Whatever comes in my way, I take it with smile.

Kubra Sait once declared with radiant simplicity: “Whatever comes in my way, I take it with smile.” Though brief, these words carry the weight of an eternal philosophy—the art of greeting life, in all its forms, with courage, with acceptance, and with joy. For she teaches that we cannot control the winds of fate, but we can choose the spirit with which we meet them. The smile, in this saying, is no mere expression of the lips—it is the shield of the soul, the light that transforms even sorrow into strength.

The ancients, too, held fast to this truth. The Stoics of Rome, such as Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius, urged men to accept the flow of destiny. They could not stop the storms, the wars, or the betrayals that came upon them, but they could master their own response. What Kubra Sait names as taking life “with a smile,” the Stoics named ataraxia—a serene composure of the spirit. Both remind us that adversity cannot conquer those who welcome it without fear.

History gives us countless examples of this philosophy embodied. Consider Helen Keller, who from childhood was blind and deaf. To many, such a life would seem cursed. Yet she chose to embrace whatever came her way with joy and resilience, declaring that life itself was an adventure worth embracing. Though the world tried to define her by limitation, she defied it with courage and optimism. Her smile became not just an expression of personal strength, but a beacon of hope to others.

There is a heroic defiance in Sait’s words as well. To take life with a smile is not passive submission, but active resistance against despair. It is to look at the trials that seek to break you and declare: “You may test me, but you will not take my spirit.” Many warriors of old entered battle with such composure, not grim-faced but singing, knowing that death itself could not rob them of their dignity. The smile in such moments is not denial—it is triumph.

Her words also carry a lesson about flexibility. Life does not always offer us what we desire. Sometimes we are given loss, disappointment, or pain. But if we receive it all with bitterness, we multiply our suffering. If we meet it with a smile, we disarm it. What is hardship before a soul that turns it into laughter? What is fate before a heart that welcomes it as teacher? In this way, the smile becomes not only a defense but a transformation—turning burden into wisdom, and trial into strength.

Yet, the teaching is also deeply practical. Each day brings us irritations—delays, disagreements, unexpected burdens. How often do we meet them with anger, and how much peace we lose in the process. But to follow Sait’s wisdom is to practice a higher discipline: to pause, to breathe, to smile even at the small inconveniences, and in doing so, to train the spirit for greater storms. For the one who smiles at little troubles will stand unshaken before the great ones.

So, my children, take this wisdom to heart. Do not curse the obstacles in your path, nor flee from the challenges that come unbidden. Whatever comes your way, take it with a smile. In that smile lies courage, acceptance, and mastery of the self. In that smile lies the strength of the ancients, the serenity of the saints, the defiance of the heroes. And when you, too, learn this art, you will find that no storm can conquer you, for your spirit will always remain free.