Perhaps—like writing, leadership, and a sense of humor—good habits are something that must be learned, but can’t be taught.
People take less food when using tongs, instead of spoons, to serve themselves.
Outer order isn’t a matter of having less or having more; it’s a matter of wanting what we have.
One of the best ways to make myself happy is to make other people happy. One of the best ways to make other people happy is to be happy myself.
Of all the things that wisdom provides for living one’s entire life in happiness, the greatest by far is the possession of friendship. You
Now that I know I’m an Upholder, an Abstainer, a Marathoner, a Finisher, and a Lark, and have spent a lot of time thinking about what is, and isn’t, important to me, I’m much better able to shape my h...
My home should calm me and energize me. It should be a comforting, quiet refuge and a place of excitement and possibility. It should call to my mind the past, the present, and the future. It should be...
My ambition, however, was also a factor in leaving the law. I'd become convinced that passion was a critical factor in professional success... I could see that in my co-clerks at the Supreme Court: th...
Moral Licensing Loophole: In moral licensing, we give ourselves permission to do something bad (eat potato chips, bust the budget) because we’ve been good. We reason that we’ve earned it or deserve it...
I’ve learned to resist my inclination to meet an expectation unthinkingly, and to ask, Why am I meeting this expectation, anyway?
It’s been freeing to focus on what works for me rather than what’s wrong with me.
It’s a very unsettling and interesting exercise to think about the people in my life and to imagine myself in a minor, supporting role. How do I fit into their fates? Am I helping?
It would be impossible for me to eat one square of chocolate a day. For the rest of the day, I’d be thinking about that bar of chocolate. In fact, I discovered that the question Could you eat one squa...
It is a sign of maturity not to be scandalized and to try to find explanations in charity.
Information, consequences, choice. Without lectures or micro-management or rescue.
In general, happiness doesn’t make people want to drink daiquiris on the beach; it makes them want to help rural villagers gain better access to clean water.
In a nutshell, Rebels respond best to a sequence of information, consequences, and choice. We must give Rebels the information they need to make an informed decision; alert them to the consequences of...
In The First 20 Minutes, Gretchen Reynolds notes, I stand on one foot when I brush my teeth at night.
I was reminded of Lord Kelvin’s observation, overbroad but nevertheless thought-provoking: When you cannot express it in number, your knowledge is of a meager and unsatisfactory kind.
I should monitor whatever is essential to me. In that way, I ensure that my life reflects my values.