--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Contrary to what I might like to think,my…" description: "\"“Contrary to what I might like to think,my life is not guided by reason;it is ruled rather by the inertia of habitual motion.”\" — Amitav Ghosh" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/amitav-ghosh-16648_life_contrary-to-what-i-might-like-to-think-m_971126.jpg" --- # Contrary to what I might like to think,my life is not… ![“Contrary to what I might like to think,my life is not guided by reason;it is ruled rather by the inertia of habitual motion.” quote by Amitav Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/amitav-ghosh-16648_life_contrary-to-what-i-might-like-to-think-m_971126.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/amitav-ghosh-16648_life_contrary-to-what-i-might-like-to-think-m_971126.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/amitav-ghosh-16648_life_contrary-to-what-i-might-like-to-think-m_971126.jpg) > ““Contrary to what I might like to think,my life is not guided by reason;it is ruled rather by the inertia of habitual motion.”” [Amitav Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitav-ghosh/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human behavior is driven more by ingrained habits than by rational planning. **In simple terms:** Habits dominate over reason. Key Takeaway Identify and reshape habits. Themes psychology habit reason Mood reflective analytical Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - daily routines - decision making - personal change Key Concepts behavioral economics neuroscience Questions to Reflect On - What habit holds you back? - Can reason ever override habit? A Different Perspective Changing deep habits requires sustained effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inertia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inertia/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [Once we're thrown off our habitual paths, we think all is lost, but it's only here that the new and the good begins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/once-we-re-thrown-off-our-habitual-paths-we-think-all-is-lost-but-it/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [The nation was not founded by habitual groupthinkers. But it stands a fair chance of being destroyed by them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/the-nation-was-not-founded-by-habitual-groupthinkers-but-it-stands-a/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [Thus far we have considered the problem of conservation of land purely as an economic issue. A false front of exclusively economic determinism is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/thus-far-we-have-considered-the-problem-of-conservation-of-land/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [Perhaps one of the main antidotes to depression, lack of self-esteem, loneliness and so forth is the recognition that we really do have Buddha…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/perhaps-one-of-the-main-antidotes-to-depression-lack-of-self-esteem/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [It's not what we do once in a while that counts, but our habitual actions. What ultimately determines who we become and where we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/it-s-not-what-we-do-once-in-a-while-that-counts-but-our-habitual/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [Love itself is not an act of will, but sometimes I need the force of my volition to break with my habitual responses and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-prather/love-itself-is-not-an-act-of-will-but-sometimes-i-need-the-force-of/) [Hugh Prather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-prather/) > [The sad part is that all we're trying to do is not feel that underlying uneasiness. The sadder part is that we proceed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-sad-part-is-that-all-we-re-trying-to-do-is-not-feel-that/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [We are what we think we are. The habitual inclination of our thoughts determines our talents and abilities, and our personality. So whatever you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/we-are-what-we-think-we-are-the-habitual-inclination-of-our-thoughts/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [I am sure that the sad days and happenings were rare, and that I lived the joyous and careless life of other children; but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-loti/i-am-sure-that-the-sad-days-and-happenings-were-rare-and-that-i-lived/) [Pierre Loti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-loti/) > [ “But it is doubtless true, and evident from \[the\] Scriptures, that the essence of all true religion lies in holy love; and that in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-edwards/but-it-is-doubtless-true-and-evident-from-the-scriptures-that-the/) [Jonathan Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-edwards/) > [It's a matter of ABC: When we encounter ADVERSITY, we react by thinking about it. Our thoughts rapidly congeal into BELIEFS. These beliefs may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/it-s-a-matter-of-abc-when-we-encounter-adversity-we-react-by-thinking/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [O Heavenly Father, convert my religion from a name to a principle! Bring all my thoughts and movements into an habitual reference to Thee!