Philosophers speak of parts of the soul, which in turn is part of what we are, form to body. Our mental powers include mind and will and imagination. There are mindless desires too, seemingly with a mind of their own, another law in our members. The moral drama consists of bringing these into alignment, becoming mindful, thought directing our desires and not being led around by them, in Plato's phrase. The stage is chiefly an inner one.
Thought is father to the deed.
Even if the deed does not ensue the thought may have a moral bent. Betrayals and heroic acts begin within. T he poets and saints use other metaphors. Mount Purgatory has seven stories named for the capital sins that must be purged from the soul if it is to be capable of seeing God. The mystic's mountaineering does not wait for death but begins now.