--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you can quit for a day, you can quit…" description: "\"If you can quit for a day, you can quit for a lifetime.\" — Benjamin Alire Saenz" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a66/benjamin-alire-s-enz-1125_addiction_if-you-can-quit-for-a-day-you-can-quit-f_1060967.png" --- # If you can quit for a day, you can quit for a lifetime. ![“If you can quit for a day, you can quit for a lifetime.” quote by Benjamin Alire Saenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a66/benjamin-alire-s-enz-1125_addiction_if-you-can-quit-for-a-day-you-can-quit-f_1060967.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a66/benjamin-alire-s-enz-1125_addiction_if-you-can-quit-for-a-day-you-can-quit-f_1060967.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a66/benjamin-alire-s-enz-1125_addiction_if-you-can-quit-for-a-day-you-can-quit-f_1060967.png) > “If you can quit for a day, you can quit for a lifetime.” [Benjamin Alire Saenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Quitting a habit for a short period shows you can sustain it long‑term, reinforcing belief in lasting change. **In simple terms:** Short breaks prove lasting quit. Key Takeaway Use short trials to build lasting change. Themes habit change self‑control motivation Mood determined optimistic Type advice motivational When to use this quote - addiction recovery - dieting - exercise routines - smoking cessation Key Concepts behavioral psychology self‑efficacy Questions to Reflect On - What small trial can you start today? - How will you handle setbacks after the trial? A Different Perspective Short trials may not address deep triggers; lasting change often needs deeper work. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Addiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addiction/) [Lifetime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifetime/) ## Related quotes > [“You can never be done with music. No more than you can be done with breathing. The day you quit is the day you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brom/you-can-never-be-done-with-music-no-more-than-you-can-be-done-with/) [Brom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brom/) > [If I'm exhausted and I just don't feel like it, then I don't do it. I am a human being, after all. 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But never, ever quit your day dream.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-gaines/perhaps-you-can-t-quit-your-day-job-and-i-understand-that-but-never/) [Chip Gaines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-gaines/) > [Quit your day job, and do what makes you happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramandeep-singh/quit-your-day-job-and-do-what-makes-you-happy/) [Ramandeep Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramandeep-singh/) > [Ironic that in order to do my life's work, I had to quit my day job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/ironic-that-in-order-to-do-my-life-s-work-i-had-to-quit-my-day-job/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [I won an amateur night, October 8th, 1985. 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I had to quit because they said that anytime a particular song comes on the jukebox,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-scott/i-worked-at-johnny-rockets-for-one-day-i-had-to-quit-because-they/) [Adam Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-scott/) > [The day I quit, I want people to be sad about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gianluigi-buffon/the-day-i-quit-i-want-people-to-be-sad-about-it/) [Gianluigi Buffon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gianluigi-buffon/) > [If you eat the same cereal every day it's gonna get old. 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If you go out and have a bad day, you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hooker/there-s-good-days-and-bad-days-in-sports-you-have-to-understand-that/) [Dan Hooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hooker/) ## More by Benjamin Alire Saenz > [“If we studied birds ,maybe we could learn to be free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/if-we-studied-birds-maybe-we-could-learn-to-be-free/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [“It felt like there was a whole world inside her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/it-felt-like-there-was-a-whole-world-inside-her/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [“Breakfast seemed to be a good time for throwing your emotions around. Jodie said that at this place emotions were like Frisbees – people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/breakfast-seemed-to-be-a-good-time-for-throwing-your-emotions-around/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [“I loved the different rules of summer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/i-loved-the-different-rules-of-summer/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [“I decided that maybe we left each other alone too much. Leaving each other alone was killing us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/i-decided-that-maybe-we-left-each-other-alone-too-much-leaving-each/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [Why do we smile? Why do we laugh? Why do we feel alone? Why are we sad and confused? Why do we read poetry?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/why-do-we-smile-why-do-we-laugh-why-do-we-feel-alone-why-are-we-sad/) [Benjamin Alire Saenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [“See, I think there are roads that lead us to each other. But in my family, there were no roads - just underground tunnels.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/see-i-think-there-are-roads-that-lead-us-to-each-other-but-in-my/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [“That was the first time I did coke. My body, it was electric. For the first time in my life I felt as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/that-was-the-first-time-i-did-coke-my-body-it-was-electric-for-the/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [“Did the thought ever occur to you that I might care about you? People are allowed to care about each other." "You don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/did-the-thought-ever-occur-to-you-that-i-might-care-about-you-people/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [“Words exist only in theory. And then one ordinary day you run into a word that exists only in theory. And you meet it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/words-exist-only-in-theory-and-then-one-ordinary-day-you-run-into-a/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [“I don't like remembering. Remembering makes me feel things. I don't like to feel things. I'm thinking I could spend the rest of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/i-don-t-like-remembering-remembering-makes-me-feel-things-i-don-t/) [Benjamin Alire Saenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [“In the distance, I can see a storm coming in, the dark clouds and the lightning on the horizon moving towards me. I wait…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/in-the-distance-i-can-see-a-storm-coming-in-the-dark-clouds-and-the/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [“I kind of liked his voice. He sounded like he had a cold, you know, like he was about to lose his voice. "You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/i-kind-of-liked-his-voice-he-sounded-like-he-had-a-cold-you-know-like/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [“I have this idea that the reason we have dreams is that we're thinking about things that we don't know we're thinking about-and those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/i-have-this-idea-that-the-reason-we-have-dreams-is-that-we-re/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [“Everyone expected something from me. Something I just couldn't give.