“True freedom is impossible without a mind made free by discipline.”
― Mortimer J. Adler, How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading

“When an individual is motivated by great and powerful convictions of truth, then he disciplines himself, not because of the demands of the church, but because of the knowledge within his heart”
― Gordon B. Hinckley

“Self-control is the chief element in self-respect, and self-respect is the chief element in courage.”
― Thucydides, The History of the Peloponnesian War

“Why is discipline important? Discipline teaches us to operate by principle rather than desire. Saying no to our impulses (even the ones that are not inherently sinful) puts us in control of our appetites rather than vice versa. It deposes our lust and permits truth, virtue, and integrity to rule our minds instead.”
― John F. MacArthur

“Whether our action is wholesome or unwholesome depends on whether that action or deed arises from a disciplined or undisciplined state of mind. It is felt that a disciplined mind leads to happiness and an undisciplined mind leads to suffering, and in fact it is said that bringing about discipline within one’s mind is the essence of the Buddha’s teaching.”
― Dalai Lama XIV, The Art of Happiness

“football is like life – it requires perserverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication and respect for authority.”
― Vince Lombardi Jr.

” The impossibility of an actual democracy is due to this fact of mob-psychology. As soon as you group men, they lose their personalities. A parliament of the wisest and strongest men in the nation is liable to behave like a set of schoolboys, tearing up their desks and throwing their inkpots at each other. The only possibility of co-operation lies in discipline and autocracy, which men have sometimes established in the name of equal rights.”
― Aleister Crowley, Moonchild

“If you dedicate your attention to discipline in your life you become smarter while you are writing than while you are hanging out with your pals or in any other line of work.”
― Russell Banks

“The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them, over and over, in myriad petty little unsexy ways, every day.”

― David Foster Wallace, This is Water

“Discipline isn’t a dirty word. Far from it. Discipline is the one thing that separates us from chaos and anarchy. Discipline implies timing. It’s the precursor to good behavior, and it never comes from bad behavior. People who associate discipline with punishment are wrong: with discipline, punishment is unnecessary.”
― Buck Brannaman, The Faraway Horses: The Adventures and Wisdom of One of America’s Most Renowned Horsemen

Discipline is one of those words that can be quite polarising when it comes to people’s personal experience.

It can have strongly negative connotations for those who have suffered from physical and mental abuse by those charged with ‘caring’ for us, be it a parent, relative, teacher or jailer. It can also have strongly positive connections for those who have learned the value, and the art of succesful self-discipline.

In my experience most people are only too happy to have nothing more to do with any form of discipline once they leave high school, or for those who are able and choose to, leave a University or College.

I believe we would have a better and happier society if this was not the case. It is never too late to learn the benefits of Discipline.

Discipline requires the best from us: Courage, Sacrifice, Effort (often the more we work at it the better we become) Patience and Perseverance. The rewards outweigh the cost.