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chalmers/o-heavenly-father-convert-my-religion-from-a-name-to-a-principle/) [Thomas Chalmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chalmers/) > [The mind has powers that allow us to go beyond our normal or habitual way of being, and beyond what we think is possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-jaworski/the-mind-has-powers-that-allow-us-to-go-beyond-our-normal-or-habitual/) [Joseph Jaworski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-jaworski/) > [People aren't religious because it's easy not to be. Like anything, it's habitual, and once it's a habit it's no longer hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matisyahu/people-aren-t-religious-because-it-s-easy-not-to-be-like-anything-it/) [Matisyahu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matisyahu/) > [Life is the art of being well deceived, and to succeed, it must be habitual and uninterrupted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/life-is-the-art-of-being-well-deceived-and-to-succeed-it-must-be/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) ## More by Amitav Ghosh > [“She had talked of this at length with Kadambari—Mrs. Dutt: Why should it not be possible for these freedoms to be universally available for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitav-ghosh/she-had-talked-of-this-at-length-with-kadambari-mrs-dutt-why-should/) [Amitav Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitav-ghosh/) > [“How was it that no one had ever told her that it was not love itself, but its treacherous gatekeepers which made the greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitav-ghosh/how-was-it-that-no-one-had-ever-told-her-that-it-was-not-love-itself/) [Amitav Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitav-ghosh/) > [The government to you is what God is to agnostics--only to be invoked when your own well being is at stake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitav-ghosh/the-government-to-you-is-what-god-is-to-agnostics-only-to-be-invoked/) [Amitav Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitav-ghosh/) > [“Ana (it is I)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitav-ghosh/ana-it-is-i/) [Amitav Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitav-ghosh/) > [“There was a time when the Bengali language was an angry flood trying to break down her door. She would crawl into a closet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitav-ghosh/there-was-a-time-when-the-bengali-language-was-an-angry-flood-trying/) [Amitav Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitav-ghosh/) > [ “\[C\]apitalist trade and industry cannot thrive without access to military and political power. State interventions have always been critical to its advancement.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitav-ghosh/c-apitalist-trade-and-industry-cannot-thrive-without-access-to/) [Amitav Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitav-ghosh/) > [“He said: 'You don't understand. We never thought that we were being used to conquer people. Not at all: we thought the opposite. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitav-ghosh/he-said-you-don-t-understand-we-never-thought-that-we-were-being-used/) [Amitav Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitav-ghosh/) > [“already know by instinct we're not comfortably at home in our translated world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitav-ghosh/already-know-by-instinct-we-re-not-comfortably-at-home-in-our/) [Amitav Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitav-ghosh/) > [“She remembered a word he'd often used, karuna-one of the Buddha's words, Pali for compassion, for the immanence of all living things in each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitav-ghosh/she-remembered-a-word-he-d-often-used-karuna-one-of-the-buddha-s/) [Amitav Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitav-ghosh/) > [“And now, indeed, everything began to look new, unexpected, full of surprises. I had a book in my hands to while away the time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitav-ghosh/and-now-indeed-everything-began-to-look-new-unexpected-full-of/) [Amitav Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitav-ghosh/) > [“Why don’t they complain?" "They do sometimes. But usually there's nothing in particular to complain about. Take the case of Hardy's appointment: Who was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitav-ghosh/why-don-t-they-complain-they-do-sometimes-but-usually-there-s-nothing/) [Amitav Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitav-ghosh/) > [“I had thought you were a better man, Mr Reid, a man of your word, but I see that you are nothing but a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitav-ghosh/i-had-thought-you-were-a-better-man-mr-reid-a-man-of-your-word-but-i/) [Amitav Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitav-ghosh/) > [You see, in our family we don't know whether we're coming or going - it's all my grandmother's fault. But, of course, the fault…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitav-ghosh/you-see-in-our-family-we-don-t-know-whether-we-re-coming-or-going-it/) [Amitav Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitav-ghosh/) > [ “\[T\]he great, irreplaceable potentiality of fiction is that it makes possible the imagining of possibilities.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitav-ghosh/t-he-great-irreplaceable-potentiality-of-fiction-is-that-it-makes/) [Amitav Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitav-ghosh/) > [“There seemed never to be a moment when he was not haunted by the fear of being thought lacking by his British colleagues. