James Gibbons Quotes

Respect for self is the beginning of cultivating virtue in men and women.

It's very difficult to regulate yourself, and if you learn to do that, well, it starts to spill over.

For self is the lord of self, self is the refuge of self; therefore curb thyself as the merchant curbs a good horse.

It is his restraint that is honorable to a person, not their liberty.

Laws control the lesser man... Right conduct controls the greater one.

Good actions ennoble us, and we are the sons of our deeds.

Character is the impulse reined down into steady continuance.

It's absolutely true that unless you can instill discipline upon yourself, you will never be able to lead others.

Reading a novel in which all characters illustrate patience, hard work, chastity, and delayed gratification could be a pretty dull experience.

The word virtue is as useful to self-interest as the vices.

Patience is a virtue; virtue is a grace.

If you are willing to discipline yourself, the physical universe won't need to discipline you.

Discipline yourself, so no one else has to.

Knowing how bad you could be is a great encouragement to being good.

The most valuable form of discipline is the one that you impose upon yourself.

The weak-minded man is the slave of his vices and the dupe of his virtues.

I live in a kind of controlled awareness. I wouldn't call it fear, but it's an awareness. I know I have a responsibility to behave in a certain way. I'm able to do that.

My fault, my failure, is not in the passions I have, but in my lack of control of them.

I try to be a good person. I know what my downfalls are, so that's a good thing.

I've been deeply influenced by Aristotle's idea that virtue is a habit, something you practice and get better at, rather than something that comes naturally. 'The control of the appetites by right reason,' is how he defined it.

The discipline of desire is the background of character.

Patience is a virtue, and I'm learning patience. It's a tough lesson.

Little hearts, little souls give little lusts big power. Big hearts give little lusts little power.

When we, through our educational culture, through the media, through the entertainment culture, give our children the impression that human beings cannot control their passions, we are telling them, in effect, that human beings cannot be trusted with freedom.

Yes, we have the freedom to do what we please, but it only works because we don't do everything we might please - we should exercise some degree of personal, and corporate, responsibility.