Text of the meditation
Whoever will purify themselves will destroy all their ignorance. One who governs their tongue is greater than a successful disputant in the arena of intellectualism; one who controls their mind well is more powerful than the king of many nations; and one who holds themselves in entire subjection is more than gods and angels.
When a person enslaved by self realises that they must work out their own salvation, in that moment they will rise up in the dignity of their divine humanity and say, "Henceforward I will be a master in Israel, and not a slave in the House of Bondage." Not until a person realises this, and begins patiently to purify their inner life, can they find the way that leads to lasting peace.
A life of perfect peace and blessedness by means of self-government and self-enlightenment.
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.
