Will vs. Mind — What's the Difference?

Will is often associated with the concept of free will.

It includes all cognitive functions such as reasoning and memory.

Will is crucial for motivation.

The mind is studied in psychology and neuroscience.

It involves the mental effort of decision-making.

The mind's complexity is a subject of continuous research.

Will is the capacity to choose and direct actions according to one's desires and goals.

The mind is the center of thought, consciousness, and perception.

It encompasses determination and self-discipline.

It is responsible for processing emotions and feelings.

The mental faculty by which one deliberately chooses or decides upon a course of action

The faculty of a human or other animal by which it thinks, perceives, feels, remembers, or desires

Diligent purposefulness; determination

The mind is the set of faculties responsible for mental phenomena. Often the term is also identified with the phenomena themselves.

Self-control; self-discipline

A person of great mental ability

A desire, purpose, or determination, especially of one in authority

Individual consciousness, memory, or recollection

Deliberate intention or wish

Opinion or sentiment

Free discretion; inclination or pleasure

Desire or inclination

Bearing or attitude toward others; disposition

Focus of thought; attention

A legally executed document containing this declaration.

A healthy mental state; sanity

To decide on or intend

The thought processes characteristic of a person or group; psychological makeup

To yearn for; desire

(Philosophy) The phenomena of intelligence, cognition, or consciousness, regarded as a material or immaterial aspect of reality.

To decree, dictate, or order

To pay attention to

To induce or try to induce by sheer force of will

To be careful about

To grant in a legal will; bequeath

To heed in order to obey

To order to direct in a legal will

To take care or charge of; look after

To exercise the will.

The capability for rational thought.

To make a choice; choose

The ability to be aware of things.

To wish; desire

The ability to remember things.

(auxiliary) Used to express the future tense, sometimes with some implication of volition when used in the first person. Compare shall.

The ability to focus the thoughts.

(auxiliary) To be able to, to have the capacity to.

Somebody that embodies certain mental qualities.

(auxiliary) Expressing a present tense with some conditional or subjective weakening: "will turn out to", "must by inference".

Judgment, opinion, or view.

(auxiliary) To habitually do (a given action).

Desire, inclination, or intention.

(auxiliary) To choose or agree to (do something); used to express intention but without any temporal connotations (+ bare infinitive), often in questions and negation.

A healthy mental state.

To wish, desire (something).

(philosophy) The non-material substance or set of processes in which consciousness, perception, affectivity, judgement, thinking, and will are based.

To wish or desire (that something happen); to intend (that).

(uncountable) Attention, consideration or thought.

(archaic) Implying will go.

To bring or recall to mind; to remember; bear or keep in mind.

To instruct (that something be done) in one's will.

To remember.

(transitive) To bequeath (something) to someone in one's will (legal document).

To remind; put one's mind on.

(transitive) To exert one's force of will (intention) in order to compel, or attempt to compel, something to happen or someone to do something.

To turn one's mind to; to observe; to notice.

One's independent faculty of choice; the ability to be able to exercise one's choice or intention.

To regard with attention; to treat as of consequence.

The act of choosing to do something; a person’s conscious intent or volition.

To pay attention or heed to so as to obey; hence to obey; to make sure, to take care (that).

One's intention or decision; someone's orders or commands.

To pay attention to, in the sense of occupying one's mind with, to heed.

Firmity of purpose, fixity of intent

To look after, to take care of, especially for a short period of time.

(archaic) That which is desired; one's wish.

To be careful about.

(archaic) Desire, longing. (Now generally merged with later senses.)

To purpose, intend, plan.

The power of choosing; the faculty or endowment of the soul by which it is capable of choosing; the faculty or power of the mind by which we decide to do or not to do; the power or faculty of preferring or selecting one of two or more objects.

Take note; used to point out an exception or caveat.

The choice which is made; a determination or preference which results from the act or exercise of the power of choice; a volition.

(originally and chiefly in negative or interrogative constructions) To dislike, to object to; to be bothered by.

The choice or determination of one who has authority; a decree; a command; discretionary pleasure.

