Quotes About Restraint

Of two quite lofty things, measure and moderation, it is best never to speak. A few know their force and significance, from the mysterious paths of inner experiences and conversions: they honor in them something quite godlike, and are afraid to speak aloud. All the rest hardly listen when they are spoken about, and think the subjects under discussion are tedium and mediocrity.

Sooner give a cobra a kiss, than a secret to a woman.

The very freedom which the sinner supposedly exercises in his self-indulgence is only another proof that he is ruled by the tyrant.

Patience is power. Patience is not an absence of action; rather it is timing. It wait on the right time to act, for the right principles and in the right way.

Patience is power. Patience is not an absenc of action; rather it is timing, it waits on the right time to act, for the right priciples and in the right way

libido, or concupiscence, a tending toward certain things in defiance of rational restraint.

The most current philosophy of life is self-expressionism: "Let yourself go"; "Do whatever you please." Any suggestion of restraining errant impulses is called a masochistic survival of the dark ages. The truth is that the only really self-expressive people in the world are in the insane asylum. They have absolutely no inhibitions, no conventions, and no codes. They are as self-expressive as hell, i.e., in complete disorder.

I don't have a drinking problem," I said. "I have a stopping problem.

To know one's limit is to know how to sacrifice oneself.

Perhaps you couldn't help being angry... but you could certainly stop yourself from repaying one offense with another.

If you can't say anything nice about somebody, step away from the voice enhancement equipment.

I've enjoyed working on the TV series that I've worked on, in particular something like 'The Wire,' where there was so much time to tell the story and develop a character. I learned from that that it's best not to lay all your cards on the table straight away.

Never find fault with the absent.

Perhaps too much of everything is as bad as too little.

It is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things.

A wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned.

We want a state wise in its contemplation - just in its actions - and moderate in the reach of government into our lives.

It's a wise thing to hold back.

Fortunately for me, I'm married to an amazing woman - Nancy Lasseter - who is wise enough not to let me buy every car I want. If I was single, I would be living in a very small apartment and renting a warehouse full of cool cars.

A wise woman keeps her hands firmly in her pockets and does not accidentally unzip anything, including her mouth.

Who then is free? The wise man who can command himself.

Sometimes you can tell a wise person not only by what he says but also by what he doesn't say. Remember, it is much better to say little than to say too much and regret it later.

At a dinner party one should eat wisely but not too well, and talk well but not too wisely.

I've been trying to keep the private life private. Not being savvy or trained on how to do good interviews like a politician, I thought it was wiser to follow my mother's advice: If you have nothing good to say, don't say anything at all.