Neither a wise man nor a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over him.

The metaphor contrasts passive fatalism with active responsibility. “Tracks of history” suggests large forces—political change, technological progress, social movements—that can feel inevitable. Eisenhower’s point is that wisdom and courage are shown not by surrendering to those forces, but by engaging them: anticipating change, shaping outcomes, and refusing to be crushed by events. The “train of the future” implies that the future arrives with momentum; one can either prepare, adapt, and help lay the tracks, or be overwhelmed. Read broadly, the line is a call to leadership and agency—especially apt for a statesman and military commander who often emphasized planning, preparedness, and steady action over rhetoric or resignation.