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Which general wrote, "Discipline is the soul of an army"?

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discipline

American  

[dis-uh-plin] / ˈdɪs ə plɪn /

noun

• disciplines
  plural

1. 

   training to act in accordance with rules; drill.

   military discipline.

2. an activity, exercise, or regimen that develops or improves a skill; training.

   Sticking to specific and regular mealtimes is excellent discipline for many dieters.

3. a branch of instruction or learning.

   the disciplines of history and economics.

4. punishment inflicted by way of correction and training.

   Synonyms:

   castigation, chastisement

5. the rigor or training effect of experience, adversity, etc..

   the harsh discipline of poverty.

6. behavior in accord with rules of conduct; behavior and order maintained by training and control.

   good discipline in an army.

7. a set or system of rules and regulations.

8. Ecclesiastical. the system of government regulating the practice of a church as distinguished from its doctrine.

9. an instrument of punishment, especially a whip or scourge, used in the practice of self-mortification or as an instrument of chastisement in certain religious communities.

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verb (used with object)

• disciplines,
  present (3rd person singular)
• disciplined,
  past participle,  past
• disciplining
  present participle

1. to train by instruction and exercise; drill.

2. to bring to a state of order and obedience by training and control.

3. to punish or penalize in order to train and control; correct; chastise.

discipline British  

/ ˈdɪsɪplɪn /

noun

1. training or conditions imposed for the improvement of physical powers, self-control, etc

2. systematic training in obedience to regulations and authority

3. the state of improved behaviour, etc, resulting from such training or conditions

4. punishment or chastisement

5. a system of rules for behaviour, methods of practice, etc

6. a branch of learning or instruction

7. the laws governing members of a Church

8. a scourge of knotted cords

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verb

1. to improve or attempt to improve the behaviour, orderliness, etc, of by training, conditions, or rules

2. to punish or correct

Synonym Usage

See punish.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• discipliner
  noun
• multidiscipline
  noun
• prediscipline
  noun
• subdiscipline
  noun
• overdiscipline
  verb
• rediscipline
  verb (used with object)
• disciplinable
  adjective
• disciplinal
  adjective
• nondisciplining
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• disciplines
  plural

Participles

• disciplining
  present
• disciplined
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• discipline
  simple
• disciplines
  simple
• have disciplined
  perfect
• has disciplined
  perfect
• am disciplining
  progressive
• are disciplining
  progressive
• is disciplining
  progressive
• have been disciplining
  perfect progressive
• has been disciplining
  perfect progressive

Past

• disciplined
  simple
• had disciplined
  perfect
• was disciplining
  progressive
• were disciplining
  progressive
• had been disciplining
  perfect progressive

Future

• will discipline
  simple
• will have disciplined
  perfect
• will be disciplining
  progressive
• will have been disciplining
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of discipline

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin disciplīna “instruction, tuition,” equivalent to discipul(us) “pupil, learner, trainee” + -ina noun suffix; see origin at disciple; see -ine ²

Explanation

When you have discipline, you have self-control. When you discipline children, you are either teaching them to be well-behaved, or you are punishing and correcting them. The origins of this word offer great clues about its current meanings. The Old French descepline referred to punishment and suffering. The Latin disciplina meant "teaching, learning." The Old English version referred to a branch of knowledge or field of study (so if you're really good at word origins, you might want to make etymology your discipline). Developing discipline as a form of training is a military concept that's more than 500 years old.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

discipline disciplines disciplined disciplining

“Our focus is on turning those financing opportunities into durable earnings, choosing where we commit capital with the same discipline we apply to growing the business,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Since then, the university has investigated the “Cornell Seven”—the seven frat brothers directly involved—and imposed discipline ranging from expulsion to compulsory essay writing.

From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026

The mansion allegedly had 32 motion-activated cameras which Hochman said were used by the couple to monitor the discipline given by the nannies.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

TMO: The suit and the uniform are often associated with discipline, restraint and even the denial of pleasure.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

At the National Political Training Institute, or Napola, the boys received additional military training, with an emphasis on the spirit, duty, and discipline of the soldier.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

An interpretive method disciplines the decision-making process, but it doesn’t free judges of the need to exercise judgment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

Understanding exactly what was happening during the reaction required researchers from several scientific disciplines and the use of multiple advanced analytical techniques.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026

The championships include both the road race and time trial disciplines, with Pinarello Q36.5's Pidcock leading the men's team in the road race, while Ethan Hayter races in the men's time trial.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

Held on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul –- a vast mountain lake in northern Kyrgyzstan -- athletes have been competing in dozens of disciplines: from intellectual board games to arm-wrestling.

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

Meanwhile, new disciplines and new technologies were creating new ways to examine the past.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

They are exceedingly disciplined, to the point they sometimes appear allergic to the very concept of swinging.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

The audit said the state agency’s leadership disciplined the officer but did not provide any details.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

This will require a smarter balance sheet along with disciplined capital allocation and charging realistic rates on loans.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

The four female students were identified and disciplined, according to officials at San Marcos High School and the Santa Barbara Unified School District, who did not release the students’ names or detail the discipline.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

I felt that, wherever black people committed themselves, in the Little Rocks and the Birminghams and other places, militantly disciplined Muslims should also be there—for all the world to see, and respect, and discuss.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

"I think parents feel very nervous about disciplining children now because they're worried about how it's going to make them feel," she argues.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

The IMF, the one body charged with disciplining imbalances, has no means to do so.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

But it has no say in the disciplining of the department’s sworn and civilian employees — a role that falls to the police chief.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2026

Rate hikes aimed at disciplining speculation can do more than cool the room.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026

Many times I had said to my own assistants that anyone in a position to discipline others must be able to take disciplining himself.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

Related Words

• control
• development
• education
• method
• practice
• preparation
• regulation
• restraint
• self-control
• self-restraint
• will