“It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles” refers to

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and answer the question that follows.

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.”Buddha said, “The mind is everything. What you think, you become.” James Allen said, “Man is mind.” In order to live rightly, you must fill your mind with “right” thoughts. Your thinking determines your actions; your actions determine your outcome. Right thinking will grant you everything you desire; wrong thinking is a vice that will eventually destroy you. If you change your thinking you will change your life. Buddha said, “All wrong-doing arises because of the mind. If the mind is transformed can wrong-doing remain? “Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burnt.”When you release those who you are holding captive in the prison of un-forgiveness, it is you who is released from prison. You can’t keep someone down, without staying down with them. Learn to forgive, learn to forgive quickly. “It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.”He who can conquer himself is greater than the mighty. To conquer yourself you must conquer your mind. You must control your thinking. Your thoughts cannot be tossed to and fro like the waves of the sea. You may be thinking, “I can’t control my thoughts, if a thought comes, it comes.” To that I say, you may not be able to stop a bird from flying over your head, but you can certainly stop him from building a nest in your hair. Dismiss thoughts that are contrary to the life you desire to live. Buddha said, “It is a man’s own mind, not his enemy or foe that lures him to evil ways.”