Churchill argues that looking too far into the future can become unhelpful because many later events depend on decisions and circumstances that have not yet taken shape. His image of a chain suggests that events are connected, but that only the nearest link can be acted upon directly. Effective judgement therefore requires attention to the immediate decision rather than attempting to control every possible future outcome.

The quotation does not reject planning or foresight. Instead, it warns against allowing distant possibilities to distract from what can actually be influenced in the present. In uncertain situations, progress often depends on dealing with one problem, observing the result and then deciding what comes next. More broadly, the remark supports a practical approach to complexity: long-term aims may remain important, but action is usually taken through a sequence of smaller, more immediate choices.