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitav-ghosh/there-seemed-never-to-be-a-moment-when-he-was-not-haunted-by-the-fear/) [Amitav Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitav-ghosh/) [Explore all 39 Amitav Ghosh quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitav-ghosh/) ## More Habitual quotes > [Once we're thrown off our habitual paths, we think all is lost, but it's only here that the new and the good begins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/once-we-re-thrown-off-our-habitual-paths-we-think-all-is-lost-but-it/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [People aren't religious because it's easy not to be. Like anything, it's habitual, and once it's a habit it's no longer hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matisyahu/people-aren-t-religious-because-it-s-easy-not-to-be-like-anything-it/) [Matisyahu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matisyahu/) > [The mind has powers that allow us to go beyond our normal or habitual way of being, and beyond what we think is possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-jaworski/the-mind-has-powers-that-allow-us-to-go-beyond-our-normal-or-habitual/) [Joseph Jaworski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-jaworski/) > [O Heavenly Father, convert my religion from a name to a principle! Bring all my thoughts and movements into an habitual reference to Thee!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chalmers/o-heavenly-father-convert-my-religion-from-a-name-to-a-principle/) [Thomas Chalmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chalmers/) > [It's a matter of ABC: When we encounter ADVERSITY, we react by thinking about it. Our thoughts rapidly congeal into BELIEFS. These beliefs may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/it-s-a-matter-of-abc-when-we-encounter-adversity-we-react-by-thinking/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [ “But it is doubtless true, and evident from \[the\] Scriptures, that the essence of all true religion lies in holy love; and that in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-edwards/but-it-is-doubtless-true-and-evident-from-the-scriptures-that-the/) [Jonathan Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-edwards/) > [I am sure that the sad days and happenings were rare, and that I lived the joyous and careless life of other children; but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-loti/i-am-sure-that-the-sad-days-and-happenings-were-rare-and-that-i-lived/) [Pierre Loti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-loti/) > [We are what we think we are. The habitual inclination of our thoughts determines our talents and abilities, and our personality. So whatever you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/we-are-what-we-think-we-are-the-habitual-inclination-of-our-thoughts/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [The sad part is that all we're trying to do is not feel that underlying uneasiness. The sadder part is that we proceed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-sad-part-is-that-all-we-re-trying-to-do-is-not-feel-that/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Love itself is not an act of will, but sometimes I need the force of my volition to break with my habitual responses and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-prather/love-itself-is-not-an-act-of-will-but-sometimes-i-need-the-force-of/) [Hugh Prather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-prather/) > [It's not what we do once in a while that counts, but our habitual actions. What ultimately determines who we become and where we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/it-s-not-what-we-do-once-in-a-while-that-counts-but-our-habitual/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [Perhaps one of the main antidotes to depression, lack of self-esteem, loneliness and so forth is the recognition that we really do have Buddha…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/perhaps-one-of-the-main-antidotes-to-depression-lack-of-self-esteem/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [Thus far we have considered the problem of conservation of land purely as an economic issue. A false front of exclusively economic determinism is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/thus-far-we-have-considered-the-problem-of-conservation-of-land/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [The nation was not founded by habitual groupthinkers. But it stands a fair chance of being destroyed by them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/the-nation-was-not-founded-by-habitual-groupthinkers-but-it-stands-a/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [Life is the art of being well deceived, and to succeed, it must be habitual and uninterrupted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/life-is-the-art-of-being-well-deceived-and-to-succeed-it-must-be/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) Browse all 266 Habitual quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Contrary to what I might like to think,my life is not guided by reason;it is ruled rather by the inertia of habitual motion.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Amitav Ghosh" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitav-ghosh/contrary-to-what-i-might-like-to-think-my-life-is-not-guided-by/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Habitual" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitav-ghosh/contrary-to-what-i-might-like-to-think-my-life-is-not-guided-by/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/amitav-ghosh-16648_life_contrary-to-what-i-might-like-to-think-m_971126.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/amitav-ghosh-16648_life_contrary-to-what-i-might-like-to-think-m_971126.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/amitav-ghosh-16648_life_contrary-to-what-i-might-like-to-think-m_971126.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Contrary to what I might like to think,my life is not guided by reason;it is ruled rather by the inertia of…” — Amitav Ghosh", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Amitav Ghosh", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitav-ghosh/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Contrary to what I might like...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitav-ghosh/contrary-to-what-i-might-like-to-think-my-life-is-not-guided-by/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitav-ghosh/contrary-to-what-i-might-like-to-think-my-life-is-not-guided-by/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```