Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 18: Freedom through Renunciation
Bhagavad Gita 18.59
यदहङ्कारमाश्रित्य न योत्स्य इति मन्यसे ।
मिथ्यैष व्यवसायस्ते प्रकृतिस्त्वां नियोक्ष्यति ॥
yadahaṅkāramāśritya na yotsya iti manyase | mithyaiṣa vyavasāyaste prakṛtistvāṃ niyokṣyati ||
If, giving way to ego, you think, "I will not fight," that resolve of yours is in vain. Your own nature will compel you.
Modern context
If, out of ego, you think 'I will not fight', that resolve is in vain; your own nature will compel you. This is a frank observation about character. We cannot simply decide to be someone we are not. A warrior's nature will find its way to action, sooner or later. The choice is not whether to act according to one's nature, but whether to do so with wisdom or in confusion.