“As a general rule, the more immediate pleasure you get from an action, the more strongly you should question whether it aligns with your long-term goals.”

You need to know who you want to be.

You do it because it’s who you are and it feels good to be you. The more a habit becomes part of your life, the less you need outside encouragement to follow through.

The problem with a goals-first mentality is that you’re continually putting happiness off until the next milestone.

Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity.

In short: genes do not determine your destiny. They determine your areas of opportunity.

We all deal with setbacks but in the long run, the quality of our lives often depends on the quality of our habits

You don’t have to be the victim of your environment. You can also be the architect of it.

Good habits make time your ally. Bad habits make time your enemy.

Habits reduce cognitive load and free up mental capacity, so you can allocate your attention to other tasks.

The most practical way to change who you are is to change what you do.

Your culture sets your expectation for what is normal. Surround yourself with people who have the habits you want to have yourself.

Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress.

Some people spend their entire lives waiting for the time to be right to make an improvement.

You don’t have to build the habits everyone tells you to build. Choose the habit that best suits you, not the one that is most popular.

Objects in motion tend to stay in motion. Find a way to get started in less than two minutes.

Habits are like the atoms of our lives. Each one is a fundamental unit that contributes to your overall improvement.

Never confuse movement with action.

It is not the actions of others which trouble us but rather it is our own judgments.

Your actions are your only belongings.

Dream, Dream & Dream. Dreams transform into thoughts and thoughts result in action.

The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the greatest intention.

Words may show a man’s wit, actions his meaning.

It is wrong and immoral to seek to escape the consequences of one’s acts.

A novel must show how the world truly is. Somehow, reveals the true source of our actions.