Conquer your lustful desires and your wisdom will be perfected.

The saying links ethical self-mastery to intellectual and spiritual maturity: wisdom is not treated as mere information, but as a perfected state of judgment that emerges when the appetites are disciplined. “Lustful desires” here can be read broadly as overpowering impulses—especially sexual desire, but also any craving that clouds discernment and makes the self reactive rather than reflective. In this moral psychology, unchecked desire fragments attention, distorts priorities, and invites rationalization; conquering it restores inner order, allowing reason and conscience to guide action. The quote thus frames wisdom as inseparable from character formation: knowledge becomes “perfected” when the self is governed rather than governed by its passions.