Self Restraint, an imperative need for success

As we know, two qualities that distinguishes a man from a beast are his consciousness of the need to exercise self restraint and temper his conduct against his own impulses and the power of discrimination. The inevitable question that confronts an average man is whether it would be practically possible for him to strictly live upto the standards as advocated by the wisemen of yore. Is it really possible for an average man in this fast paced times to restrain himself from acting according to his impulses at the spur of the moment?