--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We employ the mind to rule, the body to…" description: "\"We employ the mind to rule, the body to serve.\" — Sallust" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d35/sallust-4191_body_we-employ-the-mind-to-rule-the-body-to-s_1425047.jpg" --- # We employ the mind to rule, the body to serve. ![“We employ the mind to rule, the body to serve.” quote by Sallust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d35/sallust-4191_body_we-employ-the-mind-to-rule-the-body-to-s_1425047.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d35/sallust-4191_body_we-employ-the-mind-to-rule-the-body-to-s_1425047.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d35/sallust-4191_body_we-employ-the-mind-to-rule-the-body-to-s_1425047.jpg) > “We employ the mind to rule, the body to serve.” [Sallust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sallust/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The mind should guide decisions while the body follows obediently. **In simple terms:** Think before acting; let reason lead. Key Takeaway Use intellect to direct actions. Themes leadership self‑control mind‑body Mood reflective serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - decision making - physical tasks - team coordination Key Concepts Stoicism rationalism Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance thought and action? - When is it appropriate to let instinct lead? A Different Perspective Mind may be clouded by emotion, limiting control. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Body Serve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body-serve-5058342/) [Employ Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/employ-mind-2996224/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Mind Rule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-rule-2462572/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Rule Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rule-body-3881142/) [Serve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serve/) ## Related quotes > [We cannot employ the mind to advantage when we are filled with excessive food and drink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/we-cannot-employ-the-mind-to-advantage-when-we-are-filled-with/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [One to a customer was the rule: one body; one mind; one swing through life. - Tempus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/one-to-a-customer-was-the-rule-one-body-one-mind-one-swing-through/) [Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/) > [The world is a looking glass. It gives back to every man a true reflection of his own thoughts. Rule your mind or it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/the-world-is-a-looking-glass-it-gives-back-to-every-man-a-true/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [Does the body rule the mind or does the mind rule the body?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-smiths/does-the-body-rule-the-mind-or-does-the-mind-rule-the-body/) [The Smiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-smiths/) > [Does the body rule the mind or does the mind rule the body? I dunno...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-morrissey/does-the-body-rule-the-mind-or-does-the-mind-rule-the-body-i-dunno/) [Steven Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-morrissey/) > [Rule your mind or it will rule you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/rule-your-mind-or-it-will-rule-you/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [“You let your mind rule your reality instead of you ruling your mind." "Are you reading this stuff out of a Dr. Phil book?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-corwin/you-let-your-mind-rule-your-reality-instead-of-you-ruling-your-mind/) [John Corwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-corwin/) > [Sir, what does it matter whom I serve, so long as I am right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-corneille/sir-what-does-it-matter-whom-i-serve-so-long-as-i-am-right/) [Pierre Corneille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-corneille/) > [It has always been my plan not to serve more than two terms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-demint/it-has-always-been-my-plan-not-to-serve-more-than-two-terms/) [Jim DeMint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-demint/) > [There's always one shot that I can rely on when I'm not hitting the ball that well, is my serve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sampras/there-s-always-one-shot-that-i-can-rely-on-when-i-m-not-hitting-the/) [Pete Sampras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-sampras/) > [I've always wanted my music to serve a certain purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-arie/i-ve-always-wanted-my-music-to-serve-a-certain-purpose/) [India Arie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-arie/) > [You can’t be a successful leader or mentor until you have served. You can’t serve until you have stepped out of your comfort zone.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-courtney/you-can-t-be-a-successful-leader-or-mentor-until-you-have-served-you/) [Bill Courtney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-courtney/) > [To serve does not mean to surrender but to share.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-joshua-heschel/to-serve-does-not-mean-to-surrender-but-to-share/) [Abraham Joshua Heschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-joshua-heschel/) > [“Serve in the grace of strength within thy soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/serve-in-the-grace-of-strength-within-thy-soul/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Some shows just go away - and that's fine. They serve their purpose and their entertainment value, but there are shows that touch people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cudlitz/some-shows-just-go-away-and-that-s-fine-they-serve-their-purpose-and/) [Michael Cudlitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cudlitz/) ## More by Sallust > [It is impossible that there should be so much providence in the last details, and none in the first principles. Then the