Will‑Power and Work (1921) by Jules Payot
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| Jules Payot |
INTRODUCTION BY THE TRANSLATOR
Most of us feel occasional pangs of regret for how little we truly know. Only the overly‑self‑confident are exempt; they are certain they understand nearly every topic, and believe they can master any subject within an hour. Thankfully for human progress, these arrogant “know‑alls” are few.
The vast majority of people, by contrast, doubt their own knowledge. They grieve over wasted past chances to learn, and see almost no new opportunities ahead. Making a living drains all their energy; daily work routine deadens their curiosity, leaving them craving nothing more than simple entertainment. Even those distractions eventually grow stale, until they resign themselves to endless, joyless drudgery.
They try to stay healthy and save for old age, whether they are bosses or workers. Still, their minds and lives remain disorganized, for they have never grasped the secret to true happiness: to love, rather than resent, their work.
“Work?” they reply. “That is exactly our problem — we have far too much of it.”
What they actually suffer from is routine, monotonous drudgery — whether in labour or leisure. They have not learned that changing up one’s mental pursuits nourishes the mind just as a varied diet nourishes the body. Many carefully tend to their physical health…
" The Education of the Will" , turning his attention to the special difficulty of sustained intellectual labour.
He argues that great intellectual achievement depends far more on trained willpower, habit, and disciplined concentration than on raw natural talent.
He breaks down common obstacles: listlessness, daydreaming, boredom, mental exhaustion, and the temptation to pretend to study without real mental effort. He lays out step‑by‑step methods for structuring your workday, forcing your mind back to focus, conserving mental energy, and building long‑term productive habits.
As with Payot’s other writings, this is a historical self‑improvement text; readers should note that many of the psychological ideas come from early‑1900s thought and are not a substitute for modern mental‑health or productivity guides.
Will‑Power and Work (1921) – Jules Payot
Author: Jules Payot
Translator: Richard Duffy
Publisher: Funk & Wagnalls Company, New York & London
Published: 1921
Genre: Vintage Productivity / Study Psychology / Self‑Improvement
✅ Public‑domain original 1921 Funk & Wagnalls edition. ⚠️ Modern reprinted editions with newly added editorial material are copyrighted and are NOT the edition shared on this page.