Tradition

اَلعاقِلُ يَعْتَمِدُ عَلى عَمَلِهِ وَ الْجاهِلُ يَعْتَمِدُ عَلَى أَمَلِهِ

Imam ‘Ali (‘a) is narrated to have said: “The wise lean upon their hard work and actions while the foolish lean upon their hopes and desires.”1

Brief Commentary

People with wisdom live based on a code of positivity and the seeking of the truth, and it is for this reason that they go after their goals with solid planning and they do not simply rely on their imagination and dreams. Since it is not possible to reach such goals without hard work and struggle, one must truly persevere and be constant in their efforts.

The foolish on the other hand sit around floating in their hopes and dreams. They do not put any effort forward and they only imagine the things that they want to do and who they want to be. They gain pleasure out of these thoughts and since there is no effort required for conjuring up such ideas, they never end up doing anything. In spite of this, they are always in expectation of victory over their imaginary goals, but without hard work and effort, they will never be able to achieve any of their dreams.

• 1. Ghurar al-Hikam.