Wisdom arises from calmness.”

In a remote village, there lived an old blacksmith named Salim.

He was famous among the nearby villages for his skill in shaping iron — not because he had the strongest hammer, but because he knew when to strike and where to strike.

He had a young apprentice named Rashid — passionate, but impatient. Rashid believed that wisdom came from power, so he would strike the iron forcefully and shout:

“Look, Master! My blows are stronger than yours!”

Salim would smile and reply: “Strength without awareness ruins the iron before it shapes it.”

Days passed, and Rashid began to grow bored of Salim’s slow, deliberate hammering. One day, he said:

“I want to open my own workshop. I feel ready.”

Salim nodded and said, “Go ahead — but remember, the hammer creates nothing without the iron’s permission.”

Rashid opened his workshop and began working. His blows were strong, the sound of hammering echoed through the air… but no customers came.

After a month, he returned to his master, exhausted and defeated.

Salim asked, “Was the iron not good?”

Rashid replied, “No, the iron was excellent.”

Salim asked again, “And the hammer?”

Rashid said, “Heavy and powerful.”

Salim smiled and said, “But did you listen to the iron?”

Rashid fell silent.

Salim then said, “Iron speaks, but it doesn’t shout. It softens when it’s ready and breaks if forced. Success doesn’t lie in the strike — but in the listening.”

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The wisdom?

Sometimes, life requires listening more than doing — intelligence more than strength.

True growth begins when we stop trying to prove ourselves and start understanding what surrounds us.

Everything you approach with calmness becomes soft and easy in your hands. So remember — in every situation, adopt a gentle, composed spirit. Right actions come from right attitudes, and right attitudes bring the best results.