You must admit you have self-control before you can use it.

The line argues that self-control begins with self-recognition: you cannot deliberately exercise restraint or discipline if you deny that you possess the capacity for it. “Admit” suggests an internal acknowledgment—accepting responsibility and agency—rather than waiting for perfect willpower to appear. The quote also implies a practical psychology: believing you can regulate impulses is a prerequisite to attempting regulation, much as confidence in a skill enables practice. In this sense, it reframes self-control as something activated by mindset and honesty, not merely a fixed trait you either have or lack.