In short: for the Buddha, the greatest victory is over yourself. "The supreme conqueror is not he who conquers a million men in battle, but he who conquers a single man: himself" (Dhammapada 103).
1. Dhammapada 103
"The supreme conqueror is not he who conquers a million men in battle, but he who conquers a single man: himself."
Dhammapada 103
2. Dhammapada 104
"It is surely better to conquer oneself than all those other folk. When a person has tamed themselves, always living restrained,"
Dhammapada 104
3. Dhammapada 160
"One is indeed the lord of oneself, for who else would be one's lord? By means of a well-tamed self, one gains a lord that's rare indeed."
Dhammapada 160
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4. Dhammapada 80
"While irrigators guide water, fletchers bend arrows straight, and carpenters bend timber straight, the astute tame themselves."
Dhammapada 80
5. Dhammapada 25
"By hard work and diligence, by restraint and by self-control, a smart person would build an island that the floods cannot overflow."
Dhammapada 25 ยท More
6. Dhammapada 375
"This is the very start of the path for a wise mendicant here: guarding the senses, contentment, and restraint in the monastic code."
Dhammapada 375
All quotes are from the early Buddhist texts in Bhikkhu Sujato's translation on SuttaCentral, copied exactly. Last checked: 18 October 2026.
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What did the Buddha say about self-discipline?
'The supreme conqueror is not he who conquers a million men in battle, but he who conquers a single man: himself' (Dhammapada 103).