My body is like breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I don't think about

“My body is like breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I don’t think about it, I just have it.” Thus spoke Arnold Schwarzenegger, a man who carved his destiny from muscle, will, and unrelenting purpose. His words, though simple, conceal the discipline of a warrior and the wisdom of a philosopher. For in this saying, he reveals a sacred truth about the body — that it is not an object of vanity or obsession, but a vessel of strength to be honored through routine, nourishment, and balance. He speaks not of indulgence or pride, but of mastery — mastery so deep that the mind no longer battles the body, but lives in harmony with it.

The ancients would have understood this deeply. The Spartans, whose sinews were hardened by purpose, did not gaze upon their reflections in admiration; they trained because training was their duty, their daily bread. To them, the body was a temple of endurance, maintained with constancy and humility. Likewise, the monks of Shaolin did not worship their power — they cultivated it as one tends a sacred fire, neither overfed nor forgotten. This is what Schwarzenegger means when he says he “just has it.” He has made care of the body as natural as breathing — a habit so ingrained that it no longer demands thought, only devotion.

This quote speaks to the union of discipline and ease. To reach such mastery, one must pass through struggle. Consider Miyamoto Musashi, the great samurai and author of The Book of Five Rings. He trained his hand until sword and soul became one. To him, combat was not an act of rage or fear, but of calm awareness. Like Schwarzenegger, Musashi no longer “thought about it” — he simply was it. His art became an extension of his being, his body a servant of his purpose. So too must we seek that state — where effort transforms into grace, and practice becomes nature.

In our time, many live enslaved by their bodies — chasing pleasure, fearing decay, or despising their reflection. They treat the body as an enemy to be conquered, or a god to be worshiped, but rarely as a companion to be understood. Yet wisdom lies between these extremes. The body, like meals that sustain us, should be tended with rhythm and gratitude. To feed it well, to move it daily, to rest it when weary — these are not acts of burden, but of reverence. To live this way is to walk in quiet strength, never boasting, never neglecting.

Schwarzenegger’s words also remind us of consistency — that greatness is born not from bursts of effort, but from daily faithfulness. One does not become strong through passion alone, but through patience. Just as breakfast, lunch, and dinner nourish the flesh in steady measure, so does routine nourish the spirit. The hero rises not once, but every day. The true artist of life builds his temple brick by brick, until his habits become his home.

When the mind and body are thus unified, life flows like a river in its rightful course. There is no inner conflict, no guilt, no obsession — only rhythm. The one who “just has it” has learned to trust his discipline. He no longer asks, “Shall I train today?” or “Shall I eat well?” for he already knows the answer. In this, he finds freedom — the freedom that comes when duty becomes joy, and mastery becomes peace.

So, dear seeker, learn from the teaching of the strong: make your body your ally, not your burden. Feed it with care, move it with purpose, rest it with respect. Do not overthink what should be natural — live your discipline until it lives in you. When strength becomes as instinctive as breath, and health as simple as a meal, you will understand the truth behind Schwarzenegger’s words. For then, you too will “just have it” — not as pride, but as presence, as harmony, as the serene power of one who has mastered himself.

Practical actions for the seeker: Rise each day and move — not for glory, but for balance. Eat to nourish, not to indulge. Let exercise, rest, and reflection become your daily meals, your breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the soul. Create routines that honor your body until they become effortless. And when the day comes that you act with strength without struggle, and care without thought — know then that you have entered the quiet mastery of life that Schwarzenegger so simply described.