Standing and waiting

'They also serve who only stand and wait.' This is the famous last line of John Milton's sonnet 'On His Blindness', written sometime in the mid-seventeenth century when he knew he was losing his eyesight. Milton was also a statesman who had made contributions in areas such as freedom of speech and the abolition of censorship. Hence, the sudden onset of blindness came to him as a shock, a source of anguish, leading him to pen this poem.

God, he says, does not need every individual to serve Him actively - for He is an all-powerful King. What He expects from us is patience. The Latin root of the word is patientia, meaning suffering and forbearance. What God expects, says Milton, is to serve Him passively, by standing and waiting in readiness. In other words, 'standing and waiting' does not mean doing nothing but being prepared to serve.

After losing his eyesight, Milton composed Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, and Samson Agonistes, dictating them to his secretaries, often his daughters.


Even if one performs ordinary functions in society, the service provided is of paramount importance. Standing and waiting are virtues about learning forbearance and accepting one's limitations. Heeding God's message and waiting for His plan to unfold is doing one's bit.