Text of the meditation
Brave is the one who conquers another; but the one who conquers themselves is supremely noble. By the way of self-conquest the Perfect Peace is achieved. A person cannot understand it, cannot approach it, until they see the supreme necessity of turning away from the fierce fighting of things without, and entering upon the noble warfare against evils within.
Already on the Saintly Way is the one who has realised that the enemy of the world is within, and not without; that their own ungoverned thoughts are the source of confusion and strife; that their own unchastened desires are the violators of their peace, and of the peace of the world.
If a person has conquered lust and anger, hatred and pride, selfishness and greed, they have conquered the world. One who is victorious over another may in turn be defeated; but one who overcomes themselves will never be subdued.
James Allen (1864–1912), Book of Meditations for Every Day in the Year (1913) – public-domain text, gently modernised.
The original 1913 text is in the public domain.
