In a world filled with distractions and challenges, willpower is the unwavering force that propels us toward our goals. It's the inner strength to persevere when the going gets tough, a testament to human resilience and determination. Whether you're striving to complete a personal project, achieve a fitness milestone, or stay focused amid life's chaos, a spark of inspiration can make all the difference. To help fuel your journey, we've curated a collection of 58 powerful quotes that celebrate the essence of willpower. Each quote serves as a gentle reminder of the strength within you, ready to be harnessed and unleashed. Dive in and discover words that will inspire you to push beyond boundaries and achieve your dreams.
1. “I wont let him have you.” - Sophie Jordan
2. “I'm a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of will.” - Antonio Gramsci
3. “I may err but I am not a heretic, for the first has to do with the mind and the second with the will!” - Meister Eckhart
4. “Never underestimate the will of a creature who begins to die at birth.” - Lyn Benedict
5. “She wept with shame for her lack of will and with fear for a love she couldn't control.” - Judith McNaught
6. “There are but few important events in the affairs of men brought about by their own choice.” - Ulysses S. Grant
7. “I am mad, I am going under, I must follow the advice of a friend, and pay no heed to myself.” - Stendhal
8. “Strong-willed heart, always makes me feel so touched. It reminds me about some 'fall and rise again' in my life.” - Toba Beta
9. “Everyone can use a little beauty.” - Alex Flinn
10. “Your will shall decide your destiny.” - Charlotte Brontë
11. “The will of God is sweet tonight, altogether ‘good and acceptable and perfect.’ The considerate love of the Lord Jesus for us seems such a kind thing now. I know it has always been so, but somehow I didn’t see how wise it was when it didn’t seem kind… Remind me of this when I cannot regard His love as considerate some time.” - Jim Elliot
12. “Let your will burn in this fire so that it takes you nowhere else. Let your self be burned in this fire of eternity, love and peace. Don't be afraid of this fire, it is love itself. This desire for freedom is the fire of love!” - H.W.L. Poonja
13. “I had such plans for this evening. The pursuit of blind drunkenness and wayward women was my goal. But alas, it was not to be. No sooner had I consumed my third drink in the Devil than I was accosted by a delightful small flower selling child who asked me for twopence for a daisy. The price seemed steep, so I refused. When I told the girl as much, she proceeded to rob me.”“A little girl robbed you?” Tessa said.“Actually, she wasn’t a little girl at all, as it turns out, but a midget in a dress with a penchant for violence, who goes by the name of Six-Fingered Nigel.” - Cassandra Clare
14. “From Orient PointThe art of living isn't hard to muster:Enjoy the hour, not what it might portend.When someone makes you promises, don't trust herunless they're in the here and now, and just herwilling largesse free-handed to a friend.The art of living isn't hard to muster:groom the old dog, her coat gets back its luster;take brisk walks so you're hungry at the end.When someone makes you promises, don't trust herto know she can afford what they will cost herto keep until they're kept. Till then, pretendthe art of living isn't hard to muster.Cooking, eating and drinking are a clusterof pleasures. Next time, don't go round the bendwhen someone makes you promises. Don't trust herpast where you'd trust yourself, and don't adjust herwords to mean more to you than she'd intend.The art of living isn't hard to muster.You never had her, so you haven't lost herlike spare house keys. Whatever she opens,when someone makes you promises, don't. Trust yourart; go on living: that's not hard to muster.” - Marilyn Hacker
15. “You cut me,” he said. His voice was pleasant. British. Very ordinary. He looked at his hand with critical interest. “It might be fatal.”Tessa looked at him with wide eyes. “Are you the Magister?”He tilted his hand to the side. Blood ran down it, spattering the floor. “Dear me, massive blood loss. Death could be imminent.”“Are you the Magister?”“Magister?” He looked mildly surprised by her vehemence. “That means ‘master’ in Latin, doesn’t it?”“I…” Tessa was feeling increasingly as if she were trapped in a strange dream. “I suppose it does.”“I’ve mastered many things in life. Navigating the streets of London, dancing the quadrille, the Japanese art of flower arranging, lying at charades, concealing a highly intoxicated state, delighting young women with my charms…”Tessa stared.“Alas,” he went on, “no one has ever actually referred to me as ‘the master’, or ‘the magister’, either. More’s the pity…” - Cassandra Clare
