Whether we want them or not, the New Year will bring new challenges; whether we seize them or not, the New Year will bring new opportunities.

The quotation contrasts what is inevitable with what is optional. Time’s passage guarantees that a new year will arrive with difficulties and possibilities regardless of our preferences; what remains within human agency is our response—whether we “seize” opportunities or let them pass. The parallel phrasing (“whether…or not”) underscores a moral of responsibility: challenges are unavoidable, but growth and benefit depend on attention, courage, and deliberate action. As a New Year sentiment, it reframes the holiday from mere celebration or wish-making into a call for preparedness and initiative, suggesting that optimism is most meaningful when paired with choice and effort.