Mishima’s line is blunt by design: if you want to become “more than you are,” discipline is not merely helpful—it is the sole reliable mechanism. In other words, transformation is not granted by talent, desire, or inspiration alone, because those forces fluctuate. Discipline, by contrast, is repeatable; it turns intention into action even when motivation fades.
From this starting point, the quote frames growth as something forged rather than found. It implies that the self is not a fixed identity to be expressed, but a raw material to be shaped through consistent effort, and that the difference between who you are and who you could be is largely measured in what you can make yourself do repeatedly. [...]
