Quotations for Motivation #35 --- Will Power

No tyranny of circumstances can permanently imprison a determined will.

---Orison Swett Marden, Success Magazine, New York, N.Y., December 1906.

If you express your will in action you believe in free will, but if you do not act you will believe in fate.

---Edward Howard Griggs, Amsterdam Evening Recorder, Amsterdam, N.Y., Oct. 25, 1907.

No one thing contributes more to health or success than a strong, vigorous will. It is a perpetual health tonic, physically and mentally. It embraces the system, enabling it to endure hardships, disappointments and disease.

---George F. Butler, The Caledonian Record, St. Johnsbury, Vt., Aug, 2, 1920.

Firmness is the excess of will power; obstinacy is the excess of won’t power.

---Frank Hilton Greer, Oklahoma Farmer, Guthrie, Okla., Jan. 1, 1911.

A great many people are afflicted with paralysis of the will.

---Frank Hilton Greer, Oklahoma State Capital, Guthrie, Okla., Jan. 15, 1911.

Where there’s a will there are lots of things to get out of the way.

---Frank Hilton Greer, Oklahoma State Capital, Guthrie, Okla., March 27, 1910.

Will is the greatest quality in man. Will is the quality which has made distinguished, eminent, and useful men and women; while irresolution has been the temptation, the weakness, and the ruin of multitudes. Will is something very different from won’t. There are people who can very easily refuse to accept invitations, refuse to cooperate with their neighbors, draw themselves into a clam shell and be obstinate—but this is not the creative work of will. The true and noble exercise of will means the choice of a course of action and the persistency to do all the things that are necessary to secure continuance and success in the chosen course. We must suppose that your success or failure will depend largely upon your being able to manage yourself by will. The first way in which people whose wills are not strong can manage themselves is by establishing good habits. One who has good habits does not need to exert his will every moment, but he moves on doing the things which he has been accustomed to do. This is a saving of strength both for the weak and the strong.

---William Goodell Frost, The Citizen, Berea, Ky., Sept. 19. 1901.

One often hears the expression, “I wish I might have that,” or “I wish I might be like him.” The most probable reason why one is not or has not what he desires is that he has not wished it earnestly enough. He has not made it first and all the time his aim. To accomplish any great end one must have a strong will, a will that can surmount all sorts of difficulties. He must not be held back because of failures or disappointment. If one way of gaining his end does not succeed, he will find another, but he will never give up. The man with a weal will is like a feather or a weather vane, turned in any direction the wind takes him. He is for something today and against it tomorrow. He never amounts to much. He has little influence, for no one can depend on him. The man of strong will determines what he thinks the right course and is not easily turned aside. It is little by little, step by step, and day after day that one conquers the things that oppose his progress toward his goal. Napoleon said, “The word impossible is not in my dictionary.” It is being intent on some certain thing and keeping at it till it is accomplished that tells.

---Lucius W. Nieman, Milwaukee Journal, Milwaukee, Wis., Aug. 28, 1912.

Most fights are won in the heart of the man or woman before he or she begins to fight! In other words, the one who expects to win a fight plans it that way. The will to fight is translated into the will to win. Many a person has been given up by doctors, not figuring on the spirit within the heart of the one treated, which willed to win. It’s the will to go on, to some definite thing, to live out a plan that keeps this will of ours ever on the winning side. The righting heart is life itself. William James, in his wonderful essay on “Habit,” brings out this idea and shows how a man can conquer by never allowing an exception to occur in his fight to win. And he suggests how, by this unconquerable spirit, a person wakes up some morning to feel himself among the great of this earth. Will to win! No matter what the obstacles, no matter what the criticism, no matter how many setbacks, will to follow through, to gain that objective of yours. The thrill of achievement, not the mere making of money or the gaining of temporary fame, but doing something useful that reflects your character and your worth, your ideals and your purpose, to leave something of value behind the years of your service that may mark your monument. To do so is life, happiness and the fulfilled dream of every noble nature.

