When you have no winds, take to the oars.

The quote contrasts favorable external conditions (“winds”) with deliberate personal agency (“the oars”). It suggests that when circumstances, luck, or institutional support are absent, one should not wait passively for conditions to improve; instead, substitute effort, discipline, and ingenuity for what is missing. The metaphor also implies a shift in strategy: sailing is efficient when the wind cooperates, but rowing is slower and harder—yet it restores control and direction. In that sense, the line endorses resilience and adaptability, urging action even when progress becomes laborious, and framing persistence as a practical response to stagnation rather than a purely moral virtue.