In the Children’s Book Frog & Toad Together, two central characters discover the limits of mere trying when Frog bakes a batch of cookies. “We ought to stop eating,” they say, as they keep eating. “We must stop,” they resolve, as they eat some more. “We need willpower,” Frog finally says, grabbing another cookie.
“What is willpower?” asks Toad, swallowing another mouthful. “Willpower is trying very hard not to do something you want to do very much,” Frog says.
Frog discusses a variety of ways to help with willpower—putting the cookies in a box, tying the box shut, putting it high up in a tree—but each time Toad points out (in between bites) that they could climb the tree and untie the box. In desperation, Frog finally dumps the remaining cookies outside on the ground: “Hey, birds!” he calls, “Here’s cookies!”
“Now we have no more cookies,” says Toad sadly.
“Yes,” says Frog, “but we have lots and lots of willpower.”
“You may keep it all,” Toad replies. “I’m going home to bake a cake.”
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