Make Hay While the Sun Shines
The work of a farmer depends almost entirely on the weather. But this a very uncertain factor and he has to make the most of his opportunities. Hay making requires right sunshine. It is ruined by exposure to rain or mist. Hence the farmer has to be quick in getting his hay while weather is favourable.
In an extended sense, the difficulties of the farmer are the difficulties of all human beings, no matter what their sphere of action may be. Life like the weather is uncertain. No man can tell how soon or in what form death may overtake him. Nor are our faculties equally vigorous always. Much depends on the state of our health.
As youth comes but once so opportunities never repeat themselves. Even if they do, the circumstances are not so favourable to use them fully. It is therefore necessary to make the best of those that come our way.
Like the careful farmer, we should always be on the alert to make the sunshine of opportunities serve our needs. Those who take things easily, those who are always putting off till tomorrow, those who do not strike while the iron is hot, will soon find themselves in the state of the farmer who does not make hay while the sun shines.
Therefore those who wish to make their mark in life must move with the time and do things in the right moment. The key to success lies in proper and timely action. The lives of all successful men reveal the truth of this maxim.
In Shakespeare’s words, ‘there is a tide in the affairs of men, which when taken at the flood leads on to fortune’.
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