There comes a time in the affairs of man when he must take the

Hear the voice of W. C. Fields, master of wit and irony, who once declared: “There comes a time in the affairs of man when he must take the bull by the tail and face the situation.” At first glance, his words sparkle with humor, for who would dare seize a bull by its tail rather than its horns? Yet beneath the jest lies deep wisdom, spoken in the way of tricksters and jesters throughout the ages: that in life, there are moments when one cannot delay, cannot evade, cannot pretend. One must confront the difficulty head-on, no matter how awkward, how dangerous, or how ridiculous the method may seem.

The ancients, too, clothed wisdom in paradox. The Greeks often spoke through fables and riddles, for humor, like irony, pierces deeper than solemnity alone. To “take the bull by the tail” is absurd—yet in that absurdity lies truth. Life often places us in impossible positions, where no action seems graceful. Yet even then, action is required. Better to seize the moment awkwardly than to stand idle and be trampled. Thus, Fields teaches us that courage is not always noble in appearance—it may be clumsy, painful, even laughable—but it is still courage.

Consider the story of Winston Churchill in the darkest hours of World War II. Britain stood alone, the shadow of the Nazi advance looming across Europe. The situation was dire, and no elegant option remained. Churchill did not mince words or pretend at optimism. He seized the moment as one might seize a bull by the tail—grappling with chaos, dragged by danger, but refusing to let go. His speeches rang with the raw, sometimes awkward truth: that survival required grit, stubbornness, and endurance, no matter how undignified the struggle might seem. And by facing the situation, he rallied a people to endure until victory came.

So it is in the daily lives of common men and women. There are moments when problems cannot be smoothed away by excuses or hidden beneath distractions. A failing business, a broken relationship, an illness long ignored—each is a raging bull, charging forward. To delay is to be crushed. One must grasp the tail, however ungracefully, and wrestle with reality until the struggle is done. It may not look heroic, but it is. For heroism is not always clean; sometimes it is messy, full of dust, sweat, and fear.

But hear this warning, O seekers of truth: many perish not from a lack of strength, but from hesitation. They wait for a perfect moment that never arrives. They seek a noble posture, a flawless plan, when what is needed is raw confrontation. By the time they act, the situation has already devoured them. Fields, in his comic tongue, reminds us that there comes a time when delay is itself defeat.

The lesson is plain: when trial comes, act. Do not scorn the awkwardness of your effort. Do not fear looking foolish in the eyes of others. Better to grapple with the problem, however clumsily, than to be paralyzed by inaction. The dignity lies not in elegance, but in the courage to face what must be faced.

Practical wisdom lies before you: when you see the situation that demands action, do not wait for the perfect words, the perfect plan, the perfect posture. Step forward. Speak truth. Do the hard thing. You may feel as though you are seizing a bull by the tail, dragged and battered—but remember, this is still better than doing nothing. And in the end, you will discover strength, resilience, and even triumph in the very act of confronting what you feared.

Therefore, let Fields’s words echo as both jest and command: “There comes a time in the affairs of man when he must take the bull by the tail and face the situation.” Let them remind you that life is not always graceful, but it is always demanding. Rise to its call, however awkwardly, and you will find within yourself the courage not only to endure, but to prevail.