---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Where there is no power, there is never…"
description: "\"Where there is no power, there is never any desire to do a thing; and where there is strong desire to do a thing, the power to do it is strong.\" — Wall..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a9/wallace-d-wattles-1465_desire_where-there-is-no-power-there-is-never-a_2561283.jpg"
---

#  Where there is no power, there is never any desire to do a…

![“Where there is no power, there is never any desire to do a thing; and where there is strong desire to do a thing, the power to do it is strong.” quote by Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a9/wallace-d-wattles-1465_desire_where-there-is-no-power-there-is-never-a_2561283.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a9/wallace-d-wattles-1465_desire_where-there-is-no-power-there-is-never-a_2561283.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a9/wallace-d-wattles-1465_desire_where-there-is-no-power-there-is-never-a_2561283.jpg)

> “Where there is no power, there is never any desire to do a thing; and where there is strong desire to do a thing, the power to do it is strong.”

[Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Desire and power are linked; lacking power eliminates desire, while strong desire fuels power.

**In simple terms:** Power and desire reinforce each other.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate desire to build power.

Themes

motivation empowerment psychology

Mood

inspirational thoughtful

Type

self‑help motivational

When to use this quote

- career advancement
- entrepreneurship
- personal development

Key Concepts

self‑efficacy goal setting intrinsic drive

Questions to Reflect On

- What desire could you nurture to increase your capability?
- How do you balance desire and ability?

A Different Perspective

Desire without power can lead to frustration; power without desire may be misdirected.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Power Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power-desire-357775/) [Power Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power-strong-329569/) [Strength](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strength/) [Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong/) [Strong desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong-desire/) [Thing Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-strong-1608039/)

## Related quotes

> [Where there is no power, there is never any desire to do that thing; and where there is strong desire to do a thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/where-there-is-no-power-there-is-never-any-desire-to-do-that-thing/)

[Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/)

> [“it is certain that you can do what you want to do; the desire to do it is proof that you have within you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/it-is-certain-that-you-can-do-what-you-want-to-do-the-desire-to-do-it/)

[Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/)

> [It's not a bad thing, is it, to be strong in some ways and fragile and vulnerable in others?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-garner/it-s-not-a-bad-thing-is-it-to-be-strong-in-some-ways-and-fragile-and/)

[Jennifer Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-garner/)

> [Do u know whats the hardest thing about being strong? its that nobody asks if ur ok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/13-yearold/do-u-know-whats-the-hardest-thing-about-being-strong-its-that-nobody/)

[13 Yearold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/13-yearold/)

> [I think that's one thing to have, a strong mentality and another that you have to work hard for the things that you have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-lindelof/i-think-that-s-one-thing-to-have-a-strong-mentality-and-another-that/)

[Victor Lindelof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-lindelof/)

> [Since I was 18 I was in the record industry doing my own thing, and I had to be that strong person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-macdonald/since-i-was-18-i-was-in-the-record-industry-doing-my-own-thing-and-i/)

[Amy Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-macdonald/)

> [She was without any power, because she was without any desire of command over herself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/she-was-without-any-power-because-she-was-without-any-desire-of/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [Power of will and the desire of victory, success,organize life and control it, Only when it wake up that you know what you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/power-of-will-and-the-desire-of-victory-success-organize-life-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“The power of desire is a divine. Desire to live by faith.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-power-of-desire-is-a-divine-desire-to-live-by-faith/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [The power has to be in your desire to see everyone thrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-wonder/the-power-has-to-be-in-your-desire-to-see-everyone-thrive/)

[Stevie Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-wonder/)

> [“Thought is power, as is desire, but neither is enough unless it is backed by faith, specificity, and the desire to see to it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/thought-is-power-as-is-desire-but-neither-is-enough-unless-it-is/)

[Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/)

> [People unfit for freedom - who cannot do much with it - are hungry for power. The desire for freedom is an attribute of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/people-unfit-for-freedom-who-cannot-do-much-with-it-are-hungry-for/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [I'm very close with my higher power. I have a very strong connection with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergie/i-m-very-close-with-my-higher-power-i-have-a-very-strong-connection/)

[Fergie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergie/)

> [If dreams give you power, then I'm strong enough to walk through my heart till you love me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reba-mcentire/if-dreams-give-you-power-then-i-m-strong-enough-to-walk-through-my/)

[Reba McEntire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reba-mcentire/)

> [“There is a power in living wood,” said Jojen Reed, almost as if he knew what Bran was thinking, “a power strong as fire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/there-is-a-power-in-living-wood-said-jojen-reed-almost-as-if-he-knew/)

[George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/)

