The Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 6 · verse 6.35
Without doubt, O mighty-armed, the mind is difficult to control and restless. But by practice and by dispassion, it can be brought under control.
Sanskrit (Devanagari)
असंशयं महाबाहो मनो दुर्निग्रहं चलम्। अभ्यासेन तु कौन्तेय वैराग्येण च गृह्यते॥
Transliteration
asaṁśayaṁ mahā-bāho mano durnigrahaṁ calam; abhyāsena tu kaunteya vairāgyeṇa ca gṛhyate
English translation
Without doubt, O mighty-armed, the mind is difficult to control and restless. But by practice and by dispassion, it can be brought under control.
Meaning — what the verse is actually saying
Krishna agrees with Arjuna that the mind is hard to control. He does not deny it. He gives two specific tools: abhyāsa — sustained repeated practice; and vairāgya — dispassion, non-grasping. Both are needed. Practice without dispassion becomes performance; dispassion without practice becomes laziness.
Modern practice — what to do today because of this
For any habit you are building, ask: am I bringing both practice and dispassion to it? Showing up is the abhyāsa. Not making it about the outcome of any single session is the vairāgya. Together they work. Either alone fails.