What a wonderful thing to say, right? Fate leads the willing; the unwilling it drags. You might have also seen some variation of it, such as Fate leads the willing and drags along the reluctant. Originally this was written by the Roman poet Seneca – ducunt volentem fata, nolentem trahunt, if you want the Latin version.
There have been many interpretations of this short quote. After all, this is the way art operates.
For some, Seneca’s words describe something stoic, making you “suffer/ The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune“.
Others perhaps might see something optimistic in it. I’ve seen at least one person having tattooed “Fate Leads the Willing” on their arm – indeed in Latin.
My personal opinion differs from both these approaches. I subscribe to neither utter stoicism nor manic optimism.
The key is in understanding what both “leads” and “drags” mean in this context