The intellectual or rational faculty in man; the understanding; the intellect; the power that conceives, judges, or reasons; also, the entire spiritual nature; the soul; - often in distinction from the body.

Strong wish or inclination; desire; purpose.

The state, at any given time, of the faculties of thinking, willing, choosing, and the like; psychical activity or state;

That which is strongly wished or desired.

Choice; inclination; liking; intent; will.

Arbitrary disposal; power to control, dispose, or determine.

Memory; remembrance; recollection; as, to have or keep in mind, to call to mind, to put in mind, etc.

To wish; to desire; to incline to have.

Courage; spirit.

As an auxiliary, will is used to denote futurity dependent on the verb. Thus, in first person, "I will" denotes willingness, consent, promise; and when "will" is emphasized, it denotes determination or fixed purpose; as, I will go if you wish; I will go at all hazards. In the second and third persons, the idea of distinct volition, wish, or purpose is evanescent, and simple certainty is appropriately expressed; as, "You will go," or "He will go," describes a future event as a fact only. To emphasize will denotes (according to the tone or context) certain futurity or fixed determination.

To fix the mind or thoughts on; to regard with attention; to treat as of consequence; to consider; to heed; to mark; to note.

To be willing; to be inclined or disposed; to be pleased; to wish; to desire.

To occupy one's self with; to employ one's self about; to attend to; as, to mind one's business.

To form a distinct volition of; to determine by an act of choice; to ordain; to decree.

To obey; as, to mind parents; the dog minds his master.

To enjoin or command, as that which is determined by an act of volition; to direct; to order.

To have in mind; to purpose.

To give or direct the disposal of by testament; to bequeath; to devise; as, to will one's estate to a child; also, to order or direct by testament; as, he willed that his nephew should have his watch.

To put in mind; to remind.

To exercise an act of volition; to choose; to decide; to determine; to decree.

To give attention or heed; to obey; as, the dog minds well.

The capability of conscious choice and decision and intention;

That which is responsible for one's thoughts and feelings; the seat of the faculty of reason;

A fixed and persistent intent or purpose;

Recall or remembrance;

A legal document declaring a person's wishes regarding the disposal of their property when they die

An opinion formed by judging something;

Decree or ordain;

An important intellectual;

Have in mind;

Attention;

Determine by choice;

Your intention; what you intend to do;

Knowledge and intellectual ability;

Be offended or bothered by; take offense with, be bothered by;

Be concerned with or about something or somebody

Be in charge of or deal with;

Pay close attention to; give heed to;

Be on one's guard; be cautious or wary about; be alert to;

Keep in mind

Yes, the will can direct the mind towards specific goals or actions, influencing mental states and decisions.

The mind encompasses all mental processes, including thought, consciousness, perception, and emotion.

Will is a component of the mind, specifically related to the aspects of decision-making and intention.

Yes, like a muscle, willpower can be strengthened with practice and exercises focused on self-control and discipline.

The will plays a significant role in personal development, enabling individuals to overcome obstacles and achieve personal goals.

Will refers to the faculty of making conscious choices, often associated with determination and self-discipline.

While the mind is closely linked to brain activity, debates continue about whether it can be fully explained by physical processes alone.

The will is crucial for motivation, enabling individuals to pursue goals through deliberate actions and choices.

Understanding the mind aids in comprehending behavior, mental health, and cognitive processes, facilitating better psychological treatments and insights.

Emotions can significantly influence the mind's cognitive processes and the will's decision-making capabilities, impacting behavior and thought patterns.

Free will is the concept that individuals have the freedom to make choices that are not predetermined by external circumstances or internal compulsions.

Cognitive scientists study the mind through interdisciplinary approaches, combining psychology, neuroscience, and computational models to understand mental processes.

Consciousness is the state of being aware of and able to think, a feature of the mind, which also includes unconscious processes.

Studying the mind is essential for understanding human behavior, mental health, and the nature of consciousness.

Philosophers examine the will in the context of free will, ethics, and human agency, exploring its implications for morality and decision-making.