No one is free who does not lord over himself.
He who reigns within himself and rules passions, desires, and fears is more than a king.
Subdue your passion or it will subdue you.
Control thy passions lest they take vengence on thee.
My fault, my failure, is not in the passions I have, but in my lack of control of them.
Ultimately, the only power to which man should aspire is that which he exercises over himself.
The way to subject all things to thyself is to subject thyself to reason; thou shalt govern many, if reason govern thee. Wouldst thou be crowned the monarch of a little world? command thyself.
...What are numbers knit By force or custom? Man who man would be, Must rule the empire of himself; in it Must be supreme, establishing his throne On vanquished will, quelling the anarchy Of hopes and fears, being himself alone.
