---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He only is fitted to command and control…"
description: "\"“He only is fitted to command and control who has succeeded in commanding and controlling himself.”\" — James Allen"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/james-allen-1607_commanding_he-only-is-fitted-to-command-and-control_2817501.png"
---

#  He only is fitted to command and control who has succeeded…

![“He only is fitted to command and control who has succeeded in commanding and controlling himself.” quote by James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/james-allen-1607_commanding_he-only-is-fitted-to-command-and-control_2817501.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/james-allen-1607_commanding_he-only-is-fitted-to-command-and-control_2817501.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/james-allen-1607_commanding_he-only-is-fitted-to-command-and-control_2817501.png)

> ““He only is fitted to command and control who has succeeded in commanding and controlling himself.””

[James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

True leadership stems from self‑mastery; only those who control themselves can guide others.

**In simple terms:** Self‑control precedes effective leadership.

Key Takeaway

Develop personal discipline first.

Themes

leadership self‑control philosophy

Mood

inspirational thoughtful

Type

philosophical self‑help

When to use this quote

- business management
- team sports
- personal development

Key Concepts

personal mastery authority responsibility

Questions to Reflect On

- How can one strengthen self‑discipline?
- What practices nurture inner authority?

A Different Perspective

Self‑control is difficult to maintain under pressure.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [You will become as small as your controlling desire; as great as you dominant aspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/you-will-become-as-small-as-your-controlling-desire-as-great-as-you/)

[James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/)

> [“If you want success as a leader in a complex environment read Commanding Excellence and follow it!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-want-success-as-a-leader-in-a-complex-environment-read/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [In June 2010, after more than 38 years in uniform, in the midst of commanding a 46-nation coalition in a complex war in Afghanistan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-a-mcchrystal/in-june-2010-after-more-than-38-years-in-uniform-in-the-midst-of/)

[Stanley A. McChrystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-a-mcchrystal/)

> [“Love can be like a commanding officer. It's unfair, random, cruel, but it gets you through the war, somehow, gets you where you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-voinov/love-can-be-like-a-commanding-officer-it-s-unfair-random-cruel-but-it/)

[Aleksandr Voinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-voinov/)

> [Martha Graham, along with George Balanchine, is one of the two commanding figures in 20th-century American dance. For those much younger than I am,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gottlieb/martha-graham-along-with-george-balanchine-is-one-of-the-two/)

[Robert Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gottlieb/)

> [“He killed, his sword shearing, shield and horse a ram, pushing in, and further in, opening a space by force alone for the momentum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-u-pacat/he-killed-his-sword-shearing-shield-and-horse-a-ram-pushing-in-and/)

[S.U. Pacat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-u-pacat/)

> [“You don’t influence people by commanding them. When you are doing that, you are a manipulator and not a leader.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/you-don-t-influence-people-by-commanding-them-when-you-are-doing-that/)

[Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/)

> [Christopher Hitchens was a writer and an orator with a matchless style, commanding a vocabulary and a range of literary and historical allusion far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/christopher-hitchens-was-a-writer-and-an-orator-with-a-matchless/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [Rely on your own strength of body and soul. Take for your star self-reliance, faith, honesty and industry. Don't take too much advice -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-porter/rely-on-your-own-strength-of-body-and-soul-take-for-your-star-self/)

[Noah Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-porter/)

> [My Name is Major Benson Winifred Payne. As of 0800, I am replacing Major Frankfurt as your commanding officer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-wayans/my-name-is-major-benson-winifred-payne-as-of-0800-i-am-replacing/)

[Damon Wayans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-wayans/)

> [In sports, I was representing my country, but in politics I represent people directly. I have always lived with a cause. In army, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajyavardhan-singh-rathore/in-sports-i-was-representing-my-country-but-in-politics-i-represent/)

[Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajyavardhan-singh-rathore/)

