Many people think they want things, but they don't really have

The words of Sophia Loren shine with the hard-won wisdom of one who carved her destiny from struggle: “Many people think they want things, but they don’t really have the strength, the discipline. They are weak. I believe that you get what you want if you want it badly enough.” In these words lies a truth as old as human striving—that desire alone is not enough. Dreams without labor are like seeds left on dry soil. It is strength of will and the discipline of action that bring fruit to desire.

For many speak of what they want: wealth, fame, knowledge, love. But their hearts faint when hardship rises, their resolve falters when the road grows steep. Desire is easy; endurance is rare. Loren, born in poverty in wartime Italy, knew this deeply. She desired more than survival—she desired to rise, to create, to live fully. But she learned early that to reach such heights, one must not only dream but suffer, sacrifice, and stand steadfast when others fall away. Discipline transforms longing into reality; without it, longing is only illusion.

The ancients also knew this truth. Consider the tale of Hannibal Barca, who swore as a boy to fight Rome. His desire was no idle wish; he marched armies through the Alps, enduring cold, hunger, and death, all to fulfill the vow of his youth. Whether one calls him hero or enemy, his life testifies to this: only those who want something with unyielding fire, and who bear the pain to pursue it, ever see it made real. Desire without strength is but wind; desire with discipline becomes destiny.

History gives us another mirror in Thomas Edison, who sought to bring light into the darkness of the world. Thousands of times his experiments failed, wires melted, bulbs shattered, and critics mocked. A lesser man would have said, “I want this,” and then surrendered. But Edison wanted it badly enough to endure every failure. He declared, “I have not failed, I’ve just found ten thousand ways that won’t work.” That persistence—discipline married to desire—turned darkness into light for all mankind.

The deeper meaning of Loren’s words is that desire is a test of the soul. If you want something, you will show it not in words but in action. The weak will speak and stop; the strong will endure until their desire is won. Thus, life itself separates dreamers from doers—not by chance, but by the fire of discipline. In this, Loren speaks with the voice of those who have risen from nothing to greatness: she reminds us that victory is not given, but earned through toil and the strength to persist when others abandon hope.

The lesson for us is this: when you say you want something, ask yourself—do I want it enough to suffer for it? Do I want it enough to be patient, to be disciplined, to rise again after every fall? If not, then it is not truly your desire, but only a passing fancy. True desire burns through every obstacle until it finds fulfillment. Measure your wants not by how they feel in comfort, but by how you cling to them in hardship.

Practical action lies before you. Choose one goal, one desire of your heart, and discipline yourself for it. Rise early when sleep tempts you, work when laziness whispers, endure when failure mocks you. Strengthen your body, but more importantly, strengthen your will. In every act of discipline, you declare to the universe that you want it enough. And in time, as Loren said, the world itself will yield to your persistence.

So let Sophia Loren’s words endure as a torch: strength and discipline are the companions of true desire, and only those who embrace them will see their dreams take form. Many will speak of what they want, but only the steadfast will achieve it. Desire greatly, endure deeply, discipline yourself daily—and in the end, what you long for will be yours.