Definition of "self-discipline" [self•-dis•ci•pline]

• Training and control of oneself and one's conduct, usually for personal improvement. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The definition of self-discipline is the ability to regulate one’s conduct by principle and sound judgment, rather than by impulse, desire, or social custom."
• "Abolitionists continued the movement of the Founding Fathers to replace external controls over the people with strict self-discipline."
• "They faced what the historian Daniel Horowitz calls “the dilemma materialism posed to the values of hard work, saving, and self-discipline.”"