Do we not see, even in our own little experience, how things go wrong when we have become weak in will, or mind, in one affair or another? It is not possible to master the conditions of life until we have learnt to control ourselves. Once we have mastery over self, everything will go right. It is just the same as when a rider has no strength in his fingers, so that he cannot hold the horse's reins. His fingers must obey his mind before the horse will obey. This is true for all circumstances of life with the various conditions around us, our relations, our friends. We may complain that no one listens; that one's servant does not do what we wish him to do; that one's assistants do not carry out our wishes. One may blame them when all the time it is ourselves who are to be blamed, because we have not mastered ourselves first. After that, they would obey.