Ella Wheeler Wilcox Quotes

… the truth in the power of the wish

Sometimes I just survive. But sometimes I stand on the rooftop of my existence, arms stretched out, begging for more.

A general philosophy of the female characters in my films is they all want something to believe in, and not having anything.

When we begin to desire a thing, to yearn for it with all our hearts, we begin to establish relationship with it in proportion to the strength and persistency of our longing and intelligent effort to realize it.

Desire creates its own object.

It is natural to want to have a future.

It seems to me we can never give up longing and wishing while we are thoroughly alive. There are certain things we feel to be beautiful and good, and we must hunger after them.

Is there anything better than to be longing for something, when you know it is within reach?

Be careful what you set your heart upon - for it will surely be yours.

If you desire something, you don't have it. It is more interesting than enjoyment, because enjoyment erases the mysteries and the vision of desire. Desire opens up possibilities but never achieves anything, whereas enjoyment is just the brutal achievement of something - and after that, it's done.

No soul that aspires can ever fail to rise; no heart that loves can ever be abandoned. Difficulties exist only that in overcoming them we may grow strong, and they who have suffered are able to save.

Always remember that your present situation is not your final destination. The best is yet to come.

expectation isn't the same as desire

But tomorrow I see a change, a chance to build anew, built on Spirit, intent of heart, and ideas based on truth. Tomorrow I wake with second wind and strong ideas of pride. I know I fought with all my heart to keep the dream alive.

The very purpose of our life is happiness, which is sustained by hope. We have no guarantee about the future, but we exist in the hope of something better. Hope means keeping going, thinking, ‘I can do this.’ It brings inner strength, self-confidence , the ability to do what you do honestly, truthfully and transparently.

Look to see what you most desire in your life, then ride that feeling all the way to creation.

To hope for Paradise is to live in Paradise, a very different thing from actually getting there.

Hope is wanting something so eagerly that-in spite of all the evidence that you're not going to get it-you go right on wanting it.

Oh, must we dream our dreams and have them, too?

You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need.

All hope is prayer; who calls it hope no more, Sends prayer footsore forth over weary wastes, While he who calls it prayer, gives wings to hope.

It may take months or years for a wish to come true, but it's far more likely to happen when you care so much about a wish that you'll do all you can to make it happen.

The great thing to remember is we can do whatever we wish to do provided our wish is strong enough.

Between the wish and the thing the world lies waiting.

An aspiration is a joy forever, a possession as solid as a landed estate.