"He can fit his sails to every wind" - John Clarke (1596-1658). Comp., Proverbs: English and Latine, p. 282, 1639

    To say that someone can fit his sails to every wind is to say that he is able to adapt to changing circumstances. The wind changes because of far off reasons which we do not see and are not aware of. We are not aware of the wind coming upon us, or of the wind's direction. What we are aware of are the signs of the wind. We may see from far away what it is effecting, and through our observation of clouds and trees, of reports by phone from the path of the wind around us, what force it has there. However, that does not mean that we are aware of what force the wind will have for us here. All theories about the effect of the wind are conjectures, until the wind has reached us. There is a for-front of the wind, a wave which first reaches us, an area of change. This area of change sometimes has great force, and sometimes has no clear boundary. To fit your sails to every wind is to take advantage of the wind, to let it blow you in some useful direction. Of course, we know that this does not always happen. However, even if you are not thrown in the direction which you wanted when you rode the wind, perhaps you are able to prepare and direct your vessel for the direction in which the wind insists on taking you. The wind here clearly stands in for the vagaries of fate, for changing circumstances and changing forces in the world which inflict themselves upon you, either through personal or business form. If you are to prepare for the wind, then this of course is nothing new to most of us. We prepare for the future. I wonder though, if we may take this analogy a little further. I want to ask - are we motorboats or sailboats? That is, the admonition to take advantage of every wind, does that suggest to you that we are already doing this to a great extent? How much of our lives and our business, our countries and politics, if because we are already taking advantage of the force of the wind? Tio what degree are we self–directed, self-pushed?  If we are all self-pushed as human beings, then still the winds matter. They can still slow our running by speed, or allow us to go faster and farther with less cost in fuel, energy, and effort. Or, farther with the same amount than someone who did not try so far. Effort may overcome, but it is a scary thought to think about how much we are at the mercy of the wind. Although, we do see that we may create a wind ourselves. The heat of the cities causes changes in wind patterns. El Nino and La Nina may determine the arrival of and be the source of water for billions, but they are not the only sources of water. Sooner or later though, all places dry up without a wind or with too much wind. Too large of a sail can leave you stranded when the wind fails while a smaller ship with more able rowers continues on, but a sail so large may capsize your boat if the wind is too strong. A smaller ship's sail results in loss of power, but also contains fewer dangers. This gamble is how we reach new heights. Thus, this quote is both a warning of danger and a guide to victory. 

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