March 29

If you sometimes feel that, despite wanting to conquer your passions, your passions get the better of you, do not conclude that you cannot conquer passion. It only proves that you were unable to do it on this occasion. A coachman does not throw away his reins just because he cannot immediately stop his horses—he keeps pulling, and the horses stop. And so should you: if you could not restrain yourself one time, continue fighting, and it will certainly be you and not your passions that will win.

1

To tune your mind to be above your inclinations—that is the meaning of temperance. One of the Church Fathers says that it is not a virtue, but the great task of virtue.

— Johnson

2

Make a habit of controlling greed, sleep, luxury and anger.

3

The one who has conquered himself is a much greater victor than the one who has won a thousand battles against a thousand people. It is better to conquer yourself than everyone in the world.

The one who has conquered other people in battle can be defeated, but the one who has conquered himself and is master of himself will remain a victor forever.

— The Dhammapada

4

To master ourselves to such an extent that we respect others as much as ourselves and treat them as we would like to be treated by them—that is what one might call the teaching of philanthropy. There is nothing higher than this.

— Confucius

5

Young man! Deny yourself the satisfaction of your desires (in entertainment, luxury, etc.), if not because you intend to completely renounce their satisfaction, then from a desire to have in sight an ever growing pleasure. Such care with respect to your vital feeling, thanks to the postponement of pleasure, will truly make you richer. The knowledge that pleasure is in your power is more fruitful and greater than the feeling of the direct satisfaction of this pleasure, because once it is satisfied, it is destroyed.

— Kant

6

Passion in the human heart is at first a cobweb, then a thick rope.

At first passion is like a stranger, then like a guest and, finally, like the master of the house.

— The Talmud

7

Every intemperance is a germ of suicide; it is an invisible stream under a house which, sooner or later, will wash away its foundation.

— John Stuart Blackie

8

Truly powerful is the one who conquers himself.

— Eastern wisdom

9

The main things I desire are to never get angry, to always speak the truth, to speak it lovingly, in such a way as to not offend anyone, to be patient with those who are impatient, to be kind with those who are judgmental, to be free from passion among the passionate. This is what my main desires consist of.

— The Dhammapada

Temperance is not achieved right away, but it can always be achieved. The life of every human being moves not towards a strengthening of passions, but towards their weakening.

Time assists your efforts and temperance.