Pauline Kael (1919–2001) was an influential American film critic, best known for her lively, sharply opinionated reviews in The New Yorker. She wrote extensively about movies and the experience of watching them, not primarily about self-help or motivation. No reliable source connects this wording to a particular essay, review, or book by Kael, so the attribution should be treated with caution. The opening phrase, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” is a much older proverb whose precise origin is uncertain; the rest reads like an extension of that familiar saying.
The quote’s message is that obstacles need not be the end of the story: resolve can help people find another route when the obvious one is blocked. Its second half reinforces the idea, shifting from willpower to sustained determination and the search for a path forward. That repetition may be part of its appeal. It makes the thought easy to remember and offers reassurance without promising that success will come effortlessly. Whether or not Kael said it, the line resonates because it speaks to a common experience: progress often depends less on having a perfect plan than on staying willing to adapt and continue.