ProverbPerseveranceEnglish origin1640

Where there's a will, there's a way

Meaning: Determination will help you find a solution.

Example: “He learned to walk again; where there's a will, there's a way.”

Origin: The idea was already proverbial in the 17th century: George Herbert's collection Outlandish Proverbs (1640) gives it as "To him that will, ways are not wanting." The brisker modern wording took over in the 19th century. It is a close cousin of "Nothing is impossible to a willing heart."

Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, German, Italian, and 3 more languages

  • French: Vouloir, c'est pouvoir (literally: To want is to be able)
  • Spanish: Querer es poder (literally: To want is to be able)
  • Japanese: 意志あるところに道は開ける (Ishi aru tokoro ni michi wa hirakeru) (literally: Where there is will, a path opens)
  • German: Wo ein Wille ist, ist auch ein Weg (literally: Where there is a will, there is also a way)
  • Italian: A chi vuole, non mancano modi (literally: To one who wants, ways are not lacking)
  • Portuguese: Querer é poder (literally: To want is to be able)
  • Polish: Dla chcącego nic trudnego (literally: For one who wants, nothing is hard)
  • Chinese: 有志者事竟成 (Yǒu zhì zhě shì jìng chéng) (literally: One who has the will succeeds in the end)

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