Discipline Is Destiny: The Power of Self-Control

Why? “When a man can control his life, his physical needs, his lower self,” Muhammad Ali would later say, “he elevates himself.” There’s an old story about Gehrig’s first game with the Yankees, when he started his streak. It’s this love of toil, of the process that defined someone like Lou Gehrig. And yet, he gathered up the quiet fortitude to rebuff an ally, to deny them what must have felt like their last and only hope, and to save his planes for the Battle of Britain—a decision that history proved more than correct. Before his intemperance finally led the company’s board to remove him, he was offered a last alternative: He could resign as the CEO and become a creative consultant, retaining his stock options and a million- dollar-a-year salary.