volitional control Quotes

The mind commands the body, and it obeys forthwith; the mind commands itself, and is resisted. The mind commands the hand to be moved, and such readiness is there that the command is scarce to be distinguished from the obedience. Yet the mind is mind, and the hand is body. The mind commands the mind to will, and yet, though it be itself, it obeyeth not. Whence this monstrous thing? and why is it?

Every action, thought, and feeling is motivated by an intention, and that intention is a cause that exists as one with an effect In this most profound way, we are held responsible for every action, thought, and feeling, which is to say, for our every intention.

Volition . . . takes place only when there are a number of conflicting systems of ideas, and depends on our having a complex field of consciousness.

Self-control is one of the most exhilarating of pleasures.

The last of the human freedoms — to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.

This is what consciousness does: it sets the goals, and the rest of the system learns how to meet them.

I think people do have their own minds.

The conclusion is straightforward : self-control requires attention and effort.

The human mind is impelled to action, or held in rest by some power, over which the mind itself has no control.