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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

But the job is about more than discipline, and on that scale, Wiles is little better than Meadows.

From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026

Buffett, in one of his last messages to stockholders as CEO, praised them to the heights, saying they were high-quality businesses, very good value and Berkshire-like in their capital discipline.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

The discipline, over time, just became a part of his identity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

Now, a more promotional retail environment is testing that discipline.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Does not require teacher training in the arts discipline.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

And if so, what are the majors or disciplines that will be the most valuable for finance professionals?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 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

The program trains students from a range of disciplines to develop strategies for addressing resource scarcity, climate change, and extreme weather events, as well as food, water, and energy crises.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026

A new bachelor’s degree in digital humanities will teach students how to integrate AI and digital tools into disciplines including sociology, archaeology, history, and the study of race and gender.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

He hoped that Haiti would provide him field opportunities to integrate the two disciplines and to make sure this was the career he really wanted.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Philipson declined to speculate over whether there would be tax rises in the Budget on 28 October, and said the government remained committed to being disciplined about its spending rules.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

The North Koreans were receiving practical training at the plant, according to the posts, in which a production-line operator offered an assessment: “Our Korean colleagues are very disciplined, responsible and hardworking.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Artificial-intelligence stocks have stemmed the bleeding, after a selloff on Monday spurred by concerns that major model creators would start taking a more disciplined approach to AI development and spending.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

Vera Bradley is benefiting from its refreshed product assortment, a stepped-up marketing strategy, improved inventory management, and disciplined pricing and promotion governance, Bickley said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

"You've got to be disciplined, boy," he said.

From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison

The State Bar would be tasked with disciplining lawyers that flout the rule.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

The solicitors firm added that the ambulance trust was "not formally disciplining" staff but had "strengthened their HR process for future incidents".

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026

“By arresting Villarreal, rather than solely disciplining the employee for any wrongdoing, county officials took this ‘everyday journalism’ and transformed it ‘into a crime,’ ” she wrote.

From Slate ● Mar. 26, 2026

“Allowing something like that to happen under my supervision. Not properly disciplining Louisa for her indiscretion. And Louisa couldn’t come forward because she—because.”

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Related Words

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