Huston Smith Quotes

Man's highest merit always is, as much as possible, to rule external circumstances and as little as possible to let himself be ruled by them.

I thought The Limits of Control could be interpreted in two ways: as the limits of one's self-control; and as the limits of allowing other people's control over one's - consciousness - which I kind of thought was a double meaning that was appropriate.

You can learn not to want what you want, to recognize desires but not be controlled by them.

Only the disciplined ones in life are free. If you are undisciplined, you are a slave to your moods and your passions.

A man's reaction to his appetites and impulses when they are roused gives the measure of that man's character. In these reactions are revealed the man's power to govern or his forced servility to yield.

The most dangerous thing you can do is to take any one impulse of your own nature and set it up as the thing you ought to follow at all costs.

Do whatever you will, but first be such as are able to will.

Behaviors are a choice. Feelings are sometimes out of our control. Behavior has to do with choices.

The secret of success is learning how to use pain and pleasure instead of having pain and pleasure use you. If you do that, you're in control of your life. If you don't, life controls you.

Who is wise? He that learns from everyone. Who is powerful? He that governs his passions. Who is rich? He that is content. Who is that? Nobody.

Temper is a weapon that we hold by the blade.

Without self knowledge, without understanding the working and functions of his machine, man cannot be free, he cannot govern himself and he will always remain a slave.

A little kingdom I possess, where thoughts and feelings dwell; And very hard the task I find of governing it well.

Of my own spirit let me be in sole though feeble mastery.

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

Control thy passions lest they take vengence on thee.

When a man is a prey to his emotions, he is not his own master, but lies at the mercy of fortune: so much so, that he is often compelled, while seeing that which is better for him, to follow that which is worse.

Heaven has given to every human being the power of controlling his passions, and if he neglects or loses it, the fault is his own, and he must be answerable for it.

I wasn't blessed with the natural ability to rein myself in.

Discipline yourself. Be conscious of what you think, and what you like. What gets you mad? What gets you in your feelings? Figure that stuff out and take control of it so nobody else can control you.

You have two choices: to control your mind or to let your mind control you.

Control your own mind, and you may never be controlled by the mind of another.

Self-control might be as passionate and as active as the surrender to passion.

When we are foolish, we want to conquer the world. When we are wise, we want to conquer ourselves. That begins when we do what we should no matter how we feel about it.

What the expression is intended to mean, I think, is that there is a better and a worse element in the character of each individual, and that when the naturally better element controls the worse then the man is said to be "master of himself", as a term of praise. But when - as a result of bad upbringing or bad company one s better element is overpowered by the numerical superiority of one s worse impulses, then one is criticized for not being master of oneself and for lack of self control.