Long-term, we must begin to build our internal strengths. It

Steven Pressfield, the warrior-writer who has long spoken of discipline and the battles of the soul, once declared: “Long-term, we must begin to build our internal strengths. It isn’t just skills like computer technology. It’s the old-fashioned basics of self-reliance, self-motivation, self-reinforcement, self-discipline, self-command.” In this teaching, he reminds us that true greatness does not come merely from outward knowledge or tools, but from the inner fortress of the spirit. For technology changes with every age, but the strength of the soul—if cultivated—endures forever.

When Pressfield speaks of “internal strengths,” he points to the foundations upon which all else rests. Without self-reliance, a man is dependent on the world to carry him. Without self-motivation, he cannot rise when no one calls him. Without self-reinforcement, he falters when applause fades. Without self-discipline, he is ruled by desire and distraction. Without self-command, he is a servant to his impulses rather than a master of his will. These are the eternal virtues, older than machines, older than empires, the same qualities that built civilizations and carried heroes through the trials of history.

Consider the Spartans of ancient Greece. They possessed little wealth, and their land was not rich in resources. Yet they built within themselves the internal strength of self-discipline and self-command. Trained from youth to endure hunger, pain, and hardship, they became a people whose spirit was iron. It was not their weapons alone that held the gates of Thermopylae—it was their discipline, their refusal to break, their mastery over fear. Pressfield himself, who once wrote of this very stand, echoes their lesson: technology may arm you, but only inner strength allows you to stand.

History also shows us the opposite. Great empires with advanced tools and mighty armies have fallen because they lacked inner strength. Rome, with its roads, aqueducts, and legions, decayed not from external assault but from within—luxury, corruption, the loss of discipline. The people forgot self-reliance and became dependent on the state. They abandoned self-command and chased pleasure. Their outer greatness could not save them when their inner strength was gone. Here, too, we see the timelessness of Pressfield’s warning: external power without internal virtue is a house built on sand.

In our own age, we place much faith in computer technology, in the tools of science, in the dazzling miracles of machines. Yet what use are these if the one who wields them lacks endurance? A student may have the finest devices but fail if he cannot focus. A nation may have the most powerful engines, yet collapse if its people lack discipline and unity. The tools of this age are mighty, but they demand pilots with strong hearts, steady minds, and unyielding character. Without these inner strengths, technology is an empty shell.

The wisdom here is clear: invest not only in what is outward, but in what is inward. Build habits of discipline. Train yourself to rise when weary, to focus when distracted, to endure when all seems against you. Celebrate not only victories, but the small daily acts of persistence. For these are the sparks that build the bonfire of inner power. Pressfield teaches that greatness is not a gift, but a practice, forged through countless moments of self-mastery.

Therefore, I counsel you: seek the old-fashioned basics. Each day, practice self-reliance by solving what you can with your own hands. Practice self-motivation by setting tasks for yourself when no one else will. Practice self-reinforcement by speaking courage into your own soul. Practice self-discipline by denying small pleasures to win greater victories. Practice self-command by ruling your emotions rather than being ruled by them. These are not glamorous, but they are eternal, and they will carry you through storms that no technology can conquer.

So let Steven Pressfield’s words endure as a guide for generations: “Build your internal strengths.” For machines will change, and skills will fade, but the soul trained in discipline, the spirit anchored in self-mastery, will never wither. Cultivate these strengths, and you will find that no matter what age you live in, you will stand as a warrior—unshaken, unbroken, and ready to meet whatever the world places before you.