Musar for Berakhot 9:2

א"ר לוי בר חמא אמר ר"ש בן לקיש לעולם ירגיז אדם יצר טוב על יצר הרע שנא' (תהלים ד, ה) רגזו ואל תחטאו. אם נצחו מוטב ואם לאו יעסוק בתורה שנאמר אמרו בלבבכם אם נצחו מוטב ואם לאו יקרא קריאת שמע שנאמר על משכבכם אם נצחו מוטב ואם לאו יזכור לו יום המיתה שנאמר ודומו סלה.

R. Levi b. Hamma said in the name of R. Simeon b. Lakish: A man should always oppose [yargiz] the good impulse to the evil impulse ; as it is said : "Tremble [rigzu] and sin not" (ibid. iv. 5). If he conquer it, well and good ; but if not, let him occupy himself with Torah ; as it is said, "Commune with your own heart" (ibid.). Should this gain him the victory, well and good; but if not, let him read the Shema' ; as it is said, "Upon your bed." If he conquer it, well and good ; but if not, let him reflect upon the day of death; as it is said, "And be still. Selah."

Shemirat HaLashon

And even if some time transpires in which, for some reason, one cannot spur himself to this, or in which he sometimes finds himself defeated in this by the yetzer, still, he must not allow himself to despair of ever attaining it. For if he strengthens himself further and arouses himself to this guarding, he will emerge the victor and will conduct himself accordingly all of his days. This is Chazal's intent in (Berachoth 5a): "Let one always incite his good yetzer against his evil yetzer, etc." This "incitement" consists in his always waging war with him, as we have written.

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