---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Vain indeed is all overweening pride in…"
description: "\"Vain indeed is all overweening pride in the conquest even of the entire universe if one has not conquered one's own passions.\" — Sri Aurobindo"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad3/sri-aurobindo-1257_conquest_vain-indeed-is-all-overweening-pride-in_3186563.png"
---

#  Vain indeed is all overweening pride in the conquest even…

![“Vain indeed is all overweening pride in the conquest even of the entire universe if one has not conquered one's own passions.” quote by Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad3/sri-aurobindo-1257_conquest_vain-indeed-is-all-overweening-pride-in_3186563.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad3/sri-aurobindo-1257_conquest_vain-indeed-is-all-overweening-pride-in_3186563.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad3/sri-aurobindo-1257_conquest_vain-indeed-is-all-overweening-pride-in_3186563.png)

> “Vain indeed is all overweening pride in the conquest even of the entire universe if one has not conquered one's own passions.”

[Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/)

## About This Quote

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

True mastery requires conquering one's own passions before seeking external domination, even over the universe.

**In simple terms:** Control yourself before trying to control everything.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate inner discipline first.

Themes

self‑control humility spiritual growth power philosophy

Mood

motivational serious

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal development
- leadership training
- spiritual practice
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

ethics psychology metaphysics

Questions to Reflect On

- What passions hinder your growth?
- How can inner mastery affect outer actions?

A Different Perspective

Self‑control is difficult; external challenges persist.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Conquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conquest/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Vain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vain/)

## Related quotes

> [The antidote to hubris, to overweening pride, is irony, that capacity to discover and systematize ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-ellison/the-antidote-to-hubris-to-overweening-pride-is-irony-that-capacity-to/)

[Ralph Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-ellison/)

> [“It is better to be pride of the herd than to be full of overweening pride.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anyaele-sam-chiyson/it-is-better-to-be-pride-of-the-herd-than-to-be-full-of-overweening/)

Anyaele Sam Chiyson

> [Long ago we conquered our passions looking at ourselves in the mirror of eternity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/long-ago-we-conquered-our-passions-looking-at-ourselves-in-the-mirror/)

[Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/)

> [It happens, I do not know how, that most of the proud never really discover their true selves. They think they have conquered their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-climacus/it-happens-i-do-not-know-how-that-most-of-the-proud-never-really/)

[John Climacus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-climacus/)

> [The one who has not conquered the passions cannot enter the chaste and pure region of the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-aleksandrovich-antonov/the-one-who-has-not-conquered-the-passions-cannot-enter-the-chaste/)

[Vladimir Aleksandrovich Antonov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-aleksandrovich-antonov/)

> [The seers of ancient India had, in their experiments and efforts at spiritual training and the conquest of the body, perfected a discovery which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/the-seers-of-ancient-india-had-in-their-experiments-and-efforts-at/)

[Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/)

> [I refer to the misunderstanding of Soviet Russia as an aggressive power, militaristically and ideologically bent upon world domination 'seeing', to quote a recent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enoch-powell/i-refer-to-the-misunderstanding-of-soviet-russia-as-an-aggressive/)

[Enoch Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enoch-powell/)

> [By the age of three, the child has already laid down the foundations of his personality as a human being, and only then does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/by-the-age-of-three-the-child-has-already-laid-down-the-foundations/)

[Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/)

> [It is in meeting the great tests that mankind can most successfully rise to great heights. Out of danger and restless insecurity comes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/it-is-in-meeting-the-great-tests-that-mankind-can-most-successfully/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [I have visited sweatshops, factories, and crowded slums. If I could not see it, I could smell it. The foundation of society is laid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/i-have-visited-sweatshops-factories-and-crowded-slums-if-i-could-not/)

[Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/)

> [Any piece of knowledge which the pupil has himself acquired- any problem which he has himself solved, becomes, by virtue of the conquest, much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/any-piece-of-knowledge-which-the-pupil-has-himself-acquired-any/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [We must not forget that what I mean by the conquest of the world by spiritual thought is the sending out of the life-giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/we-must-not-forget-that-what-i-mean-by-the-conquest-of-the-world-by/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [If love is the quest, then marriage is the conquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-love-is-the-quest-then-marriage-is-the-conquest/)