16. “Don’t be mad” was the first thing he said. He really was terrified, as if the most frightening reaper on the planet was no scarier than a mouse, and yet put him in a tux and it was the Apocalypse.” - Courtney Allison Moulton
17. “If I kiss you now, I won’t be able to stop. We’ll miss the party.” - Courtney Allison Moulton
18. “Life, for the living, is a gift of opportunity; an exercise of the will to choose.” - T.F. Hodge
19. “It's unclear who moves first. We're in each other's arms, lips locked, melded, hotly fused. Our hands drag over each other, reacquainting, remembering, almost as if we're both verifying the other one is real flesh and blood.” - Sophie Jordan
20. “Sudden conviction races through me, almost terrifying in its total certainty. I can't give him up. He's the other part of me. He gets what it feels like to be separate from everything and everyone, to reject the path others lay out for you. We're the same. Two sides to the same coin.” - Sophie Jordan
21. “Showing a lack of self-control is in the same vein granting authority to others: 'Perhaps I need someone else to control me.” - Criss Jami
22. “Such is the strength of the burden of habit. Here I have the power to be but do not wish it. There I wish to be but lacks the power. On both grounds, I'm in misery.” - St. Augustine of Hippo
23. “As long as we have faith in our own cause and an unconquerable will to win, victory will not be denied us.” - Winston Churchill
24. “Charlotte, Will’s beingvexing.''And the sun has come up in the east,'said Jem, to no one in particular.” - Cassandra Clare
25. “Demon pox, oh demon poxJust how is it acquired?One must go down to the bad part of townUntil one is very tired.Demon pox, oh demon pox, I had it all along—Not the pox, you foolish blocks,I mean this very song—For I was right, and you were wrong!""Will!" Charlotte shouted over the noise, "Have you LOST YOUR MIND? CEASE THAT INFERNAL RACKET! Jem—" Jem, rising to his feet, clapped his hands over Will's mouth. "Do you promise to be quiet?" he hissed into his friend's ear.Will nodded, blue eyes blazing. Tessa was staring at him in amazement; they all were. She had seen Will many things—amused, bitter, condescending, angry, pitying—but never giddy before.Jem let him go. "All right, then."Will slid to the floor, his back against the armchair, and threw up his arms. "A demon pox on all your houses!" he announced, and yawned."Oh, God, weeks of pox jokes," said Jem. "We're in for it now.” - Cassandra Clare
26. “So you’re suggesting we take the train up to York, meet a ninety-year-old man, leap on him, and yank out his hair? I’m sure the Clave will beecstatic.”“They’ll just say you’re mad,” said Jessamine. “They already think it, so what’s the difference, really?” - Cassandra Clare
27. “Demon pox, oh, demon pox, Just how is it acquired? One must go down to the bad part of town Until one is very tired.Demon pox, oh, demon pox I had it all along— No, not the pox, you foolish blocks, I mean this very song— For I was right, and you were wrong!” - Cassandra Clare
28. “'Twas on an evening fair I went to take the air,I heard a maid making her moan;Said, 'Saw ye my father? Or saw ye my mother? Or saw ye my brother John?Or saw ye the lad I that I love best,And his name it is Sweet William?” - Cassandra Clare
29. “No matter how pathetic or pitiful, every human is fated to have one moment in their lives in which they can change their own destiny.” - Takayuki Yamaguchi
30. “He glanced up once, eyes bored. “Please stop talking. I’m trying to eat.” - Kate Avery Ellison
31. “At least I graduated," he muttered, stabbing the key in and unlocking the door. I sucked in a breath. "I think dying was a little out of my control, thank you very much.""If you say so". He shrugged, but I saw the corner of his mouth turn up into a faint smile.” - Stacey Kade
32. “Raah mein kaante ho, to hoSada manzilon ka armaan rakhnaPankho mein zor ho, na hoMagar hauslon mein uraan rakhna” - Jyoti Arora
33. “The two girls disappeared into the stern cabin once more. Will watched them go, then asked Halt, 'Anything you'd like me to do? Grow a beard? Learn to walk like a rooster?''If you could stop asking facetious questions, that'd be a start,' Halt told him. 'But it's probably a little late in life for you to do that.” - John Flanagan