---George Matthew Adams, Waycross Journal-Herald, Waycross, Ga., Sept. 17, 1938.

A strong will is one of the most desirable of possessions. But to maintain strength of will is not always easy. The will has many enemies. Conspicuous among these is bodily weakness. Anything that lowers the muscular and nervous tone has a tendency to lower the will power. For this reason it is imperative, to keep or gain a strong will, to put into practice the principles of personal hygiene. Thus many men weaken their wills by eating too much, by exercising not at all, by sleeping too little, by denying themselves a sufficiency of fresh air. All these hygienic indiscretions affect the digestion, circulation, etc. This means that they impair the quality of the brain’s nutrition. As a consequence the will, in common with the reasoning power, is harmfully affected. Inactivity, physical or mental, is another potent enemy of the will. The idler is inevitably weak willed, if only because he is an idler. For effort, energetic effort, is indispensable to continued wellbeing of the whole organism. And energetic effort is precisely the thing most disliked by the indolent. Wherefore wealth must be listed among the forces that undermine will power. Also there are distinctly psychic enemies of the will. Fear is one of these. Through unwise training in early life many people are continually beset by fears of all kinds. They allow themselves even to fear irrationally, and in the grip of their fears are absolutely incapable of exerting will power. Such people need special treatment as truly as those physically ill. They need treatment to banish their haunting dreads and give reason an opportunity to open the door for the will development they so painfully lack. Self-pity, too, is a dire enemy of the will. When a man begins to pity himself—whether for bodily maladies, financial reverses, or whatever it may be—that moment he puts a blight on his will power. For the attitude of self-pity is essentially the attitude of surrender. And with surrender effort ceases. Lastly, self-indulgence must be rated among the worst of all enemies of the will.

---H. Addington Bruce, Milwaukee Journal, Milwaukee, Wis., June 15, 1918.

Will power is rooted in personal interest. When you are aflame with enthusiasm about anything you can generate the resolution to achieve it. Lukewarm or indifferent interests will not generate a resolute will. Fix your ambition on an object worthy of your best endeavors. Do not at first concentrate on trivial matters. Fortunately your life is so ordered that you have to earn your own bread. So there need be no difficulty about the choice of alternatives, since duty arranges your program. Whip yourself into shape for its demands. You can practice an effective mental method. Use self-suggestion liberally. Self-confidence should be equal to the pressure of your obligations, but not so predominant as to prevent prudence.

---S. Parkes Cadman, The News and Courier, Charleston, S.C., Nov. 28, 1929.

The will is man's distinction; it is the thing that differentiates. To say "I am" is great, but we are here because we are brought here by others. To say "I will" is greater because it is what we want it to be or at least what we make it, whether it be good or bad. The will transforms desire and knowledge and action into conduct. Mere action is not conduct. Sensations are pouring in upon the mind from every direction. There are the sensory of afferent nerves. The motor nerves transmit the force which sets in motion. The power originating this message is the will. The will first of all decides upon the line to act. The message always goes along the right line and the amount of force is weighed out. The message never goes to the eyes to move the lips. The will is the source of all the movements and activities of life, and it can be trained to communicate to these expressiveness and harmony. There is nothing done in this world that is not done by the will. The will is king, president, governor, manager, the mayor and the supreme boss over all. Desire and aversion are controlled by the will, we can either yield to it or resist it. Intense desire may be refused and strong aversion may be overcome. If I do wrong it is because it is my will to do wrong, for I could strengthen my will and do good if it was my desire to do so.

‑‑‑Monroe E. Dodd, The Shreveport Times, Shreveport, La., June 28, 1926.

