Elvis Costello Quotes

Good habits, which bring our lower passions and appetites under automatic control, leave our natures free to explore the larger experiences of life. Too many of us divide and dissipate our energies in debating actions which should be taken for granted.

I don't think I have discipline when it comes to anything.

Don't let your will roar when your power only whispers.

Temptations, unlike opportunities, will always give you many second chances.

I am a believer in discipline; it takes a lot to do well. You need discipline for those little excursions into the chaotic that make life interesting.

The most important lesson I've learned in this business is how to say no. I have said no to a lot of temptations, and I am glad I did.

Subdue your appetites, my dears, and you've conquered human nature.

Freedom is not procured by a full enjoyment of what is desired, but by controlling the desire.

I learned to discipline myself to do things I didn't want to do.

From time to time I might push a little bit too hard and I have got to be a bit more careful.

Discipline is doing what you really don't want to do so you can do what you really want to do.

Most people want to avoid pain, and discipline is usually painful.

We say no to lots of things that would please us. I would like to punch people every now and then, but I don't. I would like to have something for free rather than pay for it. I would like to skip to the front of the line... I don't mean to brush aside the taste of meat, which is a powerful attraction. But its power is not without limit.

What makes resisting temptation difficult for many people is they don't want to discourage it completely.

It does not take much strength to do things, but it requires great strength to decide on what to do.

I will count to 10 before tweeting.

I don't have a lot of discipline.

Character is the impulse reined down into steady continuance.

Discipline is remembering what you want.

No man in the world has more courage than the man who can stop after eating one peanut.

They who overcome their desires once can overcome them always.

Instinct must be thwarted just as one prunes the branches of a tree so that it will grow better.

The hardest thing for me is restraint.

The art of living consists in knowing which impulses to obey and which must be made to obey.

Here's a rule I recommend: Never practice two vices at once.