One of the best means by which you can succeed in doing this is to
fortify your will, giving it that authority and consistency which it
needs in order to govern the imagination; without a strong will, that
remains always self-composed in the midst of the tumult of the senses
and the activity of the imagination, you will certainly fail to
confine the latter to a just moderation.
That your judgment may enjoy perfect liberty and ease, your every
act should be determined during peaceful calmness. Do not forget
that, while you are passing through moments of excitement and
pre-occupation, you are unable to see things rightly and execute them
properly. When in this state of mind a project is proposed to your
consideration; you will find that your heart is already fixed upon it
before you have duly examined it; then the liberty of your mind
becomes shackled either by vain hopes or fears suggested by some
blind and violent instinct. In this and similar circumstances you
should proceed with great precaution.
It is prudent and wise to defer taking action in any serious matter
until self-composure is completely restored, until the mind is
serene, the heart at peace, and the will in full possession of its
liberty.
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