Quotes About Restraint

Poetry and prison have always been neighbors.

Civilization rests on two things, said Hitzig; the discovery that fermentation produces alcohol, and voluntary ability to inhibit defecation. And I put it to you, where would this splendidly civilized occasion be without both?

Children, don't speak so coarsely,' said Mr. Webster, who had a vague notion that some supervision should be exercised over his daughters' speech, and that a line should be drawn, but never knew quite when to draw it. He had allowed his daughters to use his library without restraint, and nothing is more fatal to maidenly delicacy of speech than the run of a good library.

The art of the quoter is to know when to stop.

and her light brown eyes sparkled above her surgical mask. Philips would have loved to have touched her, but instead let his eyes linger for an extra second on hers.

Sungold blew impatiently and began to dig a hole with one foot. She booted his elbow with her toe and he stopped, but after a moment he lowered his head and blew again, harder, and she could feel him shifting his weight, considering if she might let him dig just a small hole.

Nothing to extremes, everything in moderation.

self-control is more indispensable than gunpowder.

Restriction promotes addiction.

careful not to overexpose

The Golden Mean Doctrine, which states that virtuous behavior requires one to walk the middle ground between asceticism and indulgence. To take the path of moderation between excess and deprivation. To avoid being an extremist in any dimension of one's life. Here's a maxim that's worth remembering: Restriction promotes addiction.

The way I figured it, keeping quiet was safe. Words could betray you if you choose the wrong ones, or mean less if you used too many.

Jesus, she said. -Are you in there at all? -I am, Annie, I told her. -Bursting to get out.

I saved a girl from being attacked last night. I controlled myself.

When anger and misperception are high, some thoughts are best left unsaid.

I felt a strong desire to howl at the moon. It was such a howlable moon. But I restrained myself.

the amorous subject wonders, not whether he should declare his love to the loved being,..., but to what degree he should conceal the turbulences of his passion, his desires, his distresses: in short, his excesses.

I love you is in my head; but I imprison it behind my lips. I do not divulge. I say silently to who is no longer or is not yet the other: *I keep myself from loving you*

The unflappable Washington then continued with the session as if nothing had happened. It was a classic performance: he exercised the greatest self-control when roiled by the most unruly emotions.

While extremely powerful, they were also inhibited in exercising that power.

Rockefeller tended to portray himself as a hard-driving executive who went as far as the law allowed but not an inch further.

Having twice been sued by people for offering incorrect market advice, he refrained from offering stock tips.

Hamilton wanted to restrain abusive majorities and minorities.

What the American economy needed instead were new cooperative forms (trusts, pools, monopolies) that would restrain grasping individuals for the general good.