--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Willpower should be understood to be the…" description: "\"Willpower should be understood to be the strength of the mind, which makes it capable of meeting success or failure with equanimity. It is not synonymo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab7/ramana-maharshi-915_arrested_willpower-should-be-understood-to-be-the_2145792.jpg" --- # Willpower should be understood to be the strength of the… ![“Willpower should be understood to be the strength of the mind, which makes it capable of meeting success or failure with equanimity. It is not synonymous with certain success. Why should one's attempts always be attended by success? Success breeds arrogance and man's spiritual progress is thus…” quote by Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab7/ramana-maharshi-915_arrested_willpower-should-be-understood-to-be-the_2145792.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab7/ramana-maharshi-915_arrested_willpower-should-be-understood-to-be-the_2145792.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab7/ramana-maharshi-915_arrested_willpower-should-be-understood-to-be-the_2145792.jpg) > “Willpower should be understood to be the strength of the mind, which makes it capable of meeting success or failure with equanimity. It is not synonymous with certain success. Why should one's attempts always be attended by success? Success breeds arrogance and man's spiritual progress is thus arrested. Failure, on the other hand, is beneficial, inasmuch as it opens his eyes to his limitations and prepares him to surrender himself. Self surrender is synonymous with eternal happiness.” [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Willpower is mental strength that meets outcomes with equanimity; success isn’t guaranteed and can foster arrogance, while failure teaches humility and leads to self‑surrender and lasting happiness. **In simple terms:** Willpower meets outcomes calmly; failure teaches humility. Key Takeaway Embrace failure as a teacher. Themes humility self‑surrender spiritual growth Mood contemplative serene Type spiritual philosophical When to use this quote - meditation practice - life setbacks - career challenges - personal setbacks Key Concepts mindfulness non‑attachment inner peace Questions to Reflect On - What lessons have you learned from failure? - How can you practice surrender without losing agency? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on willpower can cause rigidity; flexibility is also needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arrogance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogance/) [Discipline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline/) [Equanimity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equanimity/) [Eternal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternal/) [Eternal happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternal-happiness/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Limitation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limitation/) [Meetings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meetings/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride/) [Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [Spiritual progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual-progress/) [Strength](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strength/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Success or failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success-or-failure/) [Surrender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surrender/) [Willpower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/willpower/) ## Related quotes > [The 'I' casts off the illusion of the 'I' and yet remains 'I'. 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I'd been an organizer, so many things had changed over those three years \[from 1965 till 1968\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/i-d-been-arrested-many-times-by-then-i-d-been-an-organizer-so-many/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) Browse all 480 Arrested quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Willpower should be understood to be the strength of the mind, which makes it capable of meeting success or failure with equanimity. It is not synonymous with certain success. Why should one's attempts always be attended by success? Success breeds arrogance and man's spiritual progress is thus arrested. Failure, on the other hand, is beneficial, inasmuch as it opens his eyes to his limitations and prepares him to surrender himself. 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