Finally, Eastwood defines “real power” in a way that contrasts with the usual idea of dominance. Power here is not control over others, but control over yourself: the capacity to choose your actions even when impulses pull the other way. This echoes older philosophical themes, such as Aristotle’s discussion of temperance and self-command in the Nicomachean Ethics (4th century BC), where character is built through practiced choice.
In that light, the quote closes as a blueprint: honor your effort, develop discipline from that respect, and you gain a form of power that can’t be taken by changing trends, public opinion, or external setbacks. [...]
