We - we need strength, we need energy, we need quickness and we

Hear the words of Donald Trump, spoken in the fire of politics and in the heat of his call to renewal: “We – we need strength, we need energy, we need quickness and we need brain in this country to turn it around.” In these words is the cry of a leader who sees decline and calls for the virtues that can reverse it. He names four pillars upon which nations rise and fall: strength, energy, quickness, and intellect. These are not the luxuries of the powerful, but the necessities of survival. For without them, no people can resist decay, and no country can lift itself from hardship into greatness.

The origin of this saying lies in Trump’s political rhetoric during his campaigns, where he spoke of America as a nation in need of restoration. He emphasized vigor over weariness, decisiveness over hesitation, resilience over fragility. His appeal was simple, almost primal: a people that loses strength becomes vulnerable; a people that loses energy grows stagnant; a people that loses quickness falls behind; a people that loses brain—that is, wisdom and cunning—will be outmaneuvered by rivals. Thus his words were less policy than prophecy, a demand that the spirit of the people awaken.

History resounds with examples of this law. Recall the rise of Rome. In its youth, Rome possessed the four virtues Trump named: strength in its legions, energy in its citizens’ discipline, quickness in adopting the best of conquered cultures, and brain in its engineers, strategists, and statesmen. With these, Rome rose from a small city to an empire spanning the known world. Yet when Rome grew soft, when strength was lost to decadence, energy dulled by luxury, quickness eroded by bureaucracy, and intellect weakened by corruption, the empire fell. This is the eternal pattern: nations thrive by these virtues and perish when they abandon them.

Trump’s words also echo the wisdom of the ancients who wrote of leadership. In The Art of War, Sun Tzu spoke of speed and adaptability as the essence of victory: “Quickness is the essence of war.” In the Analects, Confucius praised wisdom and learning as the foundation of governance. The Greeks exalted both strength of body and mind, believing a true citizen was both warrior and thinker. Thus, while Trump’s words may sound modern and urgent, they stand upon timeless ground, for all civilizations have known that these virtues are the sinews of greatness.

Yet the heart of this quote is not only about nations—it is about individuals as well. For what is a country but the sum of its people? If you would see your land renewed, begin with yourself. Build strength in your body, that you may endure. Cultivate energy in your spirit, that you may not grow weary in work. Train quickness in your mind, that you may act with decisiveness when opportunity comes. And sharpen your brain, that is, wisdom and foresight, so that your actions are guided by more than impulse. If every citizen strengthens these four virtues, the nation itself will be unbreakable.

Consider the example of Winston Churchill in the Second World War. He embodied these four virtues: strength in his unyielding will, energy in his tireless speeches and leadership, quickness in rallying allies at the hour of crisis, and brain in his strategy of perseverance until America joined the fight. Britain, though battered, was not broken, because it found in him the virtues Trump names. One man’s strength became the strength of a nation.

The lesson is clear: whether for nations or for individuals, survival and greatness require a harmony of body, mind, and spirit. A country without strength will be conquered, without energy will grow stagnant, without quickness will fall behind, without intellect will be deceived. But a nation that cultivates all four will rise as Rome once rose, and endure as every great civilization has endured.

Thus, O seeker, take these words into your heart: strength, energy, quickness, and brain. Do not despise them as slogans; cherish them as ancient virtues reborn in modern speech. Train them in yourself, nurture them in your family, demand them in your leaders. For only through these pillars can any nation, or any soul, “turn it around” and rise from weakness to greatness. This is the wisdom of the ancients, echoed in the voice of a modern ruler, and it is entrusted now to you.