> [The Gen. Commanding, takes this means of informing the people that he has not come among them to disturb them in the enjoyment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-gen-commanding-takes-this-means-of-informing-the-people-that-he/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It is made the duty of every Commanding Officer in the Department, to arrest and send to these Headquarters, under guard, every officer or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-made-the-duty-of-every-commanding-officer-in-the-department-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It's weird but I've never really been the type to have fixations on the leading man actor. I've always been drawn more to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-crew/it-s-weird-but-i-ve-never-really-been-the-type-to-have-fixations-on/)

[Amanda Crew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-crew/)

> [I like to look strong and commanding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-saldana/i-like-to-look-strong-and-commanding/)

[Zoe Saldana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-saldana/)

## More by James Allen

> [A person is limited only by the thoughts that he chooses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/a-person-is-limited-only-by-the-thoughts-that-he-chooses/)

[James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/)

> [“The soul attracts that which it secretly harbours; that which it loves, and also that which it fears;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/the-soul-attracts-that-which-it-secretly-harbours-that-which-it-loves/)

[James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/)

> [“All achievements, whether in the business, intellectual, or spiritual world, are the result of definitely directed thought, are governed by the same law and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/all-achievements-whether-in-the-business-intellectual-or-spiritual/)

[James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/)

> [“Cause and effect is as absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things. Mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/cause-and-effect-is-as-absolute-and-undeviating-in-the-hidden-realm/)

[James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/)

> [Men do not attract that which they want, but that which they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/men-do-not-attract-that-which-they-want-but-that-which-they-are/)

[James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/)

> [He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who would achieve much must sacrifice much; he who would attain highly must sacrifice greatly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/he-who-would-accomplish-little-must-sacrifice-little-he-who-would/)

[James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/)

> [In all human affairs there are efforts, and there are results, and the strength of effort is the measure of the results.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/in-all-human-affairs-there-are-efforts-and-there-are-results-and-the/)

[James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/)

> [The knowledge of the causal power of thought is the basis of all their (Hebrew) prophecies, as it is the basis of all real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/the-knowledge-of-the-causal-power-of-thought-is-the-basis-of-all/)

[James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/)

> [“mind is the master-weaver, both of the inner garment of character and the outer garment of circumstance, and that, as they may have hitherto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/mind-is-the-master-weaver-both-of-the-inner-garment-of-character-and/)

[James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/)

> [“The thoughtless, the ignorant, and the indolent, seeing only the apparent effects of things and not the things themselves, talk of luck, of fortune,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/the-thoughtless-the-ignorant-and-the-indolent-seeing-only-the/)

[James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/)

> [A man sooner or later discovers that he is the master-gardener of his soul, the director of his life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/a-man-sooner-or-later-discovers-that-he-is-the-master-gardener-of-his/)

[James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/)

> [Rely upon your own judgment; be true to your own conscience; follow the light that is within you; all outward lights are so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/rely-upon-your-own-judgment-be-true-to-your-own-conscience-follow-the/)

[James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/)

> [“By the right choice and true application of thought, man ascends to the Divine Perfection; by the abuse and wrong application of thought, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/by-the-right-choice-and-true-application-of-thought-man-ascends-to/)

[James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/)

> [“Without self-discipline a man drifts lower and lower, approximating more and more nearly to the beast, until at last he grovels, a lost creature,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/without-self-discipline-a-man-drifts-lower-and-lower-approximating/)

[James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/)

> [Spiritual meditation is the pathway to Divinity. It is a mystic ladder which reaches from earth to heaven, from error to Truth, from pain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/spiritual-meditation-is-the-pathway-to-divinity-it-is-a-mystic-ladder/)

[James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/)

[Explore all 220 James Allen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/)

## More Commanding quotes

> [I like to look strong and commanding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-saldana/i-like-to-look-strong-and-commanding/)

[Zoe Saldana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-saldana/)

> [It's weird but I've never really been the type to have fixations on the leading man actor. I've always been drawn more to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-crew/it-s-weird-but-i-ve-never-really-been-the-type-to-have-fixations-on/)

