---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Habits don't change before or after we do…"
description: "\"“Habits don't change before or after we do them, they change when we are in them.”\" — Catherine Louise Birmingham"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25d/catherine-louise-birmingham-27_change_habits-don-t-change-before-or-after-we-d_258369.jpg"
---

#  Habits don't change before or after we do them, they…

![“Habits don't change before or after we do them, they change when we are in them.” quote by Catherine Louise Birmingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25d/catherine-louise-birmingham-27_change_habits-don-t-change-before-or-after-we-d_258369.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25d/catherine-louise-birmingham-27_change_habits-don-t-change-before-or-after-we-d_258369.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25d/catherine-louise-birmingham-27_change_habits-don-t-change-before-or-after-we-d_258369.jpg)

> ““Habits don't change before or after we do them, they change when we are in them.””

[Catherine Louise Birmingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-louise-birmingham/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Habits shift only when we are immersed in the context that sustains them, not merely by deciding to change.

**In simple terms:** Habits change when we live them.

Key Takeaway

Focus on changing the environment.

Themes

habit formation change context

Mood

reflective determined

Type

motivational practical

When to use this quote

- daily routines
- workplace habits
- health goals

Key Concepts

psychology behavioral economics

Questions to Reflect On

- What environment keeps your habit alive?
- How can you redesign it?

A Different Perspective

Changing mindset alone may not alter entrenched cues.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/)

## Related quotes

> [There are coaches with habits you don't like, and you tell yourself, 'I don't want to be like that.' But there's no one way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-rijkaard/there-are-coaches-with-habits-you-don-t-like-and-you-tell-yourself-i/)

[Frank Rijkaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-rijkaard/)

> [Habit is a good thing for the human race. ... You have to spend so much energy just getting through the day when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/habit-is-a-good-thing-for-the-human-race-you-have-to-spend-so-much/)

[Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/)

> [Your actions become your habits. Don't let yourself make a pattern of slipups or they'll become habits!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-austin/your-actions-become-your-habits-don-t-let-yourself-make-a-pattern-of/)

[Denise Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-austin/)

> [Well, sometimes things don't change on their own. Sometimes we have to change them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-lafleur/well-sometimes-things-don-t-change-on-their-own-sometimes-we-have-to/)

[Suzanne LaFleur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-lafleur/)

> [Don't see the change... Be the change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cv-pillay/don-t-see-the-change-be-the-change/)

[Cv Pillay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cv-pillay/)

> [Things don't change. You change your way of looking, that's all](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/things-don-t-change-you-change-your-way-of-looking-that-s-all/)

[Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/)

> [People don't change who they are. They only change what they do with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/people-don-t-change-who-they-are-they-only-change-what-they-do-with-it/)

[Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

> [We don't change what we are, we change what we think what we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/we-don-t-change-what-we-are-we-change-what-we-think-what-we-are/)

[Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/)

> [“sometimes things don’t change on their own. Sometimes we have to change them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-lafleur/sometimes-things-don-t-change-on-their-own-sometimes-we-have-to/)

[Suzanne LaFleur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-lafleur/)

> [Change before the change... but don't change with the change...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirti/change-before-the-change-but-don-t-change-with-the-change/)

Kirti

> [“Things don’t only change, they also change you; sometimes for good, sometimes not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/things-don-t-only-change-they-also-change-you-sometimes-for-good/)

[Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/)

> [If you don't change and mix things up, you're going to get run over. One of the things we preach is change, change, change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilman-j-fertitta/if-you-don-t-change-and-mix-things-up-you-re-going-to-get-run-over/)

[Tilman J. Fertitta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilman-j-fertitta/)

> [Money don't change you,it only change the people around you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bb/money-don-t-change-you-it-only-change-the-people-around-you/)

BB

> [“The habit of hate is spreading like venom in a polarized world, pushing us to pick sides and label everything. We make someone wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-skyes/the-habit-of-hate-is-spreading-like-venom-in-a-polarized-world/)

[Alyssa Skyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-skyes/)

> [If you talk about change but don't change the reward and recognition system, nothing changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-allaire/if-you-talk-about-change-but-don-t-change-the-reward-and-recognition/)

Paul Allaire

## More by Catherine Louise Birmingham

> [“You are a perfect flower. Your only task is to grow into it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-louise-birmingham/you-are-a-perfect-flower-your-only-task-is-to-grow-into-it/)

[Catherine Louise Birmingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-louise-birmingham/)