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/everyone-expected-something-from-me-something-i-just-couldn-t-give/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) [Explore all 283 Benjamin Alire Saenz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) ## More Addiction quotes > [What has drug addiction done for me? It's cost me my career, my fortune and basically my sex life when I found out I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbin-crosby/what-has-drug-addiction-done-for-me-it-s-cost-me-my-career-my-fortune/) Robbin Crosby > [“The idea that creative endeavor and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-intellectual myths of our time... Creative people probably do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-idea-that-creative-endeavor-and-mind-altering-substances-are/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [I really think the disease aspect gets lost when you're talking about alcoholism and addiction; it's not like you're battling leukemia or a heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-irsay/i-really-think-the-disease-aspect-gets-lost-when-you-re-talking-about/) [Jim Irsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-irsay/) > [I had an addiction to artificial points of success. Like being able to run for this or run for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-gallego/i-had-an-addiction-to-artificial-points-of-success-like-being-able-to/) [Ruben Gallego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-gallego/) > [“Addictions are just symptoms of underlying issues, and in my view Nikki self-medicated the emotional pain of his childhood, and being away from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-sixx/addictions-are-just-symptoms-of-underlying-issues-and-in-my-view/) [Nikki Sixx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-sixx/) > [“Oil. The great addiction of the civilized world”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-warren/oil-the-great-addiction-of-the-civilized-world/) [Andrew Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-warren/) > [“They say when you fall in love in love with someone that person becomes like a drug,an addiction you don't want to live without.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-say-when-you-fall-in-love-in-love-with-someone-that-person/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Addictions - Run to Jesus instead of running to your addiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/addictions-run-to-jesus-instead-of-running-to-your-addiction/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [Music is my personal addiction. So much of everything I've done has only been to open more doors for the music itself. It all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/music-is-my-personal-addiction-so-much-of-everything-i-ve-done-has/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [“I am made of a thousand ghosts. Only you can shoot me down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-james/i-am-made-of-a-thousand-ghosts-only-you-can-shoot-me-down/) Bella James > [Religious work is one of the best ways to keep from facing your reality if you are Christian, if you are using it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-miller/religious-work-is-one-of-the-best-ways-to-keep-from-facing-your/) [Keith Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-miller/) > [Cold sweats, hallucinations I wanna speed to stop. The hell I'm going through The addiction's taking you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bullet-for-my-valentine/cold-sweats-hallucinations-i-wanna-speed-to-stop-the-hell-i-m-going/) [Bullet For My Valentine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bullet-for-my-valentine/) > [As addictions go, reading is among the cleanest, easiest to feed, happiest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/as-addictions-go-reading-is-among-the-cleanest-easiest-to-feed/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [“Alcoholism is a choice... not a life sentence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-norman/alcoholism-is-a-choice-not-a-life-sentence/) David Norman > [“Suckers think that you cure greed with money, addiction with substances, expert problems with experts, banking with bankers, economics with economists, and debt crises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/suckers-think-that-you-cure-greed-with-money-addiction-with/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) [Browse all 2,134 Addiction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addiction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you can quit for a day, you can quit for a lifetime.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Benjamin Alire Saenz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/if-you-can-quit-for-a-day-you-can-quit-for-a-lifetime/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Addiction" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/if-you-can-quit-for-a-day-you-can-quit-for-a-lifetime/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a66/benjamin-alire-s-enz-1125_addiction_if-you-can-quit-for-a-day-you-can-quit-f_1060967.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a66/benjamin-alire-s-enz-1125_addiction_if-you-can-quit-for-a-day-you-can-quit-f_1060967.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a66/benjamin-alire-s-enz-1125_addiction_if-you-can-quit-for-a-day-you-can-quit-f_1060967.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you can quit for a day, you can quit for a lifetime.” — Benjamin Alire Saenz", "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": "Benjamin Alire Saenz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you can quit for a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/if-you-can-quit-for-a-day-you-can-quit-for-a-lifetime/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/if-you-can-quit-for-a-day-you-can-quit-for-a-lifetime/#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 } } ] } ```