It is no small conquest to overcome yourself.
It is no small conquest to overcome yourself.
Meaning in plain English
Managing one’s own impulses or habits can be a significant achievement. Conquest pictures inward effort, encouraging self-direction without requiring harsh self-criticism, denial of legitimate needs or complete control over every feeling.
Example
A musician who habitually rushes rehearsals agrees with a partner to slow difficult passages and notices improvement over several sessions.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
Overcome yourself turns the language of conquest inward. Instead of defeating another person, the achievement is changing a reaction or practice that gets in the way of a worthwhile purpose. No small conquest recognises that such work can be difficult and may take time. A useful reading names the particular habit, the reason for changing it and what support would help. It does not make having feelings a failure, or imply that every difficulty can be solved through willpower. Self-direction may involve rest, cooperation or a different environment as well as persistence. The image values development without turning the self into an enemy to punish.
When to use it
Use it when recognising a deliberate change in an unhelpful reaction or habit.
Keep in mind
Feelings and needs are not enemies; this is encouragement, not a clinical claim or a demand for self-punishment.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-03. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 306 · Conquest
Read the original context ↗ - Attribution confidence
- traditional · historical anthology
Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
- Undated
No reliable date supplied by the collection. - Rights & edition
- Public domain (United States)
Translations and rights may differ elsewhere.
Provenance and licences ↗