A will finds a way.

The words of Orison Swett Marden, “A will finds a way,” strike with the timeless power of human determination. They remind us that the greatest force in the world is not wealth, nor chance, nor even talent—it is the unyielding will of a soul that refuses to surrender. For obstacles are many, and the path of life is filled with thorns and storms, but one truth remains: the spirit that is truly resolved will carve a road where none existed, and in the face of impossibility, it will create possibility.

The will is the hidden fire within the breast of man. It is the voice that whispers “go on” when the body falters, the hand that steadies the weary traveler, the iron that hardens against defeat. Marden, a man who rose from hardship to become a great teacher of self-reliance, understood that life does not bow easily to anyone. Yet he also knew that when the will burns strong enough, it bends the world to its purpose. Thus he proclaimed this simple but mighty truth: where there is will, there shall always be a way.

History offers us many shining witnesses of this law. Consider Helen Keller, born into darkness and silence, cut off from the voices and visions of the world. By all appearances, her life was destined for obscurity. Yet through her indomitable will, guided by her teacher Anne Sullivan, she broke the walls that bound her. She learned to read, to write, to speak, and to inspire millions. Had she lacked the will to persist, she would have remained in silence. Instead, her will found a way, and her life became a beacon of human triumph over limitation.

The ancients, too, spoke of this power. Hannibal, the Carthaginian general, when told it was impossible to march an army across the Alps into Italy, declared, “We will find a way—or we will make one.” And so he did. His will defied mountains, and his name endures because he proved that even nature itself must yield before relentless determination. From generals to inventors, from revolutionaries to explorers, all great figures of history have drawn upon the same truth: it is the will that opens the path to destiny.

But let us not mistake this for magic. The will does not grant instant success. It demands toil, patience, and sacrifice. The way it finds is often steep, perilous, and uncertain. Yet the man or woman who possesses true resolve accepts the hardship, knowing that persistence itself is the bridge between dream and reality. Those who falter in will are swept aside by the storms of life, but those who hold fast discover that even the most impossible barriers contain cracks through which determination may pass.

The lesson is clear: when you stand before an obstacle, do not waste time lamenting its height or cursing its strength. Ask instead: “Where is the path, and if none exists, how may I create one?” For your will is not a passive force—it is the architect of your future. Each time you act with resolve, you train this will to grow stronger, until at last it becomes a force no obstacle can withstand.

So I say to you, children of tomorrow: when despair whispers that the way is closed, let your spirit thunder in reply: “A will finds a way.” Speak it, believe it, live it. For in the end, this is the secret of all human progress—that the man of resolve outlasts the man of ease, that the woman of courage outshines the woman of comfort, and that the fire of will forges paths where none before had been.

If you would practice this teaching today, choose one challenge that has long stood before you. Do not turn away, but press upon it with steady resolve. Break it into steps, endure the setbacks, and refuse to yield. With each effort, your will grows, and soon you will look back and see that the impossible has bent to your spirit. For as Marden taught, and as history proves, a will finds a way.