Self-Command Quotes

He who cannot obey himself will be commanded. That is the nature of living creatures.

You either control your mind or it controls you.

The mind commands the body and is instantly obeyed. The mind commands itself and meets resistance. The mind commands the hand to move, and it so easy that one hardly distinguishes the order from its execution. Yet mind is mind and hand is body. The mind orders the mind to will. The recipient of the order is itself, yet it does not perform it.

I cannot trust a man to control others who cannot control himself.

Even if the last move did not succeed, the inner command says move again.

The mind commands the body, and it obeys forthwith; the mind commands itself, and is resisted. The mind commands the hand to be moved, and such readiness is there that the command is scarce to be distinguished from the obedience. Yet the mind is mind, and the hand is body. The mind commands the mind to will, and yet, though it be itself, it obeyeth not. Whence this monstrous thing? and why is it?

You will never have a greater or lesser dominion than that over yourself.

No one is free who does not lord over himself.

He that would govern others, first should be The master of himself.

Those who can command themselves command others.

The greatest power of ruling consists in the exercise of self-control.

He who reigns within himself and rules passions, desires, and fears is more than a king.

It is a fact that the majority of a man's griefs comes about through lack of self-control.

Discipline yourself, so no one else has to.

He that is master of himself will soon be master of others.

I am, indeed, a king, because I know how to rule myself.

What a searching preacher of self-command is the varying phenomenon of health.

Self-possession is the backbone of authority.

One of the very best of all earthly possessions is self-possession.

Control thy passions lest they take vengence on thee.

He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.

Who then is free? The wise man who can command himself.

He who cannot command himself should obey. And many can command themselves, but much is still lacking before they can obey themselves.

Ask counsel of him who rules himself well.

Long-term, we must begin to build our internal strengths. It isn't just skills like computer technology. It's the old-fashioned basics of self-reliance, self-motivation, self-reinforcement, self-discipline, self-command.