thomas Edison, whose unrelenting pursuit of invention led to the creation of the lightbulb. Edison was known not only for his brilliance but for his willingness to face countless failures and experiments, none of which were guaranteed to succeed. Every step forward was a leap into the unknown, driven by an unwavering belief in the potential of discovery. Like Veeck, Edison was not merely reacting to the world; he was actively shaping it, embracing the uncertainty that comes with breaking new ground. He knew that in every experiment, there would be the possibility of failure, yet he pressed on, for it was in the unknown that he found the answers.

In life, we are often called upon to step into uncertainty, to take the risks that lead to growth and discovery. It is easy to become paralyzed by the unknown, to wait for the perfect moment or to seek the certainty of the expected. But the lesson here is clear: greatness is found not in playing it safe, but in embracing the uncertainty, in choosing to act without knowing what will come next. The Falstaff people—the romantics, the dreamers, the adventurers—understand this instinctively. They do not wait for all the answers to be given; they leap forward and create the answers as they go.

Thus, the call to action is simple: Do not fear the uncertainty that life offers, for it is in the unknown that the extraordinary is born. Take risks, take chances, and understand that the path you create through your own actions is just as valuable as the destination. Like Veeck, like Edison, like the Falstaff people, we must embrace the adventure of life—not with reckless abandon, but with the courage to face the unknown with open hearts, ready to discover not only what the world holds for us, but what we may uncover within ourselves. For in the end, the journey of discovery is the greatest adventure of all.