Conquer thyself. Till thou has done this, thou art but a slave; for it is almost as well to be subjected to another’s appetite as to thine own.
—Robert Burton (1577–1640) English Scholar, Clergyman
Those who can command themselves command others.
—William Hazlitt (1778–1830) English Essayist
For every man there exists a bait which he cannot resist swallowing.
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) German Philosopher, Scholar, Writer
If you do not conquer self, you will be conquered by self.
—Napoleon Hill (1883–1970) American Author, Journalist, Attorney, Lecturer
No one who cannot master himself is worthy to rule, and only he can rule.
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) German Poet
I am, indeed, a king, because I know how to rule myself.
—Pietro Aretino (1492–1556) Italian Poet, Dramatist, Satirist
He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.
—The Holy Bible Scripture in the Christian Faith
Conscience whispers, but interest screams aloud.
—Jean Antoine Petit-Senn (1792–1870) French-Swiss Lyric Poet
Abstainer: A weak person who yields to the temptation of denying himself a pleasure.
—Ambrose Bierce (1842–1913) American Short-story Writer, Journalist
He that lays down precepts for the government of our lives and moderating our passions, obliges human nature not only in the present but in all succeeding generations.
—Seneca the Younger (Lucius Annaeus Seneca) (c.4 BCE–65 CE) Roman Stoic Philosopher, Statesman, Tragedian
It is a man’s own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.
—Buddhist Teaching
I will not be a slave to myself, for it is a perpetual, a shameful, and the most heavy of all servitudes; and this end I may gain by moderate desires.
—Seneca the Younger (Lucius Annaeus Seneca) (c.4 BCE–65 CE) Roman Stoic Philosopher, Statesman, Tragedian
Heaven is on the other side of that feeling you get when you’re sitting on the couch and you get up and make a triple-decker sandwich. It’s on the other side of that, when you don’t make the sandwich. It’s about sacrifice…. It’s about giving up the things that basically keep you from feeling. That’s what I believe, anyway. I’m always asking, “What am I going to give up next?” Because I want to feel.
—Jim Carrey (b.1962) Canadian Actor, Comedian
What man’s mind can create, man’s character can control.
—Thomas Edison (1847–1931) American Inventor, Scientist, Entrepreneur
If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins.
—Benjamin Franklin (1706–90) American Political Leader, Inventor, Diplomat
He is a fool who cannot be angry; but he is a wise man who will not.
—English Proverb
The highest possible stage in moral culture is when we recognize that we ought to control our thoughts.
—Charles Darwin (1809–82) English Naturalist
The constancy of sages is nothing but the art of locking up their agitation in their hearts.
—Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613–80) French Writer
Wouldst thou have thy flesh obey thy spirit? Then let thy spirit obey thy God. Thou must be governed, that thou may’st govern.
—Augustine of Hippo (354–430) Roman-African Christian Philosopher
Nothing makes it easier to resist temptation than a proper bringing-up, a sound set of values—and witnesses.
—Franklin P. Jones
Self-command is the main elegance.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbow’d.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Lies but the horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
—William Ernest Henley (1849–1903) English Poet, Critic, Editor
One of the most important, but one of the most difficult things for a powerful mind is, to be its own master. A pond may lie quiet in a plain; but a lake wants mountains to compass and hold it in.
—Joseph Addison (1672–1719) English Essayist, Poet, Playwright, Politician
The first attribute that characterizes the greater man from the moron is his thicker layer of inhibition.
—Martin H. Fischer
He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.
—Laozi (fl.6th Century BCE) Chinese Philosopher, Sage
Not to have control over the senses is like sailing in a rudderless ship, bound to break to pieces on coming in contact with the very first rock.
—Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869–1948) Indian Hindu Political leader
We improve ourselves by victories over ourself. There must be contests, and you must win.
—Edward Gibbon (1737–94) English Historian, Politician
If we resist our passions, it is more from their weakness than from our strength.
—Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613–80) French Writer
Govern thyself then you will be able to govern the world.
—Unknown
Without discipline, there’s no life at all.
—Katharine Hepburn (1907–2003) American Actor, TV Personality
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