--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had not then learned the philosophy…" description: "\"“I had not then learned the philosophy which teaches that he who would attempt enterprises of great command, must begin his government by laying its fo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b6/william-reynolds-287174_business_i-had-not-then-learned-the-philosophy-wh_2739719.jpg" --- # I had not then learned the philosophy which teaches that… ![“I had not then learned the philosophy which teaches that he who would attempt enterprises of great command, must begin his government by laying its foundations in his own breast, in control of his own passions & that he who would survey the world must first sound the depth & shallows of his own…” quote by William Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b6/william-reynolds-287174_business_i-had-not-then-learned-the-philosophy-wh_2739719.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b6/william-reynolds-287174_business_i-had-not-then-learned-the-philosophy-wh_2739719.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b6/william-reynolds-287174_business_i-had-not-then-learned-the-philosophy-wh_2739719.jpg) > ““I had not then learned the philosophy which teaches that he who would attempt enterprises of great command, must begin his government by laying its foundations in his own breast, in control of his own passions & that he who would survey the world must first sound the depth & shallows of his own character.”” William Reynolds ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Great leadership starts with self‑mastery; one must understand and control personal passions before governing others. **In simple terms:** Leaders must first master themselves before leading others. Key Takeaway Master yourself before leading. Themes leadership self‑mastery philosophy politics character Mood inspirational reflective Type Business:0 Philbrick:0 Philosophy:1 Politics:1 Philosophy Teaches:0 Learned Philosophy:0 Shallows Character:0 Begin Government:0 When to use this quote - political leadership - personal development - organizational management Key Concepts ethics self‑control governance Questions to Reflect On - How does self‑control affect governance? - What practices foster inner mastery? A Different Perspective Self‑knowledge can be elusive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [“You've got a shitty habit, you know it? I've noticed it on all those TV drive-safely pitches that you do. You breathe in people's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bachman/you-ve-got-a-shitty-habit-you-know-it-i-ve-noticed-it-on-all-those-tv/) [Richard Bachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bachman/) > [That's something I learned as a philosophy major: The philosophy ethos is, always question, never rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-conover/that-s-something-i-learned-as-a-philosophy-major-the-philosophy-ethos/) [Adam Conover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-conover/) > [Philosophy teaches us to look at the world again. It brings out at a theoretical level what all plain, common, ordinary people, in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-critchley/philosophy-teaches-us-to-look-at-the-world-again-it-brings-out-at-a/) [Simon Critchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-critchley/) > [Philosophy teaches us to bear with equanimity the misfortunes of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/philosophy-teaches-us-to-bear-with-equanimity-the-misfortunes-of/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“I knew that the languages which one learns there are necessary to understand the works of the ancients; and that the delicacy of fiction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-knew-that-the-languages-which-one-learns-there-are-necessary-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“philosophy teaches us and unsettles us by confronting us with what we already know; there's an irony: the difficulty consisted in this course is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-sandel/philosophy-teaches-us-and-unsettles-us-by-confronting-us-with-what-we/) [Michael J. Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-sandel/) > [“To read these books, in this way, as an exercise in self-knowledge, carries certain risks. Risks that are both personal and political. Risks that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sandel/to-read-these-books-in-this-way-as-an-exercise-in-self-knowledge/) [Michael Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sandel/) > [Philosophy teaches how man thinks he thinks; but drinking shows how he really thinks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-daumal/philosophy-teaches-how-man-thinks-he-thinks-but-drinking-shows-how-he/) [Rene Daumal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-daumal/) > [It's living - a broad spectrum of living - that teaches you how to live, not philosophy. Philosophy teaches you how to think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-rendell/it-s-living-a-broad-spectrum-of-living-that-teaches-you-how-to-live/) [Ruth Rendell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-rendell/) > [Esoteric philosophy teaches that the physical form, the body, of the individual is made new at birth; but the soul is ancient, the stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/normandi-ellis/esoteric-philosophy-teaches-that-the-physical-form-the-body-of-the/) [Normandi Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/normandi-ellis/) > [Philosophy teaches you to think big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-chandrasekhar/philosophy-teaches-you-to-think-big/) [Jay Chandrasekhar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-chandrasekhar/) > [Philosophy teaches a man that he can't take it with him; taxes teach him he can't leave it behind either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mignon-mclaughlin/philosophy-teaches-a-man-that-he-can-t-take-it-with-him-taxes-teach/) [Mignon McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mignon-mclaughlin/) > [ \[We need not think\] that there is any Contradiction, when Philosophy teaches that to be done by Nature; which Religion, and the Sacred Scriptures,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nehemiah-grew/we-need-not-think-that-there-is-any-contradiction-when-philosophy/) Nehemiah Grew > [“Philosophy teaches us to feel uncertain about the things that seems to us self-evident. Propaganda, on the other hand, teaches us to accept as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/philosophy-teaches-us-to-feel-uncertain-about-the-things-that-seems/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [“MIND & GRIND Self-belief and hard work can propel you past more talented peers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/mind-grind-self-belief-and-hard-work-can-propel-you-past-more/) [Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/) ## More Business quotes > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/) [Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/) [Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/) [Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) [Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I had not then learned the philosophy which teaches that he who would attempt enterprises of great command, must begin his government by laying its foundations in his own breast, in control of his own passions & that he who would survey the world must first sound the depth & shallows of his own character.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Reynolds" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-reynolds/i-had-not-then-learned-the-philosophy-which-teaches-that-he-who-would/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Business" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-reynolds/i-had-not-then-learned-the-philosophy-which-teaches-that-he-who-would/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b6/william-reynolds-287174_business_i-had-not-then-learned-the-philosophy-wh_2739719.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b6/william-reynolds-287174_business_i-had-not-then-learned-the-philosophy-wh_2739719.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b6/william-reynolds-287174_business_i-had-not-then-learned-the-philosophy-wh_2739719.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I had not then learned the philosophy which teaches that he who would attempt enterprises of great command…” — William Reynolds", "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": "William Reynolds", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-reynolds/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I had not then learned the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-reynolds/i-had-not-then-learned-the-philosophy-which-teaches-that-he-who-would/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-reynolds/i-had-not-then-learned-the-philosophy-which-teaches-that-he-who-would/#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 } } ] } ```