Strength alone will not do the trick. Strength alone is like steam in the boiler; so long as the steam is confined there it can do no work. But when the throttle is opened and the live, compressed steam is permitted to enter a cylinder where a movable piston will allow it to expand, then tremendous things can be done by it. Just as the steam engine will do work up to its capacity in proportion to the distance the throttle is opened, just so will the natural strength of man accomplish things in proportion to the amount of will exercised. Will is the force that makes strength work. It is the driving force that keeps strength in action. It is what smashes doubt, fear, failure, weakness, timidity, anything, in fact, that interferes with what the mind has decided to do. Will power is what holds attention to the line and keeps one moving forward when every inclination urges one to quit. Will power looks ahead and observes the goal set, then whips up interest, compels activity, and thus moves steadily toward the mark.

‑‑‑J.C. Falconer, Specialty Salesman Magazine, Atlanta, Ga., June 1931.

An ounce of will is worth a pound of wish.

---Tom Sims, Evening Independent, St. Petersburg, Fla., Oct. 28, 1921.

Self-control always takes a little will power.

---Ernest C. Wareing, Western Christian Advocate, Cincinnati, Ohio, Dec. 20, 1928.

The only man or woman who really enjoys life is the one with a will of his own who uses it–the man who has a MONOPOLY on his own mind, does HIS OWN thinking.

—Harlan Read, Morgan Messenger, Berkeley Springs, W.Va., April 25, 1912.

Will power is essential to success in everything. Mighty is the force of the will. But how weak the will is in most of us we may determine by observing to what extent we permit our daily plans to be modified by the things that run counter to us. .Will power, like any other faculty, may be cultivated and made strong. To do this one must plan in advance what he will do under certain circumstances and then carry out the program without evasion or hesitation when the time arrives. Let him resolve to do something he sees unpleasant. One thing we have to learn is to overcome the inertia of the physical body and many people are not really awake on the physical plane because they have not done so. The habit of giving attention to the things that properly engage the mind, and of using the will to arouse and control it, is of very great importance. The person who fails in attention misses the purpose of life and throws away valuable time and opportunity. The mind must be brought under such complete control of the will that it can be manipulated like a searchlight, flung in any direction, and held steadily upon any desired point until the obscurity is dispelled.

—L.W. Rogers, Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas, March 14, 1914.

The power of the human will knows no limits. It is absolutely boundless. Through its force, anything is possible to achieve. But you must remember that will power is a force that can be exercised with equal vigor for either good or evil, for right or wrong, for benevolent or malevolent purposes. The person with a strong will is capable of driving himself to immense achievement. He works while others are sleeping or playing. He appreciates commendation, but doesn't require it to sustain him. He listens to condemnation, but doesn't fear it. Failure only spurs him to greater action. He seeks the counsel of others, but weighs it carefully. How can you develop will power? Well, nothing becomes strong without exercise. The more you use your will power, the stronger it will become. One way to exercise your will is through prompt decisions. Procrastination is the direct result of failure to use your will power. And it can be disastrous. Needless to say, you also demonstrate will power by sticking to your decisions once you have made them. You also can strengthen your will power by taking immediate action wherever it is necessary. Postponement of necessary action only creates a vacuum. And with each successive postponement your will becomes weaker. You'll find that the more you exercise your will power, the more confidence you have in it and in yourself. And as your confidence grows, so does your will power. But you'll find the greatest benefit enjoyed from increased will power is through the stronger control over your own mind.

—Napoleon Hill, Houston Post, Houston, Texas, Dec. 21, 1956.

Will means self-direction and self-control. The greatest power that a human being can have is to carry out his purposes. It is one thing to take stock of one's energies and abilities, and it is quite another to direct and control them. To set oneself to work just where one's abilities will tell best; to direct one's energies sensibly and wisely, and then to control one's energies–all this a matter of will power.

—Louise Collier Willcox, Delineator, New York, N.Y., August 1915.

