The time to take counsel of your fears is before you make an

Hear now the words of General George S. Patton, the fiery commander of armies and the scourge of hesitation: “The time to take counsel of your fears is before you make an important battle decision. That’s the time to listen to every fear you can imagine! When you have collected all the facts and fears and made your decision, turn off all your fears and go ahead!” In this teaching lies the wisdom of a man who knew the weight of command, the cost of delay, and the fire of courage. His words ring not only for soldiers, but for all who face the great decisions of life.

Patton speaks first of the role of fear. He does not dismiss it as weakness, nor does he deny its place in human thought. Instead, he counsels that fear must be acknowledged, even welcomed, before a decision is made. For fear, though sharp and bitter, reveals dangers unseen. It sharpens the mind, uncovers hidden threats, and forces the leader to reckon with the full measure of risk. To ignore fear at the beginning is folly; to be ruled by it afterward is ruin. Thus, Patton teaches the sacred balance between caution and action.

The battle decision he speaks of need not be only of war. It may be the choice of a life’s path, the forging of a covenant, the launching of a venture. In all such matters, wisdom demands that the heart pause and consider every fear, every risk, every possibility of failure. Only when all shadows are revealed can a man see clearly the road ahead. But once the decision is made, hesitation must die, for nothing weakens the warrior more than doubt clinging to his soul in the moment of action.

Consider Patton’s own deeds in the Second World War. Before the invasion of Sicily in 1943, he weighed every danger — the storms that might wreck the landing, the fierce resistance of German troops, the exhaustion of his men. Yet, when the decision was made, he cast aside hesitation and drove his army forward with relentless energy. His daring marches stunned the enemy and secured victory. Had he clung to his fears after deciding, he would have faltered; but by using them only in counsel, he turned fear into wisdom and action into triumph.

This teaching is echoed in the lives of many. The great explorers who set sail upon uncharted seas did not ignore their fears of storms and monsters. They considered them, prepared for them, and then set forth without looking back. The reformers who challenged tyrants did not pretend danger was absent; they named it, braced for it, and then marched into the fire. Such is the rhythm of courage: weigh the fear, then silence it.

The lesson for us, beloved, is clear: do not despise your fears, but do not let them bind you. In the moment of planning, let your mind be open to every warning. Write them down, speak them aloud, let them all come forth like voices in a council. But when the hour of action strikes, command silence. Bind those voices and proceed with a heart unshaken. For a wavering hand loses the battle, but a steady hand, even if it errs, may yet carve a path to victory.

So, in your own life, practice this discipline: before deciding, listen deeply to your fears. But once you have chosen, stand firm, unwavering, resolute. Do not second-guess yourself in the hour of trial. For as Patton reminds us, courage is not the absence of fear, but the mastery of it. Let your decisions be born of wisdom, and let your actions be carried out with the fire of certainty. In this way, you will live not as a prisoner of fear, but as a commander of your destiny.