--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We've been taught, \"Deny yourself…" description: "\"We've been taught, \"Deny yourself pleasure.\" But moderation is harder because it requires really committing to balance. When I tell my trainer I had a ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/265/brooke-shields-8270_balance_we-ve-been-taught-deny-yourself-pleasure_729157.png" --- # We've been taught, "Deny yourself pleasure." But… ![“We've been taught, "Deny yourself pleasure." But moderation is harder because it requires really committing to balance. When I tell my trainer I had a glass of wine, he'll say, "Liquid bread!" And I'm like, "Ugh, but it was a nice one." It's a matter of checks and balances. And I finally found out…” quote by Brooke Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/265/brooke-shields-8270_balance_we-ve-been-taught-deny-yourself-pleasure_729157.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/265/brooke-shields-8270_balance_we-ve-been-taught-deny-yourself-pleasure_729157.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/265/brooke-shields-8270_balance_we-ve-been-taught-deny-yourself-pleasure_729157.png) > “We've been taught, "Deny yourself pleasure." But moderation is harder because it requires really committing to balance. When I tell my trainer I had a glass of wine, he'll say, "Liquid bread!" And I'm like, "Ugh, but it was a nice one." It's a matter of checks and balances. And I finally found out how to set myself up to succeed. But I still need to commit to it. And everything gets exponentially harder the older you are. Fifty is a terrifying number for some people.” [Brooke Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-shields/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She discusses the challenge of balancing pleasure with disciplined health choices, emphasizing personal accountability. **In simple terms:** Balancing enjoyment and health is hard but necessary. Key Takeaway Set clear limits and stay accountable. Themes health discipline balance aging Mood reflective practical Type motivational self‑help When to use this quote - diet planning - exercise routine - social drinking - age‑related health concerns Key Concepts self‑control habit formation life stages Questions to Reflect On - What small habit can you adjust now? - How does age change your health priorities? A Different Perspective Older age makes habit change tougher, requiring stronger support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) [Checks and balances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/checks-and-balances/) [Moderation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moderation/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [Nothing is more useful than wine for strengthening the body and also more detrimental to our pleasure if moderation be lacking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/nothing-is-more-useful-than-wine-for-strengthening-the-body-and-also/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [“At certain times I have no race. I am me. I belong to no race or time. I am the eternal feminine with its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/at-certain-times-i-have-no-race-i-am-me-i-belong-to-no-race-or-time-i/) [ZORA NEALE HURSTON](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [Your conscience is no defense against you sins; however, it can unfortunately deny you the pleasure of enjoying them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salvador-de-madariaga/your-conscience-is-no-defense-against-you-sins-however-it-can/) [Salvador de Madariaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salvador-de-madariaga/) > [It is odd how we sometimes deny ourselves the very pleasure we have longed for and which is finally within our reach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-rylant/it-is-odd-how-we-sometimes-deny-ourselves-the-very-pleasure-we-have/) [Cynthia Rylant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-rylant/) > [“I could deny myself the pleasure of talking, but not to others the pleasure of listening.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-could-deny-myself-the-pleasure-of-talking-but-not-to-others-the/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [We are in this period now where we all are trying to be in shape physically and deny ourselves any pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/we-are-in-this-period-now-where-we-all-are-trying-to-be-in-shape/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [When we are unable to receive, we deny someone else the pleasure of giving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-we-are-unable-to-receive-we-deny-someone-else-the-pleasure-of/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Sometimes, I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely astonishes me. How can any deny themselves the pleasure of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/sometimes-i-feel-discriminated-against-but-it-does-not-make-me-angry/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [How can any deny themselves the pleasure of my company? It's beyond me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/how-can-any-deny-themselves-the-pleasure-of-my-company-it-s-beyond-me/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [ \[I am more than happy to invite my five favorite fictional characters.\]Roland Deschain from Stephen King's Dark Tower series. There's a whole world about… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-chance/i-am-more-than-happy-to-invite-my-five-favorite-fictional-characters/) [Megan Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-chance/) > [I drink a glass of wine or two occasionally with dinner. 'You drink alcohol?!' Well, if my state of consciousness is so fragile that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/i-drink-a-glass-of-wine-or-two-occasionally-with-dinner-you-drink/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [She drank a glass of wine and looked for something new to ruin with her lack of talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/she-drank-a-glass-of-wine-and-looked-for-something-new-to-ruin-with/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [A poet once said, "The whole universe is in a glass of wine." We will probably never know in what sense he meant that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/a-poet-once-said-the-whole-universe-is-in-a-glass-of-wine-we-will/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [“Any thought that you are better or less Than another man Quickly Breaks the wine Glass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ladinsky/any-thought-that-you-are-better-or-less-than-another-man-quickly/) [Daniel Ladinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ladinsky/) > [“Being held by him, kissed and mastered, taken under and swept away, enthralled her in a way she—an independent woman if nothing else in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-sumner/being-held-by-him-kissed-and-mastered-taken-under-and-swept-away/) [Tracy Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-sumner/) ## More by Brooke Shields > [Too many people use abortion as a form of birth control. And that's very wrong. I could never, ever have an abortion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-shields/too-many-people-use-abortion-as-a-form-of-birth-control-and-that-s/) [Brooke Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-shields/) > [My mother totally protected me as a model. She took me on every look-see, she was there on the set if I wanted her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-shields/my-mother-totally-protected-me-as-a-model-she-took-me-on-every-look/) [Brooke Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-shields/) > [I