An important attitude of the mind is that of justice. When we realize the importance of this attitude we shall be more just to those around us and more just to ourselves. When we attain to this state we shall be governing all those attitudes that lead to a perfect mind, and still more important, educating the chief governing faculty of the mind, and that is the will. When we realize the great importance of will power in character, we find we must keep all the attitudes of the mind well exercised, the reason for this being that the will can only be developed by careful, wise, and intelligent resolutions. Again, the conduct of life hinges on the will, but the will depends on the individual. And so we see the will is an exhibition of the character, the individual constitution. Therefore we find the sole developer of the will is that of righteousness, which is righteousness toward all powers and realities. The highest aim in our life should be to create will with the righteous aim, thus creating a noble character.

—William T. Goulee, Autumn Leaves, Lamoni, Iowa, March 1917.

How can a strong will power or determination be developed? First, one must realize the importance of his goal when confronted with temptations. Second, one must realize the importance of the goal when confronted with temptations. Third, one must realize the importance of the goal when the undesired urges to cheat on the program have been placed behind. No one ever got a mighty will power by not facing trials and then using all his power in turning temptations into stepping stones which build strong character. Obedience is a part of character. The using of will power in reaching a worthy goal is nothing but pure obedience. Now will power is not something suddenly stumbled upon once and forgotten. It takes work to develop it and then must be used constantly if to be considered a quality of one's self. Will power must be developed, added upon, and put into constant use.

—Charles Aldous, The Austrian, Vienna, Austria, May 15, 1971.

There is no question that personal success is in accordance with ability. Ability makes success of some sort possible; the will makes it actual and hence it may be taken to represent the personal element of success. The failures in life are those that come from not putting forth of the power and will to succeed. As men in a crowd instinctively make room for one who would force his way through it, so mankind makes way for one who rushes toward an object beyond them.

—Adolph Dreyer, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Ga., July 8, 1900.

The best theory of the psychologists concerning the will is that the will is the result of focused attention. To develop the will, the power of concentrated attention must be strengthened. Obstacles are overcome when there is a goal to which attention is focused. We are too prone to give p and blame conditions for lack of accomplishment.

—John Edward Carver, Ogden Standard-Examiner, Ogden, Utah, July 25, 1938.

A strong will does not mean a hard head or a stubborn disposition. It means a determination to do a thing backed up by the knowledge how, the spirit and the physical ability to put across. It takes a proper intellect, a proper spirit and a proper body to make a strong will.

—A.J. Gearheard, The Shreveport Times, Shreveport, La., Oct. 2, 1921.

You fix the limit of your will. The will can be conquered save only by its own consent. The will's highest office is to make you ruler of yourself--to give to you the complete mastery over your own passions and appetites.

—W.W. Holmes, Lake Charles American-Press, Lake Charles, La., Dec. 2, 1922.

Character is of self-formation; reputation, others' estimate of yourself. Independence gives force of character. Originality may be acquired by independence. What I mean by this is to acquire the habit of thinking and acting for one's self–aping no man in any way. Whilst interchange of ideas gives rise to intellectual development, yet this does not argue that we shall always think as others do. Think beyond; act higher, so far as lies in your power. But in doing this all should be careful to avoid self-importance. Independence may be had and used to a person's injury. It does not necessarily imply that because a man may act after an independent manner that he is either stubborn or rebellious! Without this one trait, a man becomes a sniveling, leaning, know-nothing person, a man of "one-idea"--a second idea may prove fatal. Independence of thought leads to independence of speech and action. Be yourself and let self be humble, submissive, teachable; and the mind, by proper literary and religious and moral and social cultivation will so expand as to become admirable in the estimation of right-thinking. Otherwise, independence would lead to degradation of self, and abhorrence of you in others' estimate! To be attractive, rather than repulsive is to be desired. To be admired, rather than despised is to be sought for quietly. But when rightful independence becomes changed into self-wilfulness, then comes with it injury to all your interests. 'Tis pleasant to move in one's own atmosphere, making it fragrant with the blossom of kindness, love and peace; bright with the sunlight of joy and happiness; and life-giving with benevolence, gratitude and reverence. 'Tis then that true independence of life, so richly attired, makes a man indeed. In his life shall abound no debasing trait, no selfish motive can actuate his noble heart, despicable or low! To be personally responsible for the independent exercise of your will power is a solemn thought. If not directed in a proper channel it shall work much harm. Your independence would not justify the violation of law. Law being a rule of action, it should be borne in mind that all action is governed by a rule of conduct good or bad. The development of 'adorning elements' of human life is and should always be performed under the positive conviction that one's life, character, reputation, are all the product of every word, every act! Were it not for these wherein would character be found? How brought into existence? Independence must not teach that no one thinks or acts so well as self; for there are always "models for imitation." To imitate to an extent does not rob independence of its beauty, nor dethrone its dignity. The formation of character is the framing of a destiny. And that destiny is not to be concealed in the grave. Man's highest, noblest ambitions do not tend in that direction; neither has it been the divine intention that they should.