## More by Wallace D. Wattles

> [Get rid of the idea that God wants you to sacrifice yourself for others, and that you can secure his favor by doing so;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/get-rid-of-the-idea-that-god-wants-you-to-sacrifice-yourself-for/)

[Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/)

> [You already have within you everything you need to turn your dreams into reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/you-already-have-within-you-everything-you-need-to-turn-your-dreams/)

[Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/)

> [Nothing was ever in any man that is not in you; no man ever had more spiritual or mental power than you can attain,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/nothing-was-ever-in-any-man-that-is-not-in-you-no-man-ever-had-more/)

[Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/)

> [You can never become a great man or woman until you have overcome anxiety, worry, and fear. It is impossible for an anxious person,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/you-can-never-become-a-great-man-or-woman-until-you-have-overcome/)

[Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/)

> [It is essential to have good tools, but it is also essential that the tools should be used in the right way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/it-is-essential-to-have-good-tools-but-it-is-also-essential-that-the/)

[Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/)

> [The more gratefully we fix our minds on the Supreme when good things come to us, the more good things we will receive, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/the-more-gratefully-we-fix-our-minds-on-the-supreme-when-good-things/)

[Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/)

> [You are not kept poor by lack in the supply of riches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/you-are-not-kept-poor-by-lack-in-the-supply-of-riches/)

[Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/)

> [Remember that poise and power are inseparably associated. The calm and balanced mind is the strong and great mind; the hurried and agitated mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/remember-that-poise-and-power-are-inseparably-associated-the-calm-and/)

[Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/)

> [It is within the power of every man to become great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/it-is-within-the-power-of-every-man-to-become-great/)

[Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/)

> [Do not wait for an opportunity to be all that you want to be; when an opportunity to be more than you are now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/do-not-wait-for-an-opportunity-to-be-all-that-you-want-to-be-when-an/)

[Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/)

> [You want to get rich in order that you may surround yourself with beautiful things, see distant lands, feed your mind, and develop your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/you-want-to-get-rich-in-order-that-you-may-surround-yourself-with/)

[Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/)

> [Wisdom is the essential basis of greatness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/wisdom-is-the-essential-basis-of-greatness/)

[Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/)

> [The human being lives, moves, and has his being in a limitless ocean of health-power, and he uses this power according to his faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/the-human-being-lives-moves-and-has-his-being-in-a-limitless-ocean-of/)

[Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/)

> [There is a thinking stuff from which all things are made, and which, in its original state, permeates, and fills the inter spaces of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/there-is-a-thinking-stuff-from-which-all-things-are-made-and-which-in/)

[Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/)

> [I will trust and not be afraid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/i-will-trust-and-not-be-afraid/)

[Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/)

[Explore all 224 Wallace D. Wattles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/)

## More Desire quotes

> [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/)

[Ted Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-martinez/)

> [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/)

[David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/)

> [I want the municipality to be a helping hand to the man with a desire of sympathy, to help the fallen when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burns/i-want-the-municipality-to-be-a-helping-hand-to-the-man-with-a-desire/)

[John Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burns/)

> [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/)

[John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/)

[Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/)

> [On the brink of being satiated, desire still appears infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/on-the-brink-of-being-satiated-desire-still-appears-infinite/)

[Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-deepest-urge-in-human-nature-is-the-desire-to-be-important/)

[John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/)

> [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

> [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/)

[Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/)

> [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/)

[Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/)

> [“from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW : She wanted him too. He could see it in the rapid rise of her breasts. He could smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emery-lee/from-the-devil-you-know-she-wanted-him-too-he-could-see-it-in-the/)

[Emery Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emery-lee/)

[Browse all 15,155 Desire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Where there is no power, there is never any desire to do a thing; and where there is strong desire to do a thing, the power to do it is strong.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Wallace D. Wattles"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/where-there-is-no-power-there-is-never-any-desire-to-do-a-thing-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Desire"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/where-there-is-no-power-there-is-never-any-desire-to-do-a-thing-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a9/wallace-d-wattles-1465_desire_where-there-is-no-power-there-is-never-a_2561283.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a9/wallace-d-wattles-1465_desire_where-there-is-no-power-there-is-never-a_2561283.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a9/wallace-d-wattles-1465_desire_where-there-is-no-power-there-is-never-a_2561283.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Where there is no power, there is never any desire to do a thing; and where there is strong desire to do a…” — Wallace D. Wattles",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Wallace D. Wattles",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Where there is no power, there...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/where-there-is-no-power-there-is-never-any-desire-to-do-a-thing-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/where-there-is-no-power-there-is-never-any-desire-to-do-a-thing-and/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
