Fact Check

Did Morgan Freeman Say 'Self-Control Is Strength'?

We looked for the origins of a quote with Morgan Freeman's name on it that has appeared in Facebook memes and tweets since at least 2018.

Published April 26, 2022

According to a quote Morgan Freeman once said self-control is strength and calmness is mastery and you have to get to the point where your mood doesn't shift based on the insignificant actions of someone else and don't allow others to control the direction of your life and don't allow your emotions to overpower your intelligence. (Facebook)
Image Via Facebook
Claim:
Film actor Morgan Freeman said: "Self-control is strength. Calmness is mastery. You have to get to the point where your mood doesn't shift based on the insignificant actions of someone else. Don't allow others to control the direction of your life. Don't allow your emotions to overpower your intelligence."

Fact Check

Since at least 2018, Facebook and Twitter users have shared a misattributed quote with movie actor Morgan Freeman's name under it: "Self-control is strength. Calmness is mastery. You have to get to the point where your mood doesn't shift based on the insignificant actions of someone else. Don't allow others to control the direction of your life. Don't allow your emotions to overpower your intelligence."

The "self-control is strength" quote with Freeman's face has been posted several times on the Anxiety Freedom Today Facebook page, each time receiving many thousands of shares. Most of the comments read, "So true!" In the past, we've found that a bunch of "So true!" comments can be a red flag that the post might be at least somewhat misleading:

While it's possible that Freeman might agree with various aspects of the sentiment of the quote, there's no evidence that he ever said these words.

In 2019, the See the Butterfly blog correctly pointed out that the first part of the quote originally came not from Freeman, but from author James Allen's 1903 book, "As a Man Thinketh." Project Gutenberg published the original quote in context. See the bolded words below:

CALMNESS of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom. It is the result of long and patient effort in self-control. Its presence is an indication of ripened experience, and of a more than ordinary knowledge of the laws and operations of thought.

...

Yes, humanity surges with uncontrolled passion, is tumultuous with ungoverned grief, is blown about by anxiety and doubt only the wise man, only he whose thoughts are controlled and purified, makes the winds and the storms of the soul obey him.

Tempest-tossed souls, wherever ye may be, under whatsoever conditions ye may live, know this in the ocean of life the isles of Blessedness are smiling, and the sunny shore of your ideal awaits your coming. Keep your hand firmly upon the helm of thought. In the bark of your soul reclines the commanding Master; He does but sleep: wake Him. Self-control is strength; Right Thought is mastery; Calmness is power. Say unto your heart, "Peace, be still!"

In sum, the "self-control is strength" quote originally came from Allen, not Freeman.

Sources

April. “There Is so Much More Going on Here...” See the Butterfly, 16 Feb. 2019, https://www.seethebutterfly.com/2019/02/16/there-is-so-much-more-going-on-here/.

The Project Gutenberg E-Text of As a Man Thinketh, by James Allen. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/4507/4507-h/4507-h.htm.

Jordan Liles is a Senior Reporter who has been with Snopes since 2016.