You shall, I question not, find a way to the top if you

Alexander the Great, the conqueror of nations and student of Aristotle, is remembered to have declared: “You shall, I question not, find a way to the top if you diligently seek for it; for nature hath placed nothing so high that it is out of the reach of industry and valor.” In these words lies the fire of ambition and the eternal call to perseverance. For Alexander, who once gazed upon mountains and empires alike, saw that nothing is denied to those who combine tireless labor with courage of heart. The top is not reserved for the chosen few—it is the reward of those who strive with all their strength.

O listener, see how he weds industry and valor together. Industry, the steady labor of hands and mind, builds the path stone by stone. Valor, the courage of spirit, drives one forward when fear and fatigue would whisper retreat. Alone, each is incomplete. Industry without valor becomes toil without glory. Valor without industry becomes reckless fire, burning out before the journey’s end. But together, they are the chariot that carries a man to the summit, however high.

Consider the life of Alexander himself. As a youth, he tamed the horse Bucephalus, which none dared approach. Others saw danger, he saw possibility. Through patience (industry) and boldness (valor), he mastered the beast, and it became his lifelong companion in conquest. This act was not merely a feat of horsemanship but a prophecy of his life: nothing placed high by nature would remain beyond his reach. With this spirit, he crossed deserts, stormed cities, and carved out an empire stretching from Greece to India.

History offers more mirrors of this truth. Recall the builders of the Great Wall of China. The mountains were high, the distance vast, the task seemingly impossible. Yet through centuries of industry, brick upon brick, and through the valor of countless laborers and soldiers who defended it, the wall rose, a monument to perseverance. So too with the cathedrals of Europe, which took generations to complete. Men who would never live to see the final spire labored nonetheless, trusting that industry and valor together could raise stone closer to heaven.

Yet Alexander’s words are not for emperors alone. They speak to every soul who faces a mountain, whether of poverty, ignorance, or despair. The top is not always a throne—it may be the achievement of learning, the overcoming of hardship, the creation of beauty, the raising of children in virtue. Whatever the summit may be, no height is forbidden if one walks with diligence and courage. Nature herself does not mock us with unreachable dreams—she whispers, “Climb, and it shall be yours.”

The lesson, then, is clear: do not shrink from greatness, nor believe that what lies above is out of reach. Begin with industry, with patient work each day, even when progress seems slow. Strengthen it with valor, daring to continue when doubt and fear rise against you. Trust that the summit is not for others alone but for you, if you do not falter.

Therefore, children of tomorrow, take Alexander’s words into your heart. Seek diligently, act courageously, labor tirelessly. When the path is steep, remember that every step, however small, brings you nearer. When obstacles rise like walls, remember that valor finds a way over, and industry finds a way through. Nothing that nature has placed before you is beyond your grasp, if you dare to reach with strength and with perseverance.

For in the end, the true conquest is not of lands but of self—of laziness, of fear, of doubt. And when you reach the top, whether it be throne or humble victory, you will know that it was industry and valor—not chance—that carried you there. This is the legacy of Alexander’s teaching, and it is yours to claim.