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

> [Politics...You see, it depends on what kind of politics. What we did during my father's generation was a duty. And it was beautiful because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/politics-you-see-it-depends-on-what-kind-of-politics-what-we-did/)

[Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/)

> [Here's the reality. The image of a white Jesus has been used to justify enslavement, conquest, colonialism, the genocide of indigenous peoples. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/here-s-the-reality-the-image-of-a-white-jesus-has-been-used-to/)

[Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/)

## More by Sri Aurobindo

> [“Across the threshold’s sleep she entered in And found herself amid great figures of gods Conscious in stone and living without breath, Watching with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/across-the-threshold-s-sleep-she-entered-in-and-found-herself-amid/)

[Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/)

> [Perfect health, sincerity, honesty, straightforwardness, courage, disinterestedness, unselfishness, patience, endurance, perseverance, peace, calm, self control are all things that are taught infinitely better by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/perfect-health-sincerity-honesty-straightforwardness-courage/)

[Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/)

> [Hinduism... gave itself no name, because it set itself no sectarian limits; it claimed no universal adhesion, asserted no sole infallible dogma, set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/hinduism-gave-itself-no-name-because-it-set-itself-no-sectarian/)

[Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/)

> [Do not belong to the past dawns,but to the noons of future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/do-not-belong-to-the-past-dawns-but-to-the-noons-of-future/)

[Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/)

> [There is no greater pride and glory than to be a perfect instrument of the Master.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/there-is-no-greater-pride-and-glory-than-to-be-a-perfect-instrument/)

[Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/)

> [Delight is the secret. Learn of pure delight and thou shalt learn of God. What then was the commencement of the whole matter? Existence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/delight-is-the-secret-learn-of-pure-delight-and-thou-shalt-learn-of/)

[Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/)

> [You carry in yourself all the obstacles necessary to make your realization perfect. If you discover a very black hole, a thick shadow, be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/you-carry-in-yourself-all-the-obstacles-necessary-to-make-your/)

[Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/)

> [Indian religion has always felt that since the minds, the temperaments and the intellectual affinities of men are unlimited in their variety, a perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/indian-religion-has-always-felt-that-since-the-minds-the-temperaments/)

[Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/)

> [“One who has shaped this world is ever its lord: Our errors are his steps upon the way; He works through the fierce vicissitudes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/one-who-has-shaped-this-world-is-ever-its-lord-our-errors-are-his/)

[Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/)

> [Not in the state of unconsciousness, but in full awareness when the higher Power will descend into and direct us, then only the yogic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/not-in-the-state-of-unconsciousness-but-in-full-awareness-when-the/)

[Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/)

> [A woman has the greatest opportunity to provide the best outcome for a baby and its potentialities. Not only by having a conscious and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/a-woman-has-the-greatest-opportunity-to-provide-the-best-outcome-for/)

[Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/)

> [They proved to me by convincing reasons that God does not exist; Afterwards I saw God, for he came and embraced me. And now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/they-proved-to-me-by-convincing-reasons-that-god-does-not-exist/)

[Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/)

> [The yogin becomes aware in part of the action of the supramental power organizing the lower vehicle (ādhāra). A part of it remains behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/the-yogin-becomes-aware-in-part-of-the-action-of-the-supramental/)

[Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/)

> [Spirituality is indeed the master key of the Indian mind; the sense of the infinitive is native to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/spirituality-is-indeed-the-master-key-of-the-indian-mind-the-sense-of/)

[Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/)

> [A hidden Bliss is at the root of things. A mute Delight regards Time's countless works: To house God's joy in things Space gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/a-hidden-bliss-is-at-the-root-of-things-a-mute-delight-regards-time-s/)

[Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/)

[Explore all 264 Sri Aurobindo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/)

