When you doubt, abstain.

"When you doubt, abstain." These words of Ambrose Bierce cut sharp and true, like a blade honed by the ages. They teach that hesitation is not weakness, but a warning of the spirit. To press forward when the soul is clouded by doubt is to walk blind into peril. Yet to abstain, to hold one’s hand and wait, is often the greater act of strength. For in restraint lies the preservation of honor, fortune, and even life itself.

The ancients revered this wisdom. The Oracle of Delphi counseled kings and generals in riddles, leaving them to ponder before rushing to act. Many who ignored their doubt, who refused to abstain, met with ruin. But those who paused, who heeded the whisper within, often found safety and victory. To act in haste is the way of the reckless; to wait in clarity is the way of the wise.

Consider the story of Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor-philosopher. In moments of crisis, when his generals urged swift retaliation, Aurelius would retreat into stillness, questioning his own certainty. His doubt was not a weakness but a guide, steering him away from rash campaigns that could have destroyed his legions. By choosing to abstain until reason was clear, he preserved the empire in times of chaos. His reign stands as proof that patience, born of doubt, is a guardian of power.

Bierce’s counsel is not only for emperors and rulers, but for every soul who walks the uncertain path of life. In choices of love, in matters of loyalty, in ventures of wealth, when the heart trembles and the mind is clouded, that trembling is a signal. To act without certainty is to gamble with destiny, but to abstain is to give time for truth to reveal itself.

Remember this, children of tomorrow: the voice of doubt is not your enemy but your sentinel. It guards you from the snares of haste and the ruins of folly. Honor it, and choose to abstain until the mists have cleared. In waiting, you shall find the strength that reckless action can never give, and in restraint, you will master the fate that others squander.