arts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sallust/it-is-impossible-that-there-should-be-so-much-providence-in-the-last/) [Sallust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sallust/) > [As the blessings of health and fortune have a beginning, so they must also find an end. Everything rises but to fall, and increases…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sallust/as-the-blessings-of-health-and-fortune-have-a-beginning-so-they-must/) [Sallust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sallust/) > [Everything that rises sets, and everything that grows, grows old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sallust/everything-that-rises-sets-and-everything-that-grows-grows-old/) [Sallust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sallust/) > [Fame is the shadow of passion standing in the light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sallust/fame-is-the-shadow-of-passion-standing-in-the-light/) [Sallust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sallust/) > [The Romans assisted their allies and friends, and acquired friendships by giving rather than receiving kindness. \[Lat., Sociis atque amicis auxilia portabant Romani, magisque…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sallust/the-romans-assisted-their-allies-and-friends-and-acquired-friendships/) [Sallust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sallust/) > [A good man prefers to suffer rather than overcome injustice with evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sallust/a-good-man-prefers-to-suffer-rather-than-overcome-injustice-with-evil/) [Sallust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sallust/) > [It is not unlikely, too, that the rejection of God is a kind of punishment: we may well believe that those who knew the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sallust/it-is-not-unlikely-too-that-the-rejection-of-god-is-a-kind-of/) [Sallust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sallust/) > [It is not only spirits who punish the evil, the soul brings itself to judgment: and also it is not right for those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sallust/it-is-not-only-spirits-who-punish-the-evil-the-soul-brings-itself-to/) [Sallust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sallust/) > [To hope for safety in flight, when you have turned away from the enemy the arms by which the body is defended, is indeed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sallust/to-hope-for-safety-in-flight-when-you-have-turned-away-from-the-enemy/) [Sallust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sallust/) > [By the wicked the good conduct of others is always dreaded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sallust/by-the-wicked-the-good-conduct-of-others-is-always-dreaded/) [Sallust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sallust/) > [By union the smallest states thrive. By discord the greatest are destroyed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sallust/by-union-the-smallest-states-thrive-by-discord-the-greatest-are/) [Sallust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sallust/) > [Ambition drove many men to become false; to have one thought locked in the breast, another ready on the tongue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sallust/ambition-drove-many-men-to-become-false-to-have-one-thought-locked-in/) [Sallust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sallust/) > [The soul is the captain and ruler of the life of morals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sallust/the-soul-is-the-captain-and-ruler-of-the-life-of-morals/) [Sallust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sallust/) > [Not by vows nor by womanish prayers is the help of the gods obtained; success comes through vigilance, energy, wise counsel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sallust/not-by-vows-nor-by-womanish-prayers-is-the-help-of-the-gods-obtained/) [Sallust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sallust/) > [ Enough words, little wisdom. \[Lat., Satis eloquentiae sapientiae parum.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sallust/enough-words-little-wisdom-lat-satis-eloquentiae-sapientiae-parum/) [Sallust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sallust/) [Explore all 115 Sallust quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sallust/) ## More Body quotes > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) [Jennifer Siebel Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-siebel-newsom/) > [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/) [Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. Modern day diseases are mostly psychosomatic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/if-japa-is-maintained-no-useless-talk-during-work-will-be-possible/) [Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/) > [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) [Browse all 20,814 Body quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We employ the mind to rule, the body to serve.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sallust" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sallust/we-employ-the-mind-to-rule-the-body-to-serve/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Body" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sallust/we-employ-the-mind-to-rule-the-body-to-serve/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d35/sallust-4191_body_we-employ-the-mind-to-rule-the-body-to-s_1425047.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d35/sallust-4191_body_we-employ-the-mind-to-rule-the-body-to-s_1425047.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d35/sallust-4191_body_we-employ-the-mind-to-rule-the-body-to-s_1425047.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We employ the mind to rule, the body to serve.” — Sallust", "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": "Sallust", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sallust/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We employ the mind to rule,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sallust/we-employ-the-mind-to-rule-the-body-to-serve/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sallust/we-employ-the-mind-to-rule-the-body-to-serve/#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 } } ] } ```