1. The Buddha "demanded that the disciples first of all learn to restrain their feelings, and only when the bridle of the spirit lay on all the feelings of the disciple, only then did the Blessed One open the veil of the hidden Teaching." [Letters of Helena Roerich in 9 Volumes - 1. 056]
2. "The very word "restraint" indicates that something is being restrained. What is restrained by the sentinel will? Psychic energy, or fire, which is saturated with every manifestation of a person, every feeling, thought, action and deed." [Facets of Agni Yoga 1963, 528] (365)
3. "Restraint is nothing but a conscious accumulation of fiery force in the body." [Facets of Agni Yoga 1969, 90]
4. "A restrained person has strength, an unrestrained and unable to control himself is like a steam boiler, all the valves and valves of which are open to failure. No matter how much you drown, steam will not give you strength. Restraint is an accurate and unmistakable method of pumping fiery energy. Promiscuity is its unrestrained waste. It is necessary to control oneself always and in everything. Always and in everything it is necessary to show some degree of self-restraint: in thoughts, in words, in actions. The restraint of thought is not thoughtlessness, but the possession of thought, control over it and the ability to direct and hold it on an object approved by the will." [Facets of Agni Yoga 1955, 375]
5. "It is necessary to severely distinguish fiery from nervous excitability. This is a false fierceness, for example, irritability. The creative fire turns into a consuming flame. The consuming flame means it is out of control. Restrained, even ordinary, fire warms the dwelling, escaping from the furnace burns it. ...Restraint is strength. Psychic energy, that is, fire, is restrained and accumulated. Every outburst of intemperance wastes it. Every restraint is an accumulation of fiery power. Every restraint of emotions is a victory." [Facets of Agni Yoga 1963, 853]
6. "Restraint, self-control, the ability to control oneself, power over one's feelings, emotions and thoughts are the best achievements of the spirit in the field of the earth ... It is the guardians of the fires that these qualities can be called. This is why they are especially valuable. ...Restraint is the constant readiness of the will to assert itself." [Facets of Agni Yoga 1956, 35]
7. "It is restraint that will be a good touchstone for honing the will. ... Any external manifestation of feelings will be considered undesirable. It is directly proportional to a person's weakness. Only the strong can restrain themselves. If only people knew how much they lose in moments of intemperance! Open the incense bottle... The more often the bottle is open, the more the incense loses its properties, but being constantly open, it loses them completely. Often a person fully reveals himself and everything that happens in him. You can liken such a person to an exhaling bottle of incense. The discharge of the human battery occurs not so much from contact with people as from intemperance and unwillingness to control oneself. As a result, this leads to a fading of consciousness and a complete depletion of the battery of the spirit. Restraint must be constantly strenuously tenacious. You should never let yourself loose with anyone." [Facets of Agni Yoga 1956, 100A]
8. "A restrained force, or accumulated, or collected for action, acts with the power of its potential even when the action is not revealed. External action is not always necessary to manifest the power of the will. The silent influence of the will, going through thought, is often stronger than the external forms of its manifestation." [Facets of Agni Yoga 1954, 290]
9. "Without restraint, there can be neither balance nor tranquility. Restraint is power, because it restrains the fiery energies in a person from spraying. It is impossible to accumulate strength without restraining it. …Whoever does not control himself and cannot restrain himself, anyone and anything owns him, but not himself. So restraint is the best self-defense. ... The power of the water element can destroy a dam, sweeping away all dams along the way, but it is possible to curb it, and direct it to work, and force it to serve itself with great benefit. The energy of the spirit flows like a stream. If it is delayed and accumulated in the body, then its waves can be directed by will to any work on any task, but first it is necessary to accumulate it. Restraint serves as a dam for the detention and accumulation of the fire reserve. Accumulation of energy flow is impossible without the manifestation of the quality of restraint. Thoughts, feelings, and emotions should not manifest themselves externally if a person has mastered himself." [Facets of Agni Yoga 1957, 441]
10. "The most important thing is endurance in everything. We start a lot of good things, but we don't finish them." [Yuri Roerich]
11. "... I advise ... not dryness bordering on cruelty, but precisely benevolent restraint." [Letters of Helena Roerich in 9 Volumes – 5, 044]
12. "People, like small children, will do evil and they themselves do not understand what they have done, and they do not remember it. The wiser ones have to reckon with such habits, that's why friendly restraint with many is so necessary." [Letters of Helena Roerich in 9 Volumes - 7, 218]
