The power of slowness

During the invasion of Hannibal to Italy, he was always ready to attack, and Fabius (commander in chief of the Roman legions) did nothing. He did not attack and did not rush to drive the invader out of Italy back to Africa. The majority of his subordinates thought that he was weak, but in fact, it was a part of his strategy. Hannibal was far from his homeland and was losing soldiers. He could not easily replace them. On the other hand, Fabius believed that if the Romans endured and did not get into the battle, they would win the war.

However, the plebs (simple Roman citizens) could not accept such demonstrative resistance. Many shouted that the Roman army is the strongest in the world. It is not wise to do nothing when someone tries to attack. One day, Fabius went to participate in a religious ceremony, and the cavalry commander Mark Minucious who stayed as a temporary commander decided to attack.

Mark got into a trap, and Fabius hurried to save him. However, even after this, Mark was declared as a hero because he decided to act, and Fabius was proclaimed a coward. Only many years later, when other commanders decided to attack and lost almost all their army, people understood the plan of Fabius: what seemed excessive caution, in fact, was a brilliant way to conduct war.

Fabius bought time and gave his opponent a chance to destroy themselves. When everyone realized the Fabius plan, he was declared as Cunctator "The Waiter". His special plan was just waiting. It became an outstanding example to all statesmen, especially for those who feel an obsession or pressure from outside to be brave and take immediate action.

If Fabius had been weaker, he would not have resisted the temptation to attack Hannibal, and then history could have gone a different way. The concept of "waiting" rather than "recklessly doing" remains true in many modern professions. It is especially true for financial traders - if you can not wait and still decide to invest UP in a "bear" market, you will not succeed.

So, take your time and always think before doing something.