MARCELO BIELSA AND ONE OF HIS BEST QUOTES
Some people see limitations in their circumstances, while others see possibilities even in the seemingly impossible. Marcelo Bielsa is one of the latter.
A frequently recounted story about Bielsa’s mindset tells of how he always carried a photograph of African children playing billiards on a table made of packed earth. The balls were fashioned from clumps of grass, and the cues were simply sharpened sticks.
Whenever he presented a plan and heard those around him say:
“We can’t do it. We don’t have the resources.”
Bielsa would reportedly simply take out that photograph and say:
“These children play billiards just like that. So, I believe anything is possible, depending on the circumstances.”
Behind that story lies more than just an inspirational quote; it reflects a philosophy on life and work.
We often think we need sufficient funds, manpower, technology, ideal conditions, and perfection before we can even begin. Yet, sometimes, that very mindset is what prevents us from ever starting.
Resources are important, but how we utilize what we already have matters even more.
Someone with little can still achieve a great deal if they know how to make the most of what they possess. A team without expensive players can still play imaginative football. A small business can still compete through creativity. An individual lacking ideal conditions can still start by taking the smallest of steps.
The children in the story didn’t have a proper billiard table. But that didn’t stop them from playing.
And perhaps that is the lesson Bielsa wants to convey to us:
Do not be too quick to turn “we don’t have” into “we can’t.”
For there is a vast gap between the two.
“Not having enough resources” is a reality. “It can’t be done” is a conclusion.
And that conclusion isn’t always correct.
In life, we will always find reasons to delay: not enough money, not enough skill, not enough experience, not enough people, or the timing isn’t quite right.
But if we wait until everything is perfect, many things may never get started at all.
Start with what you have. Do the best you can. Then, find a way to take the next step.
Because sometimes, what determines success isn’t the amount of resources you are given…
…but rather what you can achieve with what is already in your hands.
