70 Self-Control Quotes To Gain Self-Mastery

By Maxime Lagacé

Maxime is the founder of WisdomQuotes. He has been collecting quotes since 2004. His goal? To help you develop a calm and peaceful mind. Learn more about him on his about page.

self control quotes gain mastery wisdom
Here are 80 of the best self-control quotes I’ve collected.

Why did I collect them?

Because self-control is a key psychological trait for your success.

Indeed, people with self-control have (1)

  • Better health
  • Better careers
  • Better finances
  • Better relationships

So if you can have love AND self-control, you’ll have a meaningful and fulfilling life.

You’ll have a life you’re proud of.

Not succumbing to every temptation.

I hope you’ll use and love the quotes as much as I did.

You’ll discover sayings from Lao Tzu, Marcus Aurelius, Buddha, and more.

Enjoy!
self control quotes far your goes freedom marie ebner wisdom

As far as your self-control goes, as far goes your freedom. Marie Ebner

Prudent, cautious self-control is wisdom’s root. Robert Burns

Desires are a prison if you succumb to all of them. Maxime Lagacé

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

No man is fit to command another that cannot command himself. William Penn

The discipline of desire is the backbone of character. Will Durant

Freedom is not procured by a full enjoyment of what is desired, but by controlling the desire. Epictetus

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

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self control quotes every act leads self respect abraham low wisdom

Every act of self-control leads to a sense of self-respect. Abraham Low

It is a question whether the great majority of people do not ruin their lives and mar their happiness by lack of self-control. James Allen

The highest possible stage in moral culture is when we recognize that we ought to control our own thoughts. Charles Darwin

You can have neither a greater nor a less dominion than over yourself. Leonardo da Vinci

Educate your children to self-control, to the habit of holding passion and prejudice and evil tendencies subject to an upright and reasoning will, and you have done much to abolish misery from their future and crimes from society. Tyron Edwards

Self-control, in every station and to every individual, is indispensable, if people would retain that equanimity of mind, which, depending on self-respect, is the essential of contentment and happiness. Sarah Josepha Hale

No man is such a conqueror as the man who has defeated himself. Henry Ward Beecher

self control quotes power man grown sphere himself winston churchill wisdom

The power of man has grown in every sphere, except over himself. Winston Churchill

Self-discipline without talent can often achieve astounding results, whereas talent without self-discipline inevitably dooms itself to failure. Sydney Harris

Discipline comes through self-control. If you do not conquer self, you will be conquered by self. You may see at one and the same time both your best friend and your greatest enemy, by stepping in front of a mirror. Napoleon Hill

He who overcomes others is strong, but he who overcomes himself is mightier still. Lao Tzu

Strive for self-control, not instant gratification. Maxime Lagacé

I cannot consent to place in the control of others one who cannot control himself. Robert E. Lee

Such power there is in clear-eyed self-restraint. James Russell Lowell

Self-control is at the root of all the virtues. Let a man yield to his impulses and passions, and from that moment he gives up his moral freedom. Orison Swett Marden

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

He that would govern others, first should be the master of himself. Philip Massinger

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More quotes about self-control

self control quotes has fiercer struggle himself thomas kempis wisdom

Who has a fiercer struggle than he who strives to conquer himself? Thomas à Kempis

The success of life, the formation of character, is in proportion to the courage one has to say to one’s ownself: “Thou shalt not.” Carry Nation

The poorest education that teaches self-control is better than the best that neglects it. Dorothy Nevill

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

It is a new road to happiness, if you have strength enough to castigate a little the various impulses that sway you in turn. George Santayana

A little self-control at the right moment may prevent much subsequent compulsion at the hands of others. Arthur Schopenhauer

What now is the most important attribute of man as a moral being? May we not answer—the faculty of self-control? This it is which forms a chief distinction between the human being and the brute. Herbert Spencer

Self-reverence, self-knowledge, self-control, These three alone lead life to sovereign power. Alfred Tennyson

Man, who man would be, must rule the empire of himself. P. B. Shelley

self control quotes rule mind servant master horace wisdom

Rule your mind, which, if it is not your servant, is your master. Horace

Self-control is the chief element in self-respect, and self-respect is the chief element in courage. Thucydides

