Everybody in the world is seeking happiness— and there is one sure way to find it. That is by controlling your thoughts. Happiness doesn't depend on outward conditions. It depends on inner conditions.

I am very happyBecause I have conquered myselfAnd not the world.I am very happyBecause I have loved the worldAnd not myself.

Remember to act always as if you were at a symposium. When the food or drink comes around, reach out and take some politely; if it passes you by don't try pulling it back. And if it has not reached you yet, don't let your desire run ahead of you, be patient until your turn comes. Adopt a similar attitude with regard to children, wife, wealth and status, and in time, you will be entitled to dine with the gods. Go further and decline these goods even when they are on offer and you will have a share in the gods' power as well as their company. That is how Diogenes, Heraclitus and philosophers like them came to be called, and considered, divine.

Remember, it is not enough to be hit or insulted to be harmed, you must believe that you are being harmed. If someone succeeds in provoking you, realize that your mind is complicit in the provocation. Which is why it is essential that we not respond impulsively to impressions; take a moment before reacting, and you will find it easier to maintain control.

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

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

Man who man would be, Must rule the empire of himself.

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

How shall I be able to rule over others, that have not full power and command of myself?

The strong man is the one who is able to intercept at will the communication between the senses and the mind.

Not being able to govern events, I govern myself, and apply myself to them, if they will not apply themselves to me.

He who conquers others is strong; He who conquers himself is mighty.

The Russian leaders are keen judges of human psychology, and as such they are highly conscious that loss of temper and of self-control is never a source of strength in political affairs.

He that would be superior to external influences must first become superior to his own passions.

We learn to curb our will and keep our overt actions within the bounds of humanity, long before we can subdue our sentiments and imaginations to the same mild tone.

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

What it lies in our power to do, it lies in our power not to do.

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

If one shed tears, they must be shed on one's pillow.

There is a raging tiger inside every man whom God put on this earth. Every man worthy of the respect of his children spends his life building inside himself a cage to pen that tiger in.