—J.F. McDowell, Autumn Leaves, Lamoni, Iowa, March 1888 .

Habit controls will power. While the will power is supreme over action, and we do a thing at the bidding of the will power, yet habits are formed through action and performance, rather than through the will, and if action and performances are delayed, the will power is weakened and it becomes a victim of bad habits, and thus through the habit of delayed action, the will power is literally murdered, and hell is paved with good intentions. The will power may influence, but it does not control the you can't help your feelings at times, and your actions are largely determined by your feelings. Yet by overcoming the feelings, following in the path of duty by doing the disagreeable things as well as the pleasant ones as they arise in your daily life--by so doing, the exercise of the will power becomes a habit, the doing of each disagreeable thing strengthens the will and character and finally the will power becomes dominant because it has acquired the habit of doing so, and the feelings in turn become a victim to habit and become subservient to the will power. Habit is thus a second nature, the balance wheel of society, it keeps the hardest and most repulsive walks of life from being deserted by those brought up to tread therein. It keeps the fisherman in his darkness, it dooms us all to fight out the battle of life upon the lines of our nature or our early choice, and to make the best of pursuit that disagrees, because there is no other for which to be fitted, and it is too late to begin again. You see the little lines of cleavage running through our character, the tricks of thought, the prejudices, the ways of the shop, from which it is impossible to escape, the character is set like plaster, and it is the law of habit, as strong as gravitation, keeps him within his orbit. The arteries may harden, the muscles grow feeble, but the brain may be kept young and vigorous if we keep the faculty of effort alive. If we continue to seize the first opportunity to act on every resolution we make, and do it now, the plaster cast will never bind and fetter the brain into senility.

—C.E. Hudson, Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas, March 17, 1915.

Untold power of accomplishment lies within you. All the elements of success in any given line are immediately around you and within you. You must believe that this is true but belief alone will not develop this. The human mind is the most wonderful thing in the world, but it is like soil; it must be fertilized and cultivated to make it yield abundantly. Too many people discount their own ability and powers. They think the people all around them who have made a success possess qualities and powers far beyond their own. This is not true. The world is made up of just everyday, common folks. The only difference is that some of them have "found themselves," and others have not. Some have discovered their marvelous powers and have harnessed them, and others have not. Young people especially are apt to grope around in the wilderness of uncertainty for years before the awakening comes. They want to do--they want to be; but they do not know how. Will power is indispensable to the man who would succeed. He must first visualize the thing he wants to be. Make your choice; then daily draw a mental picture of yourself as such. Then, with the determination of a bulldog, resolve that nothing shall prevent you from reaching your goal. This will require will power. Will power can be strengthened and developed by feeding the will daily just as you feed your body, but it must be done just as regularly or you need not expect results. After having painted your mental picture, proceed to make your plans for the accomplishment of it. Don't talk too much to others about your plans, for it you do they will tell you a score of reasons why you should not do this or that. Just go ahead and do, and then tell them afterwards what you have done rather than what you are going to do. Spend your energy in doing and not in talking. Thinking about and making plans for the accomplishment of your desires generates energy. Energy, however, unless put into action, loses its force. You might pump compressed air into ever so tight a steel tank, and, if left there for a long enough time, it would lose its power. The energy generated must be converted into action. Affirmations strengthen the will, give definiteness to purpose, and center one's powers upon a given objective. The following affirmations will be found helpful to those who are now drifting, but who desire to increase their powers of achievement. "That which can be conceived can be achieved." All of the elements of success are at my command. I will to be what I want to be. I can be what I want to be. I will let no obstacle or discouragement hinder me. What others have done I can do. This being a world of progress, I can do more. I will feed my mind daily with wholesome and helpful affirmations.