34. “Will saw the first Senshi officer release and instantly knew where the arrow was aimed. 'They've spotted Shigeru!' He was about to turn and shove Shigeru to the ground, but as he did so, his eye caught a flicker of movement and he spun back.When asked later about what he did next, he could never explain how he managed it. Nor could he ever repeat the feat. He acted totally from instinct, an unbelievable piece of coordination between hand and eye.The Senshi arrow flashed downward, heading directly for Shigeru. Will flicked his bow at it, caught it and deflected it from its course. The arrowhead screeched on the hard, rocky ground and the arrow skittered away. Even Halt took a second to be impressed.'My god!' he said. 'How did you do that?” - John Flanagan
35. “What is this Chocho business?' Will muttered to himself. But his friends overheard the comment.'It's a term of great respect,' they chorused, and he glared at them.'Oh, shut up,' he said.” - John Flanagan
36. “There is a force more powerful than steam and electricity: the will.” - Fernán Caballero
37. “Do you miss Wales?” Tessa inquired.Will shrugged lightly. “What’s to miss? Sheep and singing,” he said. “And the ridiculous language. Fe hoffwn i fod mor feddw, fyddai ddim yn cofio fy enw.”“What does that mean?”“It means ‘I wish to get so drunk I no longer remember my own name,’ Quite useful.” - Cassandra Clare
38. “The free-will of man cannot impune the sovereignty of God, and conversely the sovereignty of God would not impune the free-will of men".” - R. Alan Woods
39. “Will stared at him with utter disbelief. “Am I really supposed to answer that? What do you think I want? I want you.” He added bitterly, “Who wouldn’t want you? Seeing you’re so sweet-tempered and understanding.” - Josh Lanyon
40. “The power of the sky can be made to do men's bidding. There are no limits to its secrets and its might, and it can be made to grant us anything if we but choose to ask.” - Ayn Rand
41. “The will of God, to which the law gives expression, is that men should defeat their enemies by loving them.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
42. “The the uncertainty was dispelled and the melancholy lifted as he saw a familiar stocky figure moving near one of the tents. "Halt!" he cried out gladly, and a slight pressure with his knees set Tug galloping through the deserted Gathering site. The dog, caught by surprise, barked once, then shot in pursuit like an arrow from a bow. The grim-faced Ranger straightened from the fire at the sound of his former student's voice. He stood, hands on hips and a frown on his face as Will and Tug careered toward him. But inside, there was a lightening of his heart that he never failed to feel when in Will's company. Not for the first time, the realization hit Halt that Will was no longer a mere boy. No one wore the Silver Oakleaf if he hadn't proven himself to be worthy. Despite himself, he felt a surge of pride.” - John Flanagan
43. “The Marquess shrugged. “I’m a shadow. I do know I am a shadow, Iago. I know most of the time. It’s only when I cannot bear how everyone looks at me down here that I make myself forget it. Shadows are the other side of yourself. I had longings to be good, even then. I was just stronger than my wanting. I’m stronger than anything, really, when I want to be.” The Marquess’s hair turned white as the snow. “Do you know, we’re right underneath Springtime Parish? This place is the opposite of springtime. Everything past prime, boarded up for the season. Just above us, the light shines golden on daffodils full of rainwine and heartgrass and a terrible, wicked, sad girl I can’t get back to. I don’t even know if I want to. Do I want to be her again? Or do I want to be free? I come here to think about that. To be near her and consider it. I think I shall never be free. I think I traded my freedom for a better story. It was a better story, even if the ending needed work.” - Catherynne M. Valente
44. “When to people tell the same lie...""They are working together," Will finished” - Cassandra Clare
45. “You're ruining that book!" He pointed to the page I'd torn out. "That's a perfectly good book!" Holding his gaze, I reached down and ripped another page out. "I'm making roses." "Well, it's my book." "Sorry." I tore out another.” - Kate Avery Ellison
