No action will be considered blameless, unless the will was so, for by the will the act was dictated.
—Seneca the Younger (Lucius Annaeus Seneca) (c.4 BCE–65 CE) Roman Stoic Philosopher, Statesman, Tragedian
You have a very powerful mind that can make anything happen as long as you keep yourself centered.
—Wayne Dyer (1940–2015) American Self-Help Author
Our bodies are our gardens—our wills are our gardeners.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
If we cannot do what we will, we must will what we can.
—Yiddish Proverb
A person who is wise does nothing against their will, nothing with sighing or under coercion.
—Cicero (106BCE–43BCE) Roman Philosopher, Orator, Politician, Lawyer
He has not learned the first lesson of life who does not every day surmount a fear.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of men who follow and of the man who leads that gains the victory.
—George S. Patton (1885–1945) American Military Leader
The one who wills is the one who can.
—Common Proverb
The will is commendable though the ability may be wanting.
—Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso) (c.43 BCE–c.18 CE) Roman Poet
Great souls have wills; feeble ones have only wishes.
—Chinese Proverb
Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today’s world do not have.
—Ronald Reagan (1911–2004) American Head of State
All things must; man is the only creature that wills.
—Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805) German Poet, Dramatist
Man has will, but woman has her way.
—Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (1809–94) American Physician, Essayist
What you have to do and the way you have to do it is incredibly simple. Whether you are willing to do it, that’s another matter.
—Peter Drucker (1909–2005) Austrian-born Management Consultant
Nothing can withstand the power of the human will if it is willing to stake its very existence to the extent of its purpose.
—Benjamin Franklin (1706–90) American Political Leader, Inventor, Diplomat
Will localizes us; thought universalizes us.
—Henri Frederic Amiel (1821–81) Swiss Moral Philosopher, Poet, Critic
Will cannot be quenched against its will.
—Dante Alighieri (1265–1321) Italian Poet, Philosopher
A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.
—German Proverb
Nothing is easy to the unwilling.
—Thomas Fuller (1608–61) English Cleric, Historian
Will it, and set to work briskly.
—Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805) German Poet, Dramatist
A man can do all things if he but wills them.
—Leon Battista Alberti (1404–72) Italian Architect, Humanist, Painter, Art Critic
The world is full of willing people, some willing to work, the rest willing to let them.
—Robert Frost (1874–1963) American Poet
Don’t let your will roar when your power only whispers.
—Thomas Fuller (1608–61) English Cleric, Historian
Self-will is so ardent and active, that it will break a world to pieces, to make a stool to sit on.
—Richard Cecil
It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.
—Douglas MacArthur (1880–1964) American Military Leader
My desire is for wisdom, not for the exercise of the will. The will is the strong blind man who carries on his shoulders the lame man who can see.
—Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860) German Philosopher
Who wills the end, wills the means.
—Common Proverb
Those that are firm in their will mold the world to themselves.
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) German Poet
Happiness is secured through virtue; it is a good attained by man’s own will.
—Thomas Aquinas (1225–74) Italian Catholic Priest, Philosopher, Theologian
God is not willing to do everything, and thus take away our free will and that share of glory which belongs to us.
—Niccolo Machiavelli (1469–1527) Florentine Political Philosopher
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