The Way of the Tortoise

“We live in a culture full of hares; but the tortoise always wins.”

Dave Ramsey 

Unlike the steady pace of the proverbial tortoise, most people seem to cherish hurry pace of the hare. Most of us live our lives in a mode of haste, preferring to rush through our days at a frenetic flow. 

We assume we can get everything done quicker by merely being busy at an amped up rate of speed. We favor the way of the proverbial hare and we are generally oblivious to the power of age long wisdom of ‘slow and steady.’ 

Yes, the hare may be faster in the short run but the biggest rewards in life do not happen in the short run. The biggest rewards do take a while to amass. You need time and experience to gain true wisdom and durable success in anything of worth.

We need patience in important matters like rearing children, acquiring wisdom, building trust, getting good education, becoming wealthy, cultivating health, gaining spirituality and nurturing relationships. 

You see, persistence is the key to success in all things of great value, and that is why the tortoise always wins. In life, it is not how far but how well; it is not about the speed but about the strength; it is less about the volume of our output but more about the quality of our outcome.

Life is more like a marathon and less of a sprint!

Warren Buffett, one of the richest men in the world builds his humongous fortune on the foundation of this tortoise principle. He is a classic example of the power of patience on purpose. Warren is a huge believer in the dependability of steadiness in progression. 

He once said: “Successful investing takes time, discipline and patience. No matter how great the talent or effort, some things just take time: You can't produce a baby in one month by getting nine women pregnant.”

Adopt the Way of the Tortoise

The way of the tortoise is perhaps the most effective available strategy to ensure quality and consistency in any and all fields of endeavors. 

This is because it aligns perfectly with the way our natural world has been operating for thousands of years with unbeatable regularity. 

In this direction, a poet and historian, Henry David Thoreau observes: “Nature is slow, but sure; she works no faster than need be; she is the tortoise that wins the race by her perseverance.” 

By the same token, we can achieve any goal or overcome any obstacle with power steadiness on purpose and the way of the tortoise.

The way of the tortoise is about patient execution of the right things each day. It is neither about getting everything done nor is it about getting the most things done; but it is essentially about getting only the right things done. 

With this approach, we focus only on true priorities, one step at a time. And, as a result of this simple strategy, we can—in due course—accomplish really big things, without losing our balance and sanity. 

While the way of the hare focuses on momentary surge, the way of the tortoise emphasizes progress; while the way of the hare highlights sudden burst of activity, the way of the tortoise prioritizes traction; while the way of the hare celebrates starting, the way of the tortoise accentuates finishing.

At this juncture, B. C. Forbes, a journalist and founder of Forbes magazine makes a relevant contribution to our study in the following words. He said:

“How you start is important, very important, but in the end it is how you finish that counts. It is easier to be a self-starter than a self-finisher. 

The victor in the race is not the one who dashes off swiftest but the one who leads at the finish. 

In the race for success, speed is less important than stamina.”

As you can finally see, the way of the tortoise is about stamina; it is about making progress, and most importantly, it is about staying in the game for as long as it well darn takes. 

Therefore, if we sincerely adopt the way of the wise tortoise in the pursuit of our ultimate vision, there is nothing which may not be accomplished in the end.