--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Need and struggle are what excite and…" description: "\"Need and struggle are what excite and inspire us.\" — William James" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b0/william-james-228_adversity_need-and-struggle-are-what-excite-and-in_499620.png" --- # Need and struggle are what excite and inspire us. ![“Need and struggle are what excite and inspire us.” quote by William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b0/william-james-228_adversity_need-and-struggle-are-what-excite-and-in_499620.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b0/william-james-228_adversity_need-and-struggle-are-what-excite-and-in_499620.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b0/william-james-228_adversity_need-and-struggle-are-what-excite-and-in_499620.png) > “Need and struggle are what excite and inspire us.” [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Challenges and effort stimulate inspiration and drive personal growth. **In simple terms:** Struggle fuels excitement and inspiration. Key Takeaway Embrace challenges as catalysts for growth. Themes struggle inspiration motivation growth Mood motivational energetic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career advancement - creative projects - physical training Key Concepts psychology philosophy self‑development Questions to Reflect On - How do you turn struggle into inspiration? - When does struggle become counterproductive? A Different Perspective Constant struggle may cause burnout; balance is needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adversity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adversity/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) ## Related quotes > [Need and struggle are what excite and inspire us; our hour of triumph is what brings the void.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/need-and-struggle-are-what-excite-and-inspire-us-our-hour-of-triumph/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Need and struggle are what excite and inspire us; our hour of triumph is what brings the void. Not the Jews of the captivity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/need-and-struggle-are-what-excite-and-inspire-us-our-hour-of-triumph-2/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [The labor into which a heart has poured its whole love--where will it have its say, to excite and inspire, and when?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasunari-kawabata/the-labor-into-which-a-heart-has-poured-its-whole-love-where-will-it/) [Yasunari Kawabata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasunari-kawabata/) > [I never dreamed of dancing on television or anything like that. It's more of things that come along that excite me and inspire me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-hough/i-never-dreamed-of-dancing-on-television-or-anything-like-that-it-s/) [Derek Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-hough/) > [“If you want to go to high you need to do struggle,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mallo/if-you-want-to-go-to-high-you-need-to-do-struggle/) Mallo > [You can tell people of the need to struggle, but when the powerless start to see that they really can make a difference, nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leymah-gbowee/you-can-tell-people-of-the-need-to-struggle-but-when-the-powerless/) [Leymah Gbowee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leymah-gbowee/) > [I still occasionally need to struggle but I now fear it less. The weapons I fight it with are also my consolations: books, music,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-still-occasionally-need-to-struggle-but-i-now-fear-it-less-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If I could turn it on like a faucet then I think it would be kind of unearned. I feel like you need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porter-robinson/if-i-could-turn-it-on-like-a-faucet-then-i-think-it-would-be-kind-of/) [Porter Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/porter-robinson/) > [Philosophy is at once the most sublime and the most trivial of human pursuits. It works in the minutest crannies and it opens outthe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/philosophy-is-at-once-the-most-sublime-and-the-most-trivial-of-human/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [“When you encounter obstacles, don’t turn your back on them. Face them, confront them and your will see them dissolving in front of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roopleen/when-you-encounter-obstacles-don-t-turn-your-back-on-them-face-them/) Roopleen > [“As you travel along the roads in life, there is a certain kind of peace that comes with knowing you're on the right path.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amaka-nkosazana/as-you-travel-along-the-roads-in-life-there-is-a-certain-kind-of/) [Amaka Nkosazana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amaka-nkosazana/) > [“Do not Speak for Anyone. Just let them know their Right to Speak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vineet-raj-kapoor/do-not-speak-for-anyone-just-let-them-know-their-right-to-speak/) [Vineet Raj Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vineet-raj-kapoor/) > [“Struggles are not associated to a particular people or creed, everyone struggles, not for the same reasons, but each has a personal struggle at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-chirisa/struggles-are-not-associated-to-a-particular-people-or-creed-everyone/) [Wayne Chirisa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-chirisa/) > [When everything feels like an uphill struggle, just think of the view from the top.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-everything-feels-like-an-uphill-struggle-just-think-of-the-view/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When we have public success we also have private struggles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deion-sanders/when-we-have-public-success-we-also-have-private-struggles/) [Deion Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deion-sanders/) ## More by William James > [Effort is the one strictly undervalued and original contribution we make to this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/effort-is-the-one-strictly-undervalued-and-original-contribution-we/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [We are all potentially such sick men. The sanest and best of us are of one clay with lunatics and prison-inmates. And whenever we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/we-are-all-potentially-such-sick-men-the-sanest-and-best-of-us-are-of/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [In the dim background of our mind we know meanwhile what we ought to be doing: getting up, dressing ourselves, answering the person who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/in-the-dim-background-of-our-mind-we-know-meanwhile-what-we-ought-to/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [“Our minds thus grow in spots; and like grease-spots, the spots spread. But we let them spread as little as possible: we keep unaltered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/our-minds-thus-grow-in-spots-and-like-grease-spots-the-spots-spread/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Circumstance does not make me, it reveals me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/circumstance-does-not-make-me-it-reveals-me/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > ['Facts' are the bounds of human knowledge, set for it, not by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/facts-are-the-bounds-of-human-knowledge-set-for-it-not-by-it/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Woe to him whose beliefs play fast and loose with the