"It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things"

Leonardo da Vinci’s words highlight a profound understanding of the nature of achievement and personal agency. He observes that individuals who make significant contributions or reach noteworthy accomplishments do not passively await circumstances to align in their favor. Instead, they are proactive, deliberate, and intentional in shaping events around them. Such people recognize that the course of their lives, and often the world at large, is not solely dictated by external forces or chance. Rather, progress and accomplishment stem from a willingness to take initiative, to exert effort, and to seize opportunities as they arise, or even to create opportunities where none seem to exist.

Those who accomplish significant things understand that passivity often leads to stagnation. Waiting for fortune to smile, for the “right moment” to occur naturally, or for someone else to forge a path can lead to missed chances and wasted potential. People of action, those who “happen to things,” embody a mindset where obstacles are not seen as deterrents but as challenges to be overcome. This mindset relies heavily on courage, curiosity, and resilience, traits that da Vinci himself displayed throughout his life. The painter, engineer, and scientist tirelessly pursued new ideas, experimented fearlessly, and drove his own learning and growth rather than waiting for instructions or luck.

What distinguishes those of accomplishment is not necessarily the resources or talents they begin with, but their willingness to assert themselves amid uncertainty and unpredictability. They understand that life’s greatest results often arise when self-determination intersects with effort and resolve. By actively engaging with the world, setting goals, taking risks, persisting through setbacks, they shape their environment instead of being shaped by it. Ultimately, da Vinci suggests that fulfillment and greatness are reserved for those who dare to enact change rather than those who hope for change to arrive unbidden.