have a trainer, and I'm not a trainer person. I don't like the attention. I don't like the one-on-one scrutiny. But I've had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-shields/i-have-a-trainer-and-i-m-not-a-trainer-person-i-don-t-like-the/) [Brooke Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-shields/) > [It's okay to be successful and it's also okay to be happy with your success even though it might not be easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-shields/it-s-okay-to-be-successful-and-it-s-also-okay-to-be-happy-with-your/) [Brooke Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-shields/) > [Everybody says, 'When you have kids, you really get away from yourself.' But really, it's the most selfish thing I've ever done. It's like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-shields/everybody-says-when-you-have-kids-you-really-get-away-from-yourself/) [Brooke Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-shields/) > ['Suddenly Susan' is my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-shields/suddenly-susan-is-my-life/) [Brooke Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-shields/) > [I've never found therapy to be a sign of weakness; I've found the opposite to be true. The willingness to have a mirror held…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-shields/i-ve-never-found-therapy-to-be-a-sign-of-weakness-i-ve-found-the/) [Brooke Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-shields/) > [Eight shows a week is daunting, and it can be terrifying. But it just instills such a sense of confidence and growth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-shields/eight-shows-a-week-is-daunting-and-it-can-be-terrifying-but-it-just/) [Brooke Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-shields/) > [I was Hannah Montana's mother ... Where did I go wrong?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-shields/i-was-hannah-montana-s-mother-where-did-i-go-wrong/) [Brooke Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-shields/) > [Have faith in your own thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-shields/have-faith-in-your-own-thoughts/) [Brooke Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-shields/) > [I took my work seriously, but not as a craft. More as a life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-shields/i-took-my-work-seriously-but-not-as-a-craft-more-as-a-life/) [Brooke Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-shields/) > [You are only as pretty as you are nice and smart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-shields/you-are-only-as-pretty-as-you-are-nice-and-smart/) [Brooke Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-shields/) > [My husband perpetually makes fun of me about my creams and my jars and potions and lotions, but its simpler than anyone makes it:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-shields/my-husband-perpetually-makes-fun-of-me-about-my-creams-and-my-jars/) [Brooke Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-shields/) > [I look back at myself, this innocent person, and I think, 'Gosh, she's okay.' I handled a lot, and I'm still here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-shields/i-look-back-at-myself-this-innocent-person-and-i-think-gosh-she-s/) [Brooke Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-shields/) > [Depression is so smart - it uses all your references and patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-shields/depression-is-so-smart-it-uses-all-your-references-and-patterns/) [Brooke Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-shields/) [Explore all 82 Brooke Shields quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-shields/) ## More Balance quotes > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [she got a reputation for an easy smile and a sharp tongue, and using one to balance the other, she seemed friendly but distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/she-got-a-reputation-for-an-easy-smile-and-a-sharp-tongue-and-using/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [Life's unfairness is not irrevocable; we can help balance the scales for others, if not always for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/life-s-unfairness-is-not-irrevocable-we-can-help-balance-the-scales/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [“We don't need to strive towards balance, we rather need to work on the obstacles that are preventing the natural flow of balance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-alebraheem/we-don-t-need-to-strive-towards-balance-we-rather-need-to-work-on-the/) [A.A. Alebraheem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-alebraheem/) > [I think that kind of balance comes with the process of growing together as a band, the Little Dragon. We love to write, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukimi-nagano/i-think-that-kind-of-balance-comes-with-the-process-of-growing/) [Yukimi Nagano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukimi-nagano/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [At times of recession, running a budget deficit is highly desirable. Once the economy begins to recover, you have to balance the budget. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/at-times-of-recession-running-a-budget-deficit-is-highly-desirable/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [It's my intention to make something stand outside the realm of album art, but it also feels comfortable to me to be in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dyer-baizley/it-s-my-intention-to-make-something-stand-outside-the-realm-of-album/) [John Dyer Baizley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dyer-baizley/) > [Once you've gotten your money in balance, you know how much you have to spend on things that are just fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/once-you-ve-gotten-your-money-in-balance-you-know-how-much-you-have/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [I never understood how much running changes your life. I'm now obsessed. When not trying to beat my personal best, I'm talking to other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/i-never-understood-how-much-running-changes-your-life-i-m-now/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [Whatever needed to be done, I need to know how to do it just as well as my wife. You know, for us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/whatever-needed-to-be-done-i-need-to-know-how-to-do-it-just-as-well/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [I don't think my parents would have let me go straight into acting full time when I was 12. I do like to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-don-t-think-my-parents-would-have-let-me-go-straight-into-acting/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [When it comes down to music, I have no balance. I am 100 percent. It is like full throttle. Five hundred miles an hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanni/when-it-comes-down-to-music-i-have-no-balance-i-am-100-percent-it-is/) [Yanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanni/) [Browse all 5,166 Balance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We've been taught, \"Deny yourself pleasure.\" But moderation is harder because it requires really committing to balance. When I tell my trainer I had a glass of wine, he'll say, \"Liquid bread!\" And I'm like, \"Ugh, but it was a nice one.\" It's a matter of checks and balances. And I finally found out how to set myself up to succeed. But I still need to commit to it. And everything gets exponentially harder the older you are. 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