First, Say to Yourself What You Would Be; And Then Do What You Have to Do - Epictetus

Stop waiting for the right mood. You can do anything when you are in the mood. The problem is what you do when you are not. — Epictetus

Epictetus

Epictetus opens with a blunt challenge: if you keep waiting to “feel like it,” you hand control of your life to a passing emotion. In that pleasant surge of energy—when the mood is right—almost anyone can show courage, f...

Act not according to your desires, but according to your highest principles. — Epictetus

Epictetus

This quote draws attention to the importance of acting based on reason and reflection rather than being governed by fleeting emotions or desires. It asks us to prioritize our higher principles over short-term cravings or...

Through discipline, freedom is born. — Epictetus

Epictetus

Epictetus, a Stoic philosopher who lived as a slave before gaining his freedom, professed that real liberation arises through discipline. At first glance, this statement might seem contradictory: how can self-imposed rul...

The young man or the young woman must possess or teach himself, train himself, in infinite patience, which is to try and to try and to try until it comes right. He must train himself in ruthless intolerance. — William Faulkner

William Faulkner

At first glance, Faulkner’s statement appears severe, yet its force comes from pairing two qualities that are often treated as opposites: infinite patience and ruthless intolerance. He argues that any young person hoping...

The only discipline that lasts is self-discipline. — Bum Phillips

Bum Phillips

At its heart, Bum Phillips’s remark argues that external pressures fade, but inner restraint remains. Rules can be imposed, motivation can surge and disappear, and praise can briefly energize us; however, self-discipline...

Self-discipline is the ability to do what you should do, when you should do it. — Brian Tracy

Brian Tracy

Brian Tracy’s definition strips self-discipline down to its practical essence: not merely knowing the right thing, but doing it at the right moment. In other words, discipline is less about inspiration than about obedien...