—James F. Keir, Autumn Leaves, Independence, Mo., September 1924.

Regardless of what other traits you may have, you will never become an independent individual and a forceful personality, so long as you lack the power of will. A strong man (or woman) is more or less the creator of conditions, but a weak person is the creature of circumstances. So far as you are concerned, this situation can be largely changed by adding in the power of your will. Whether you are an engineer, a chemist, an executive, a salesman or saleswoman, a musician or something else, you are weak, if your will is weak. The power of will we have reference to in this article is entirely different from the donkey trait known as stubbornness. Your power of will can be strengthened just as you build muscle in your arm--by putting it to work–by exercising it. When you obey the impulse, you weaken will, but when you resolve to do a certain thing and then carry it out clear to the end, you strengthen will. So you see it is never a hothouse plant. Many people take pride in possessing a powerful will, reserving it for great occasions, only to discover when the time comes for its use, that suspected will has become weakened by being placed upon the shelf. William James said: "If, with desire, there goes a sense that attainment is not possible we do not will–we merely wish." In other words, you must do something in addition to putting the will to work. You must also believe that attainment it possible--that you can succeed. A man said: "I tried to sell Mr. Jones a house, but I knew from the first that he would not be interested." This salesman did not really and fully will. He merely hoped that the man would surprise him and become interested. Put your will to work, and do it with the faith that you will be successful. In doing it, you will discover that an inward power will be released that will carry you on to greater success. Why not, in addition to other things, begin to give yourself a stronger will for a Christmas present? But be sure that with it, the donkey does not also go into the stocking.

—Julian Pennington, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Ga., Dec. 23, 1934.

Don't say, "I'll try.” Trying doesn't mean a thing; saying, "I will," does.

-‑‑Thomas B. Neff, New York New York City Mission, New York, N.Y., March 1975.

No power can keep you from becoming your best except your own lack of will.

---Roy L. Smith, Buffalo Courier-Express, Buffalo, N.Y., May 22, 1929.

Genius is the will power to go on struggling after strength is gone.

---Roy L. Smith, Buffalo Courier-Express, Buffalo, N.Y., July 13, 1928.

Every man must pay in loss of will power for every unmastered desire.

---Roy L. Smith, Buffalo Courier-Express, Buffalo, N.Y., Aug. 3, 1929.

Every right action increases the will power of the actor.

---Roy L. Smith, Buffalo Courier-Express, Buffalo, N.Y., May 13, 1929.

If you desire will power, you must cultivate the ability to say “no.”

---Roy L. Smith, Buffalo Morning Express, Buffalo, N.Y., May 5, 1925.

Life is a building. Every victory of the will strengthens the foundation.

—Roy L. Smith, Tampa Morning Tribune, Tampa, Fla., May 21, 1930.

Take away a man's will power and you have robbed him of his steering gear.

—Roy L. Smith, Tampa Morning Tribune, Tampa, Fla., Nov. 14, 1933.

Life is little but influences of character, the stuff of which we are made, are continually leaping to the surface and revealing the sort of man we are. The coward is he who either has no will or does not use it. The man of courage develops his will, exercises it and succeeds.

—M.C. Thompson, The Monroe News-Star, Monroe, La., May 29, 1929.