order which realities follow in his experience; they will lead him nowhere or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/woe-to-him-whose-beliefs-play-fast-and-loose-with-the-order-which/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [We never fully grasp the import of any true statement until we have a clear notion of what the opposite untrue statement would be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/we-never-fully-grasp-the-import-of-any-true-statement-until-we-have-a/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [It is your friends who make your world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/it-is-your-friends-who-make-your-world/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/human-beings-can-alter-their-lives-by-altering-their-attitudes-of-mind/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Most people, probably, are in doubt about certain matters ascribed to their past. They may have seen them, may have said them, done them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/most-people-probably-are-in-doubt-about-certain-matters-ascribed-to/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [“How soon, indeed, are human things forgotten! As we meet here this morning, the Southern sun is shining on their place of burial, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/how-soon-indeed-are-human-things-forgotten-as-we-meet-here-this/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [There can be no difference anywhere that does not make a difference somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/there-can-be-no-difference-anywhere-that-does-not-make-a-difference/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [It is wrong always, everywhere, and for everyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/it-is-wrong-always-everywhere-and-for-everyone-to-believe-anything/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [The pragmatist turns away from abstraction and insufficiency, from verbal solutions, from bad a priori reasons, from fixed principles, closed systems, and pretended absolutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-pragmatist-turns-away-from-abstraction-and-insufficiency-from/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) [Explore all 854 William James quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) ## More Adversity quotes > [We love playing together and we love adversity. You know, back-to-back, the two best teams in the East.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-nash/we-love-playing-together-and-we-love-adversity-you-know-back-to-back/) [Steve Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-nash/) > [When we have public success we also have private struggles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deion-sanders/when-we-have-public-success-we-also-have-private-struggles/) [Deion Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deion-sanders/) > [“The threats that resurfaced in the past 10 years were not an aberration. Al Qaeda and terrorism or one such threat, but it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/the-threats-that-resurfaced-in-the-past-10-years-were-not-an/) [George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/) > [He who is content with what has been done is an obstacle in the path of progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/he-who-is-content-with-what-has-been-done-is-an-obstacle-in-the-path/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [“Friction is necessary. Ease of life leads to complacency and the atrophy of the human will and spirit. Within our struggles lives our strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-versey/friction-is-necessary-ease-of-life-leads-to-complacency-and-the/) [Jason Versey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-versey/) > [“Every adversity is just another opportunity to excel a little more.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/every-adversity-is-just-another-opportunity-to-excel-a-little-more/) [Michel Templet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/) > [“Just because she doesn't talk about it, doesn't mean she isn't feeling it. She hurts, but she won't wear it on her sleeve. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfa-h/just-because-she-doesn-t-talk-about-it-doesn-t-mean-she-isn-t-feeling/) [Alfa H](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfa-h/) > [Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buckham-kennedy/every-trial-endured-and-weathered-in-the-right-spirit-makes-a-soul/) James Buckham Kennedy > [Honesty, by evil fortune tried, Finds in adversity the seed of praise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/honesty-by-evil-fortune-tried-finds-in-adversity-the-seed-of-praise/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [“Struggles are not associated to a particular people or creed, everyone struggles, not for the same reasons, but each has a personal struggle at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-chirisa/struggles-are-not-associated-to-a-particular-people-or-creed-everyone/) [Wayne Chirisa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-chirisa/) > [“Watch a man in times of adversity to discover what kind of man he is; for then at last words of truth are drawn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/watch-a-man-in-times-of-adversity-to-discover-what-kind-of-man-he-is/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [God often hides His blessing in trouble or trial, which makes it all the sweeter when it comes our way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/god-often-hides-his-blessing-in-trouble-or-trial-which-makes-it-all/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [“Life is not about less mistakes but about more trials”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-sever/life-is-not-about-less-mistakes-but-about-more-trials/) S.E. SEVER > [Show your contempt for the problem and your concern for the person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/show-your-contempt-for-the-problem-and-your-concern-for-the-person/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [When everything feels like an uphill struggle, just think of the view from the top.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-everything-feels-like-an-uphill-struggle-just-think-of-the-view/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 5,001 Adversity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adversity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Need and struggle are what excite and inspire us.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William James" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/need-and-struggle-are-what-excite-and-inspire-us/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adversity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/need-and-struggle-are-what-excite-and-inspire-us/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b0/william-james-228_adversity_need-and-struggle-are-what-excite-and-in_499620.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b0/william-james-228_adversity_need-and-struggle-are-what-excite-and-in_499620.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b0/william-james-228_adversity_need-and-struggle-are-what-excite-and-in_499620.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Need and struggle are what excite and inspire us.” — William James", "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": "William James", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Need and struggle are what excite...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/need-and-struggle-are-what-excite-and-inspire-us/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/need-and-struggle-are-what-excite-and-inspire-us/#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 } } ] } ```