Self-discipline has never been about punishment or deprivation. It is about becoming the best, the best that you are capable of becoming.

In the end, it’s not about what we do, it’s about how we do it and, by extension, who we are.

It is an act of self-discipline to be kind to the self. To be a good friend. Don’t beat yourself up. Build yourself up. Make yourself better. That’s what friends do.

We have to show, not tell: first in line for danger, last in line for rewards. First in line for duty, last in line for recognition. To lead, you have to bleed.

For the people we love, we are strong enough to get through anything. For the cause or the calling we have committed to, we are strong enough to endure it. We have to be.

Routine is an essential tool in the management of time and the suppression of those negative forces of distraction, procrastination, and laziness.

It takes discipline not to insist on doing everything yourself.

It’s a beautiful irony: You’re never content with your progress and yet, you’re always content . . . because you’re making progress.

To err is human . . . but to err less each day is to become closer to the divine.