> [“If you want to feel and know everything the horse is doing, begin by feeling and knowing everything you are doing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-louise-birmingham/if-you-want-to-feel-and-know-everything-the-horse-is-doing-begin-by/)

[Catherine Louise Birmingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-louise-birmingham/)

> [“Sometimes all it takes is one person to speak their truth. Speak yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-louise-birmingham/sometimes-all-it-takes-is-one-person-to-speak-their-truth-speak-yours/)

[Catherine Louise Birmingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-louise-birmingham/)

> [“As in riding, so is it in life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-louise-birmingham/as-in-riding-so-is-it-in-life/)

[Catherine Louise Birmingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-louise-birmingham/)

> [“Your energy is louder than your words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-louise-birmingham/your-energy-is-louder-than-your-words/)

[Catherine Louise Birmingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-louise-birmingham/)

> [“If the Universe is playing a beautiful song, each one of our lives is a note in that song.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-louise-birmingham/if-the-universe-is-playing-a-beautiful-song-each-one-of-our-lives-is/)

[Catherine Louise Birmingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-louise-birmingham/)

> [“The thing that you think to be limiting you right now, could be the thing that will liberate you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-louise-birmingham/the-thing-that-you-think-to-be-limiting-you-right-now-could-be-the/)

[Catherine Louise Birmingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-louise-birmingham/)

> [“Love never had a stronger pull, then from Souls coming together for a joint purpose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-louise-birmingham/love-never-had-a-stronger-pull-then-from-souls-coming-together-for-a/)

[Catherine Louise Birmingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-louise-birmingham/)

> [“Love is found in the small, as in the big things of life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-louise-birmingham/love-is-found-in-the-small-as-in-the-big-things-of-life/)

[Catherine Louise Birmingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-louise-birmingham/)

> [“Your medal is there already in your heart, in how you think, feel and act toward yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-louise-birmingham/your-medal-is-there-already-in-your-heart-in-how-you-think-feel-and/)

[Catherine Louise Birmingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-louise-birmingham/)

> [“I believe we as humans are meant to have a bond and a connection with all of life itself, and our animals are trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-louise-birmingham/i-believe-we-as-humans-are-meant-to-have-a-bond-and-a-connection-with/)

[Catherine Louise Birmingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-louise-birmingham/)

> [“You can only get to where you want to be, through where you are now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-louise-birmingham/you-can-only-get-to-where-you-want-to-be-through-where-you-are-now/)

[Catherine Louise Birmingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-louise-birmingham/)

> [“There is no finish line. Life is the experience and fear is the force of growth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-louise-birmingham/there-is-no-finish-line-life-is-the-experience-and-fear-is-the-force/)

[Catherine Louise Birmingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-louise-birmingham/)

> [“Growth requires courage, risk and the willingness to go beyond fear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-louise-birmingham/growth-requires-courage-risk-and-the-willingness-to-go-beyond-fear/)

[Catherine Louise Birmingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-louise-birmingham/)

> [“Listen to your fears, they are the doorway to your freedom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-louise-birmingham/listen-to-your-fears-they-are-the-doorway-to-your-freedom/)

[Catherine Louise Birmingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-louise-birmingham/)

[Explore all 20 Catherine Louise Birmingham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-louise-birmingham/)

## More Change quotes

> [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/)

[Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/)

> [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/)

Phil Hogan

> [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/)

[William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/)

> [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/)

[Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/)

> [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/)

[Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/)

> [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/)

[Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/)

> [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/)

[Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/)

> [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/)

[Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/)

> [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/)

[Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/)

> [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

[Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Habits don't change before or after we do them, they change when we are in them.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Catherine Louise Birmingham"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-louise-birmingham/habits-don-t-change-before-or-after-we-do-them-they-change-when-we/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Change"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-louise-birmingham/habits-don-t-change-before-or-after-we-do-them-they-change-when-we/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25d/catherine-louise-birmingham-27_change_habits-don-t-change-before-or-after-we-d_258369.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25d/catherine-louise-birmingham-27_change_habits-don-t-change-before-or-after-we-d_258369.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25d/catherine-louise-birmingham-27_change_habits-don-t-change-before-or-after-we-d_258369.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Habits don't change before or after we do them, they change when we are in them.” — Catherine Louise Birmingham",
                "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": "Catherine Louise Birmingham",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-louise-birmingham/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Habits don't change before or after...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-louise-birmingham/habits-don-t-change-before-or-after-we-do-them-they-change-when-we/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-louise-birmingham/habits-don-t-change-before-or-after-we-do-them-they-change-when-we/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