Have you heard of the will to fail? The will to fail is common in the nature of men. It is merely avoiding actions and deeds that will lead to success. Before any destruction is reached, a road is traveled. Before conquering the height, there are steps to ascend. The will to fail is being submissive to personal comfort rather than having the courage to take the actions that are hard to do, but yet always lead to success. The will to fail is to avoid small and simple things.

—G. Barry Nielsen, Westate, Denver, Colo., June 1963.

The will to fail manifests itself as action to avoid action. It is an ever active campaign of the subconscious to bring so many unnecessary activities into each day's program that there isn't sufficient time for action which would be most productive.

—Roger D. Morgenthaler, Challenge, Dusseldorf, West Germany, February 1966.

Do what you have to do with all your will, and you will be in some way blessed in all you will to do.

—William A. Morton, Zion’s Young People, Salt Lake City, Utah, September 1900.

When electrical power is off, even for only a few minutes, in that short period of time it is noticeable how dependent we become on electrical power in our daily activities. There are times in our lives when we fail because of another kind of power failure. This is the kind of power we generate ourselves. It is commonly called will power. The circuit is seldom snapped at once, but generally fades out gradually. It dims a little bit each time we feel sorry for ourselves–each time we give into a weakness. It dims further each time we rationalize, each time we justify delaying the accomplishment of a task at hand because it takes too much effort.

—Orin R. Woodbury, Hawaii Mission News, Honolulu, Hawaii, March 1968.

The world of youth and ambition is always asking, "How can I succeed?" The answer is: You can succeed by INTELLIGENCE and WILL POWER. You can do, in proportion to your ability, whatever you WILL to do. The first thing is to begin with what you CAN DO. ... The will, like intelligence, is an intensely important part of that strange thing we call the mind or soul. Mind, soul, will, intelligence or spirit, call it what you will, has no shape, no substance, no weight. The spirit is invisible, intangible, yet it is EVERYTHING. Take the finest body in the world, magnificent muscles, broad shoulders, powerful legs and arms, perfect health--by itself, it is worth a few dollars a day as a ditch digging machine. Add WILL POWER and that body becomes the foreman of a gang of ditch diggers. Add INTELLIGENCE to the will, and the brain invests a new way of digging ditches by machinery, and lays the foundation of success and usefulness. Add BENEVOLENCE and JUSTICE to the will and intelligence, and you have the ideal man--according to our feeble human ideals. ... The WILL is the mainspring, the power back of success. INTELLIGENCE is the force that guides the will into useful channels to produce useful work. You may break every bone in a man's body, but you cannot break his will if he will not ALLOW it to be broken. ... WILL is to a man what the great engines are to the steamship. INTELLIGENCE is to a human being what the captain is to that ship. One signifies POWER, the other DIRECTION. READ, THINK, TALK with those whose thoughts and opinions are worthwhile. Exercise you will power; it grows in strength with exercise, as do the muscles of your arm.

---New York American, New York, N.Y., July 11, 1926.

The will is the pilot in the mind of every man. Will power directs us. Lack of will power causes the turning back, the aimless, shifting, weak, vacillating uncertainty that guides us nowhere and ends nowhere within the realm of success.

—New York American, New York, N.Y., June 3, 1928.

Will power is not merely a matter of thinking. It is thinking plus feeling. Thoughts are cold, but feelings are warm, alive, and vital. What we call "will" is in reality directed desire. The first principle in building a powerful will is: Learn to desire what you know is beneficial and good for you. Naturally, we are not here concerned with the use of desire for purposes of negative nature. You can use this power to boost yourself forward in life, or drag you down as you prefer. But when desire is rightly directed your personal achievement is greatly speeded up. Wishes never get anyone far in life. You must not only wish–you must desire with a powerful, unyielding intensity. You must awaken into positive activity all the powers of your body, mind and soul, if you would make real progress in getting those good and worthwhile things of life.

—Northern Lights, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, April 1968 .

Success is three parts the will to get there and seven parts the conviction that you can make it.

—The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Ga., May 5, 1922.