[Amanda Crew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-crew/)

> [It is made the duty of every Commanding Officer in the Department, to arrest and send to these Headquarters, under guard, every officer or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-made-the-duty-of-every-commanding-officer-in-the-department-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The Gen. Commanding, takes this means of informing the people that he has not come among them to disturb them in the enjoyment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-gen-commanding-takes-this-means-of-informing-the-people-that-he/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [In sports, I was representing my country, but in politics I represent people directly. I have always lived with a cause. In army, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajyavardhan-singh-rathore/in-sports-i-was-representing-my-country-but-in-politics-i-represent/)

[Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajyavardhan-singh-rathore/)

> [My Name is Major Benson Winifred Payne. As of 0800, I am replacing Major Frankfurt as your commanding officer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-wayans/my-name-is-major-benson-winifred-payne-as-of-0800-i-am-replacing/)

[Damon Wayans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-wayans/)

> [Rely on your own strength of body and soul. Take for your star self-reliance, faith, honesty and industry. Don't take too much advice -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-porter/rely-on-your-own-strength-of-body-and-soul-take-for-your-star-self/)

[Noah Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-porter/)

> [Christopher Hitchens was a writer and an orator with a matchless style, commanding a vocabulary and a range of literary and historical allusion far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/christopher-hitchens-was-a-writer-and-an-orator-with-a-matchless/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [“You don’t influence people by commanding them. When you are doing that, you are a manipulator and not a leader.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/you-don-t-influence-people-by-commanding-them-when-you-are-doing-that/)

[Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/)

> [“He killed, his sword shearing, shield and horse a ram, pushing in, and further in, opening a space by force alone for the momentum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-u-pacat/he-killed-his-sword-shearing-shield-and-horse-a-ram-pushing-in-and/)

[S.U. Pacat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-u-pacat/)

> [Martha Graham, along with George Balanchine, is one of the two commanding figures in 20th-century American dance. For those much younger than I am,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gottlieb/martha-graham-along-with-george-balanchine-is-one-of-the-two/)

[Robert Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gottlieb/)

> [“Love can be like a commanding officer. It's unfair, random, cruel, but it gets you through the war, somehow, gets you where you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-voinov/love-can-be-like-a-commanding-officer-it-s-unfair-random-cruel-but-it/)

[Aleksandr Voinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-voinov/)

> [In June 2010, after more than 38 years in uniform, in the midst of commanding a 46-nation coalition in a complex war in Afghanistan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-a-mcchrystal/in-june-2010-after-more-than-38-years-in-uniform-in-the-midst-of/)

[Stanley A. McChrystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-a-mcchrystal/)

> [“If you want success as a leader in a complex environment read Commanding Excellence and follow it!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-want-success-as-a-leader-in-a-complex-environment-read/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I was on an army show, and in the army - especially in Korean culture - there's a very, very strict hierarchy. Obviously, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-liu/i-was-on-an-army-show-and-in-the-army-especially-in-korean-culture/)

[Amber Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-liu/)

Browse all 50 Commanding quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“He only is fitted to command and control who has succeeded in commanding and controlling himself.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "James Allen"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/he-only-is-fitted-to-command-and-control-who-has-succeeded-in/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Commanding"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/he-only-is-fitted-to-command-and-control-who-has-succeeded-in/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/james-allen-1607_commanding_he-only-is-fitted-to-command-and-control_2817501.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/james-allen-1607_commanding_he-only-is-fitted-to-command-and-control_2817501.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/james-allen-1607_commanding_he-only-is-fitted-to-command-and-control_2817501.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“He only is fitted to command and control who has succeeded in commanding and controlling himself.” — James Allen",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "James Allen",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“He only is fitted to command...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/he-only-is-fitted-to-command-and-control-who-has-succeeded-in/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/he-only-is-fitted-to-command-and-control-who-has-succeeded-in/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
