The Power of Habit
"The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg explores the science behind habit formation and how habits influence our lives. Duhigg introduces the "habit loop," consisting of cue, routine, and reward, and explains how understanding this loop can help individuals and organizations change behaviors. The book combines research with real-life examples to illustrate the transformative power of habits in personal and professional contexts.
26 curated highlights from this book
Key Insights & Memorable Quotes
Below are the most impactful passages and quotes from The Power of Habit, carefully selected to capture the essence of the book.
Habits are the choices that all of us deliberately make at some point, and then stop thinking about but continue doing, often every day.
The difference between successful people and everyone else is how long they spend time feeling sorry for themselves.
Once you understand that habits can be changed, you have the power to change your life.
The brain runs on a kind of autopilot, and once a habit is formed, it can be difficult to change.
To change a habit, you must keep the old cue, and deliver the old reward, but insert a new routine.
Willpower is like a muscle; the more you use it, the stronger it gets.
The key to self-control is understanding how your habits work.
Small wins are a way to generate momentum and foster a sense of progress.
You can never go wrong if you are doing what you believe in.
Habits are powerful but delicate; they can emerge outside our consciousness, or we can choose to rebuild them.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.
The difference between successful people and everyone else is how long they spend feeling sorry for themselves.
Habits aren’t destiny. They can be ignored, changed, or replaced.
The process of habit formation is a three-step loop: cue, routine, reward.
To change a habit, you must keep the old cue and deliver the old reward, but insert a new routine.
The key to building lasting habits is to understand how they work.
Willpower is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets.
People don’t just choose their habits; they choose their futures.
Your brain is constantly looking for ways to save effort.
Habits, scientists say, emerge because the brain is constantly looking for ways to save effort.
The cue is the trigger for the habit, the routine is the behavior itself, and the reward is what the brain gets out of it.
The brain is constantly looking for ways to save effort.
Believing you can change is the first step to changing.
The more you repeat a behavior, the more automatic it becomes.
Successful people are simply those with successful habits.
You have to be intentional about your habits if you want to change them.