The sad truth is that opportunity doesn't knock twice.

“The sad truth is that opportunity doesn’t knock twice.” — thus spoke Gloria Estefan, the singer whose voice rose from the storms of adversity to the heights of triumph. In these words, she unveils a truth as ancient as time: that opportunity, once missed, seldom returns in the same form. It is a living thing — fleeting, unpredictable, delicate as a bird that lands but once upon the shoulder. Her tone, though sorrowful, carries the weight of wisdom. For she does not speak merely of chance or luck, but of readiness, of the courage to act when life offers its rare and precious gifts.

To the ancients, this truth was sacred. They personified opportunity as a swift-footed deity — the Greeks called him Kairos, the god of the opportune moment. He was depicted with wings on his feet, a lock of hair hanging over his forehead, and the back of his head smooth and bare. The message was clear: when opportunity comes, you must seize it by the forelock, for once it passes, there is nothing left to grasp. Gloria Estefan’s words echo this eternal wisdom, reminding us that hesitation, fear, or pride can turn fortune’s blessing into life’s deepest regret.

Her life itself gives power to her saying. Born in Cuba and raised in exile, Estefan faced obstacles that would have silenced lesser spirits. Yet when her chance came — a moment to sing, to lead, to create something greater than circumstance — she seized it without hesitation. But her understanding of opportunity grew even deeper after tragedy struck. In 1990, a terrible bus accident nearly destroyed her spine and her career. Many thought her journey was over. Yet she rose again, with pain and persistence, to return to the stage stronger than before. Through her suffering, she learned the fragility of the moment, the truth that life rarely grants the same door twice.

History, too, is filled with those who either seized or squandered their one great moment. Consider Alexander Hamilton, the founder whose brilliance shaped a nation. When his moment came — the chance to define America’s financial destiny — he seized it, transforming vision into structure, thought into empire. Yet his rival, Aaron Burr, though equally gifted, hesitated, waiting too long for perfect timing. His indecision became his downfall. This contrast between action and hesitation is the eternal mirror of Estefan’s truth: that those who act in the moment rise with destiny, while those who delay are left behind with regret.

And yet, her words — “the sad truth” — also speak of compassion. For she knows that not all who miss opportunity do so out of laziness or neglect. Some are paralyzed by fear, some blinded by doubt, and others distracted by the noise of life. The sadness lies not in punishment, but in the nature of time itself — that it moves ever forward. What is lost is lost not by cruelty, but by motion. Like the river that flows to the sea, it cannot be turned back. Thus, Estefan’s sorrow is not despair, but awakening — a call to awareness, urging us to live with open eyes, open hearts, and swift hands.

For opportunity, as she reminds us, is not only the grand moment that crowns a life; it is also the quiet chance that passes daily — to forgive, to speak, to love, to create. Too often we wait for perfect conditions, forgetting that the moment itself is perfection, if we are willing to act. The ancients taught that the wise man does not wait for the wind; he adjusts his sails. So must we. For though fortune may favor the brave, it abandons the indecisive. To recognize opportunity is to honor time; to act upon it is to honor life itself.

So, my child, remember this teaching: when life knocks, open the door at once. Do not wait for certainty, for certainty is a dream that time does not grant. Act with courage when the path appears, even if your heart trembles. Opportunity, once gone, may never return — but those who seize it find within themselves a power that endures beyond the moment. As Gloria Estefan’s own life attests, destiny favors those who dare to answer its call. For opportunity is not a visitor to be entertained; it is a flame to be caught before it fades — and the one who catches it lights the way for all who follow.