To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone

“To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone, and a funny bone.” — Reba McEntire

In this beautifully simple yet deeply wise saying, Reba McEntire, the country singer whose voice carries both heartache and hope, offers a trinity of virtues for the journey of life. Her words speak not of wealth, fame, or power, but of the inner qualities that give meaning to endurance: dreams, courage, and joy. Like the sages of old, she understands that the art of living well is not measured by fortune, but by the spirit that endures both triumph and trial with grace. Her “three bones” — the wishbone, the backbone, and the funny bone — form a philosophy as ancient as it is modern, a guide to strength without hardness, and to joy without foolishness.

The first is the wishbone, the symbol of hope and vision. In ancient times, men and women looked to the stars to divine their fate, and the wishbone, fragile yet precious, became a charm of faith — a reminder that one must dream before one can act. To possess a wishbone, in Reba’s words, is to never stop believing in possibility, even when the road grows dark. It is the fire that keeps the weary traveler walking. For without a dream, life becomes a mechanical march; it is the dream that gives direction to every step. As the poet Homer wrote of Odysseus, it was not strength alone that brought him home from the seas — it was his longing for Ithaca, his unwavering wish to return. So too must we all carry within us a wishbone — a fragment of wonder, a seed of yearning that draws us toward what might yet be.

Yet dreams alone are not enough. The second virtue — the backbone — is the courage to make those dreams real. It is the strength to stand firm when the winds of failure howl, to rise again when the world says, “Stay down.” The ancients would have called this fortitude, the spirit of the hero who endures not because he is unafraid, but because he dares despite his fear. The backbone is forged in trial; it is built in the fires of rejection, pain, and perseverance. Think of Harriet Tubman, who led enslaved souls to freedom again and again, not because her path was easy, but because her will was unbreakable. Her wishbone gave her vision — her backbone made it flesh. So must we, when fate presses heavily upon us, stand tall and remember that strength does not come from never falling, but from rising every time we do.

And yet, Reba’s wisdom does not end in endurance. For without laughter, even the strongest hearts grow hard. The third gift, the funny bone, is the grace to find humor and light even in the shadow of sorrow. The ancients believed that laughter was divine — a spark of immortality hidden within mortal flesh. It was said that Democritus, the philosopher who was called “the laughing thinker,” saw in all human folly not despair, but cosmic comedy — the grand and absurd dance of life. To laugh is to remember that even our struggles are fleeting, that joy and pain are woven together in the same tapestry. The funny bone does not mock suffering; it redeems it. It reminds us that tears and laughter often spring from the same deep well.

The origin of Reba McEntire’s saying lies in the spirit of her upbringing — rooted in country music’s humble truths, where hardship and humor walk hand in hand. Raised on a ranch in Oklahoma, she learned early that life is both bitter and beautiful, that dreams require toil, and that laughter is the song of survival. Her “three bones” distill the frontier wisdom of generations: hope to see what could be, courage to endure what must be, and humor to enjoy what is. In her words echo the same eternal rhythm that once beat through the hearts of the Stoics, the poets, and the saints — that to live fully is to balance struggle and joy, strength and softness, purpose and play.

The lesson, then, is clear. To live well, one must cultivate all three. Keep your wishbone alive — dare to dream, even when others have forgotten how. Strengthen your backbone — stand firm in integrity, speak truth when silence would be easier, endure when quitting seems sweet. And nurture your funny bone — for humor, more than anything, keeps the soul human, compassionate, and free. A man or woman who can dream bravely, fight nobly, and laugh heartily has mastered the art of living.

So, my child, as you walk the uncertain road of your own becoming, remember this trinity of wisdom: hope, courage, and joy. When your dreams falter, call upon your backbone; when your strength wanes, awaken your laughter; when the world grows dark, look inward to the spark that still believes. For the one who carries all three — the wishbone to dream, the backbone to persevere, and the funny bone to forgive the absurdity of it all — will not only succeed in life but will live it fully, with a heart unbroken and a spirit unafraid.