People do not lack strength; they lack will.
—Victor Hugo (1802–85) French Novelist
Who wills the end, wills the means.
—Common Proverb
The spirit, the will to win, and the will to excel are the things that endure. These qualities are so much more important than the events that occur.
—Vince Lombardi (1913–70) American Football Coach
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
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
To deny the freedom of the will is to make morality impossible.
—James Anthony Froude (1818–94) British Historian, Novelist, Biographer, Editor
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
It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.
—Douglas MacArthur (1880–1964) American Military Leader
The will is deaf and hears no heedful friends.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
Willpower is your ability to set a course of action and say, “Engage!”
—Steve Pavlina (b.1971) American Motivational Speaker
Life is like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you represents determinism; the way you play it is free will.
—Jawaharlal Nehru (1889–1964) Indian Head of State
Willpower is a concentration of force. You gather up all your energy and make a massive thrust forward.
—Steve Pavlina (b.1971) American Motivational Speaker
Willingness is essential in any initiation or in making an dream come true. “I can’t” often means “I won’t.” You can change “I won’t” to “I will” with willpower.
—Marcia Wieder
Will it, and set to work briskly.
—Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805) German Poet, Dramatist
Where there is a will there is a lawsuit.
—Addison Mizner (1872–1933) American Architect, Designer
Will and intellect are one and the same.
—Baruch Spinoza (1632–77) Dutch Philosopher, Theologian
All things must; man is the only creature that wills.
—Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805) German Poet, Dramatist
Those that are firm in their will mold the world to themselves.
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) German Poet
To live by one man’s will becomes the cause of all misery.
—Richard Hooker (1554–1600) English Anglican Theologian, Political Theorist
In oratory the will must predominate.
—David Hare (b.1947) English Dramatist, Director, Film-Maker
I have brought myself by long meditation to the conviction that a human being with a settled purpose must accomplish it, and that nothing can resist a will which will stake even existence upon its fulfillment.
—Benjamin Disraeli (1804–81) British Head of State
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
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
Will springs from the two elements of moral sense and self-interest.
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–65) American Head of State
If we cannot do what we will, we must will what we can.
—Yiddish Proverb
When a man’s willing and eager the god’s join in.
—Aeschylus (525–456 BCE) Greek Playwright
A person who is wise does nothing against their will, nothing with sighing or under coercion.
—Cicero (106BCE–43BCE) Roman Philosopher, Orator, Politician, Lawyer
Willpower is the spearhead of self-discipline.
—Steve Pavlina (b.1971) American Motivational Speaker
Self-will is so ardent and active, that it will break a world to pieces, to make a stool to sit on.
—Richard Cecil
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