## More Conquest quotes

> [Here's the reality. The image of a white Jesus has been used to justify enslavement, conquest, colonialism, the genocide of indigenous peoples. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/here-s-the-reality-the-image-of-a-white-jesus-has-been-used-to/)

[Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/)

> [Politics...You see, it depends on what kind of politics. What we did during my father's generation was a duty. And it was beautiful because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/politics-you-see-it-depends-on-what-kind-of-politics-what-we-did/)

[Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/)

> [If love is the quest, then marriage is the conquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-love-is-the-quest-then-marriage-is-the-conquest/)

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

> [We must not forget that what I mean by the conquest of the world by spiritual thought is the sending out of the life-giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/we-must-not-forget-that-what-i-mean-by-the-conquest-of-the-world-by/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [Any piece of knowledge which the pupil has himself acquired- any problem which he has himself solved, becomes, by virtue of the conquest, much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/any-piece-of-knowledge-which-the-pupil-has-himself-acquired-any/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [I have visited sweatshops, factories, and crowded slums. If I could not see it, I could smell it. The foundation of society is laid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/i-have-visited-sweatshops-factories-and-crowded-slums-if-i-could-not/)

[Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/)

> [It is in meeting the great tests that mankind can most successfully rise to great heights. Out of danger and restless insecurity comes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/it-is-in-meeting-the-great-tests-that-mankind-can-most-successfully/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [By the age of three, the child has already laid down the foundations of his personality as a human being, and only then does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/by-the-age-of-three-the-child-has-already-laid-down-the-foundations/)

[Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/)

> [I refer to the misunderstanding of Soviet Russia as an aggressive power, militaristically and ideologically bent upon world domination 'seeing', to quote a recent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enoch-powell/i-refer-to-the-misunderstanding-of-soviet-russia-as-an-aggressive/)

[Enoch Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enoch-powell/)

> [At length weariness succeeds to labor, and the mind lies at ease in the contemplation of her own attainments without any desire of new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/at-length-weariness-succeeds-to-labor-and-the-mind-lies-at-ease-in/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [The film The Conquest will be seen on many different levels and the American point of view is always more technical. The French are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xavier-durringer/the-film-the-conquest-will-be-seen-on-many-different-levels-and-the/)

[Xavier Durringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xavier-durringer/)

> [Misgovernment is of four kinds, often in combination. They are: 1) tyranny or oppression, of which history provides so many well-known examples that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/misgovernment-is-of-four-kinds-often-in-combination-they-are-1/)

[Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/)

> [In scientific thought, the concept functions all the better for being cut off from all background images. In its full exercise, the scientific concept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/in-scientific-thought-the-concept-functions-all-the-better-for-being/)

[Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/)

> [There must be a law if there is to be liberty. Try to play a piano and you will run into laws as fixed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-rogers/there-must-be-a-law-if-there-is-to-be-liberty-try-to-play-a-piano-and/)

[Adrian Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-rogers/)

> [The Islamic conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. It is a discouraging tale, for its evident moral is that civilization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/the-islamic-conquest-of-india-is-probably-the-bloodiest-story-in/)

[Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/)

[Browse all 567 Conquest quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conquest/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Vain indeed is all overweening pride in the conquest even of the entire universe if one has not conquered one's own passions.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sri Aurobindo"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/vain-indeed-is-all-overweening-pride-in-the-conquest-even-of-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Conquest"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/vain-indeed-is-all-overweening-pride-in-the-conquest-even-of-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad3/sri-aurobindo-1257_conquest_vain-indeed-is-all-overweening-pride-in_3186563.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad3/sri-aurobindo-1257_conquest_vain-indeed-is-all-overweening-pride-in_3186563.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad3/sri-aurobindo-1257_conquest_vain-indeed-is-all-overweening-pride-in_3186563.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Vain indeed is all overweening pride in the conquest even of the entire universe if one has not conquered…” — Sri Aurobindo",
                "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": "Sri Aurobindo",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Vain indeed is all overweening pride...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/vain-indeed-is-all-overweening-pride-in-the-conquest-even-of-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/vain-indeed-is-all-overweening-pride-in-the-conquest-even-of-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