46. “Across that threshold I had been afraid to cross, things suddenly seemed so very simple. There was but a single vision, God, who was all in all; there was but one will that directed all things, God's will. I had only to see it, to discern it in every circumstance in which I found myself, and let myself be ruled by it. God is in all things, sustains all things, directs all things. To discern this in every situation and circumstance, to see His will in all things, was to accept each circumstance and situation and let oneself be borne along in perfect confidence and trust. Nothing could separate me from Him, because He was in all things. No danger could threaten me, no fear could shake me, except the fear of losing sight of Him. The future, hidden as it was, was hidden in His will and therefore acceptable to me no matter what it might bring. The past, with all its failures, was not forgotten; it remained to remind me of the weakness of human nature and the folly of putting any faith in self. But it no longer depressed me. I looked no longer to self to guide me, relied on it no longer in any way, so it could not again fail me. By renouncing, finally and completely, all control of my life and future destiny, I was relieved as a consequence of all responsibility. I was freed thereby from anxiety and worry, from every tension, and could float serenely upon the tide of God's sustaining providence in perfect peace of soul.” - Walter J. Ciszek
47. “The disciplines of physical exercise, meditation and study aren't terribly esoteric. The means to attain a capability far beyond that of the so-called ordinary person are within the reach of everyone, if their desire and their will are strong enough. I have studied science, art, religion and a hundred different philosophies. Anyone could do as much. By applying what you learn and ordering your thoughts in an intelligent manner it is possible to accomplish almost anything. Possible for an 'ordinary person.' There's a notion I'd like to see buried: the ordinary person. Ridiculous. There is no ordinary person.” - Alan Moore
48. “There is a simplicity to war. Attacking is the only secret. Dare- and the world yields. How quickly they forget that all it takes to change the course of history... is the will of a single man.” - Captain Price
49. “Tell me you’ve seen the world.Now, you’ve come back homeTell me you’ve carried me with you,That you’ve held me close.Tell me you’ve missed meOr that I’m not crazy for waiting causeOf all the butterflies that chose to stay,I’m in love with the one that got away” - Laura Miller, Butterfly Weeds
50. “How does the story really go?Does she ever cross your mind?Does she ever steal your nights?Is she still a part of you?Do you ever wish she were still by your side?And what would you do?If she walked up here tomorrow And told you that she loved you?Would you drop it all and run to her?Would you tell her you love her too?Or would you simply send her home?And tell her you’ve moved on?Tell me, Buddy, what would you do?” - Laura Miller, Butterfly Weeds
51. “We all know so goddamn well what's best for other people that it seems unnecessary we get to know them before imposing our will on them.” - Taylor Nadeau
52. “I am catastrophically in love with you.” - Cassandra Clare
53. “Croire qu’il lui appartient de dépasser sa condition et de s’orienter vers celle de surhomme, c’est oublier qu’il a du mal à tenir le coup en tant qu’homme, et qu’il n’y parvient qu’à force de tendre sa volonté, son ressort, au maximum.” - Emil Cioran
54. “Life was indeed cruel; but it was better to glorify the Will than deny it.” - john gray
55. “Then again, there’s nothing simple about Will. I think back to what he can do—bend earth, resist shading, his immense strength—and it’s glaringly inaccurate to consider him a human. But then I can’t think of him as a draki either. And this strikes me as sad. Will doesn’t belong anywhere. Not among humans. Not among draki.But he belongs with me. The conviction is still there, as senseless and dangerous as always, seeping into my bones, my heart. A fact I wouldn’t change even if I could.” - Sophie Jordan
56. “It is vain to think that any weariness, however caused, any burden, however slight, may be got rid of otherwise than by bowing the neck to the yoke of the Father's will. There can be no other rest for heart and soul than He has created. From every burden, from every anxiety, from all dread of shame or loss, even loss of love itself, that yoke will set us free.” - George MacDonald
57. “Charlotte said that if I chose, I could cease to be a Gray and take the name my mother should have had before she was married. I could be a Starkweather. I could have a true Shadowhunter name." She heard Will exhale a breath. It came out a puff of white in the cold. His eyes were blue and wide and clear, fixed on her face. He wore the expression of a man who had steeled himself to do a terrifying thing, and was carrying it through. "Of course you can have a true Shadowhunter name," Will said. "You can have mine.” - Cassandra Clare
58. “Astrology has no more useful function than this, to discover the inmost nature of a man and to bring it out into his consciousness, that he may fulfil it according to the law of light.” - Aleister Crowley