I have observed that those who have accomplished the greatest results are those…who never grow excited or lose self-control, but are always calm, self-possessed, patient, and polite. Booker T. Washington

There is no liberty, save wisdom and self-control. Liberty is within — not without. It is each man’s own affair. H. G. Wells

A man who is master of himself can end a sorrow as easily as he can invent a pleasure. Oscar Wilde

Stop allowing your mind to be a slave, to be jerked about by selfish impulses, to kick against fate and the present, and to mistrust the future. Marcus Aurelius

To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one’s family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one’s own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him. Buddha

Something in human nature causes us to start slacking off at our moment of greatest accomplishment. As you become successful, you will need a great deal of self-discipline not to lose your sense of balance, humility, and commitment. H. Ross Perot

Wise people work when they work, and play when they play. Maxime Lagacé

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self-control quotes indeed king know how rule myself pietro aretino wisdom

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

The first and greatest victory is to conquer yourself; to be conquered by yourself is of all things most shameful and vile. Plato

Time management requires self-discipline, self-mastery and self-control more than anything else. Brian Tracy

I will be calm. I will be mistress of myself. Jane Austen

To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart. Eleanor Roosevelt

One can be the master of what one does, but never of what one feels. Gustave Flaubert

The ability to subordinate an impulse to a value is the essence of the proactive person. Stephen R. Covey

self control quotes not being able govert events michel de montaigne wisdom

Not being able to govern events, I govern myself. Michel de Montaigne

Ultimately, the only power to which man should aspire is that which he exercises over himself. Elie Wiesel

The enemy is within the gates; it is with our own luxury, our own folly, our own criminality that we have to contend. Marcus Tullius Cicero

Mastering self-control, the act of restraining one’s emotions is the true key to success. Timothy Pina

The ability to discipline yourself to delay gratification in the short term in order to enjoy greater rewards in the long term is the indispensable prerequisite for success. Maxwell Maltz

Distinguish between real needs and artificial wants and control the latter. Mahatma Gandhi

By constant self-discipline and self-control you can develop greatness of character. Grenville Kleiser

It is ordained in the eternal constitution of things, that men of intemperate minds cannot be free. Their passions forge their fetters. Edmund Burke

If you don’t control what you think, you cannot control what you do. Napoleon Hill


self control quotes intelligent desire children candy rumi wisdom

The intelligent desire self-control; children want candy. Rumi

Seek freedom and become captive of your desires. Seek discipline and find your liberty. Frank Herbert

Only disciplined ones are purely free in life and undisciplined are slaves to their moods and passions. Eliud Kipchoge

In the twenty-first century, survival of the fittest means survival of the focused. Giovanni Dienstmann

You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength. Marcus Aurelius

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. Max Lucado

I cannot always control what goes on outside. But I can always control what goes on inside. Wayne Dyer

To enjoy freedom we have to control ourselves. Virginia Woolf

The best fighter is never angry. Lao Tzu

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Key Takeaways

  • Aim for self-mastery, not the candy.
  • Remember: successful people mastered one thing to get there: themselves.
  • The benefits of self-control?
    • Better health
    • Better careers
    • Better finances
    • Better relationships
  • How to have more self-control?
    • Set clear goals (1)
    • Be well rested (1)
    • Be less stressed (1)
    • Avoid temptations (1)
    • Hang with the right people
    • Practice delayed gratification (lifehack.org)
  • But most importantly: There’s more to life than self-control. Learn to discern when it’s time to be disciplined, and when it’s time to relax and have fun.

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Author Bio

maxime lagace

Maxime Lagacé started collecting quotes in 2004 after he lost his girlfriend in a car accident.

In search of meaning, he dived in the self-improvement world, psychology and trail running.

Books, blogs, quotes and nature became his guide.

He started journaling, reflecting, writing his thoughts, feelings and quotes.

His goal was to understand his pain, his depression, his fears, his lack of motivation and inspiration.

He finished his software engineering degree in 2007 at the École de Technologie Supérieure de Montréal.

A few years later, he started his first website to share his love of quotes.

Maxime is a father of two, husband, and INFJ.

Other notable interests of Maxime are health (mental and physical), meditation, bananas, SEO, human potential, and education.

You can find him on X, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube.

Last update

October 2, 2023

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