Abstract: Offers a resolution of a puzzle about the possibility of exercising self-control in support of one's doing what one judges best when one's desire for that course of action is weaker than one's desire to pursue a tempting alternative. The resolution is based partly on observations about the sources of the motivational strengths of desires and about various ways in which desires compete with one another. Some relevant empirical work on delay of gratification is reviewed.

Keywords: desire, gratification, judgment, motivational strength, self-control, temptation,