--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: a habit is a formula our brain…" description: "\"“a habit is a formula our brain automatically follows: When I see CUE, I will do ROUTINE in order to get a REWARD. To re-engineer that formula, we need..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5d/charles-duhigg-1088_habit_a-habit-is-a-formula-our-brain-automatic_246270.png" --- # a habit is a formula our brain automatically follows: When… ![“a habit is a formula our brain automatically follows: When I see CUE, I will do ROUTINE in order to get a REWARD. To re-engineer that formula, we need to begin making choices again.” quote by Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5d/charles-duhigg-1088_habit_a-habit-is-a-formula-our-brain-automatic_246270.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5d/charles-duhigg-1088_habit_a-habit-is-a-formula-our-brain-automatic_246270.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5d/charles-duhigg-1088_habit_a-habit-is-a-formula-our-brain-automatic_246270.png) > ““a habit is a formula our brain automatically follows: When I see CUE, I will do ROUTINE in order to get a REWARD. To re-engineer that formula, we need to begin making choices again.”” [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Habits follow a cue‑routine‑reward loop; changing choices rewires behavior. **In simple terms:** Habits are cue‑routine‑reward loops. Key Takeaway Identify cues, replace routines. Themes habit formation behavior change self‑control Mood practical motivational Type self‑help instructional When to use this quote - quitting smoking - improving productivity - building exercise routines - eating healthier Key Concepts neuroscience reinforcement choice architecture Questions to Reflect On - What cue triggers your unwanted habit? - What new routine can satisfy the same reward? A Different Perspective Deeply ingrained habits resist quick fixes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habit/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Making choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-choices/) ## Related quotes > [Every habit is made of three parts... a cue, a routine and a habit. Most people focus on the routine and behavior, but these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/every-habit-is-made-of-three-parts-a-cue-a-routine-and-a-habit-most/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [To begin with, you must realize that any idea accepted by the brain is automatically transformed into an action of some sort. It may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-reed/to-begin-with-you-must-realize-that-any-idea-accepted-by-the-brain-is/) [Scott Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-reed/) > [One of the toughest things about life is making choices. I had a hard time saying 'no' to a bunch of other excellent possibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gosling/one-of-the-toughest-things-about-life-is-making-choices-i-had-a-hard/) [James Gosling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gosling/) > [“There's a great difficulty in making choices if you have any imagination at all. Faced with such a multitude of desireable choices, no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/there-s-a-great-difficulty-in-making-choices-if-you-have-any/) [John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/) > [Life is all about making choices and I'm very happy with mine. I have had a wonderful time raising four children and I've also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/life-is-all-about-making-choices-and-i-m-very-happy-with-mine-i-have/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [“...to have true faith means believing in things you cannot see just as true love sometimes means making choices you never thought you'd have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-watts/to-have-true-faith-means-believing-in-things-you-cannot-see-just-as/) J.D. Watts > [We want our children to become who they are- and a developed person is, above all, free. But freedom as we define it doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-millman/we-want-our-children-to-become-who-they-are-and-a-developed-person-is/) Gregory Millman > [There comes a time in the spiritual journey when you start making choices from a very different place. And if a choice lines up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-comes-a-time-in-the-spiritual-journey-when-you-start-making/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I do both music and acting at the same time. To me they are both really important parts of how I express myself and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksa-palladino/i-do-both-music-and-acting-at-the-same-time-to-me-they-are-both/) [Aleksa Palladino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksa-palladino/) > [“Intentional living is the art of making our own choices before others' choices make us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richie-norton/intentional-living-is-the-art-of-making-our-own-choices-before-others/) [Richie Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richie-norton/) > [Once we're willing to confront our emotional suffering, we begin making choices based on attraction instead of aversion, love instead of fear. Where we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/once-we-re-willing-to-confront-our-emotional-suffering-we-begin/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [“Take a moment to think about the context in which your next decision will occur: You did not pick your parents or the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/take-a-moment-to-think-about-the-context-in-which-your-next-decision/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [Life is all about Making Choices, we get to choose one among the many, and the one we choose defines our Future and Destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/life-is-all-about-making-choices-we-get-to-choose-one-among-the-many/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [I don't think taste is about money. As your career develops, you're able to decide what to spend your money on. I live in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-finch/i-don-t-think-taste-is-about-money-as-your-career-develops-you-re/) [Charles Finch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-finch/) > [“In the words of Andy Grove: “To understand a company’s strategy, look at what they actually do rather than what they say they will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-m-christensen/in-the-words-of-andy-grove-to-understand-a-company-s-strategy-look-at/) [Clayton M. Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-m-christensen/) ## More by Charles Duhigg > [“If you want to stop smoking, ask yourself, do you do it because you love nicotine, or because it provides a burst of stimulation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/if-you-want-to-stop-smoking-ask-yourself-do-you-do-it-because-you/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [“What matters are five key norms,” he told the audience. Teams need to believe that their work is important. Teams need to feel their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/what-matters-are-five-key-norms-he-told-the-audience-teams-need-to/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [America has always had an apocalyptic strain. 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Left”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/habits-scientists-say-emerge-because-the-brain-is-constantly-looking/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [Between calculated risk and reckless decision-making lies the dividing line between profit and loss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/between-calculated-risk-and-reckless-decision-making-lies-the/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [Older Americans are perfect telemarketing customers, analysts say, because they are often at home, rely on delivery services, and are lonely for the companionship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/older-americans-are-perfect-telemarketing-customers-analysts-say/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [“All our life, so far as it has definite form, is but a mass of habits - practical, emotional, and intellectual - systematically organized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/all-our-life-so-far-as-it-has-definite-form-is-but-a-mass-of-habits/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [“Someday soon, say predictive analytics experts, it will be possible for companies to know our tastes and predict our habits better than we know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/someday-soon-say-predictive-analytics-experts-it-will-be-possible-for/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [“I love Paul O'Neill, but you could not pay me enough to work for him again" one official told me. "the man has never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/i-love-paul-o-neill-but-you-could-not-pay-me-enough-to-work-for-him/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [“THE FRAMEWORK: • Identify the routine • Experiment with rewards • Isolate the cue • Have a plan”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/the-framework-identify-the-routine-experiment-with-rewards-isolate/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [Barium, which is commonly found in power plant waste and scrubber wastewater, has been linked to heart problems and diseases in other organs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/barium-which-is-commonly-found-in-power-plant-waste-and-scrubber/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [A movement starts because of the social habits of friendship and the strong ties between close acquaintances. It grows because of the habits of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/a-movement-starts-because-of-the-social-habits-of-friendship-and-the/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [“In some sense, he said, a community was a giant collection of habits occurring among thousands of people that, depending on how they’re influenced,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/in-some-sense-he-said-a-community-was-a-giant-collection-of-habits/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) [Explore all 293 Charles Duhigg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) ## More Habit quotes > [I would drink gallons of coffee a day. Even now, off caffeine, I talk faster than anyone you've ever met. I finally recognized that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-englander/i-would-drink-gallons-of-coffee-a-day-even-now-off-caffeine-i-talk/) [Nathan Englander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-englander/) > [We need to discover all over again that worship is natural to the Christian, as it was to the godly Israelites who wrote the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer/we-need-to-discover-all-over-again-that-worship-is-natural-to-the/) [J. I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/) > [Chaos often breeds life, when order breeds habit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/chaos-often-breeds-life-when-order-breeds-habit/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [“A lot of habitually creative people have preparation rituals linked to the setting in which they choose to start their day. By putting themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/a-lot-of-habitually-creative-people-have-preparation-rituals-linked/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [One of the noblest words in our language is "grace," defined as "unearned blessing." We live by grace far more than by anything else.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-elton-trueblood/one-of-the-noblest-words-in-our-language-is-grace-defined-as-unearned/) [D. Elton Trueblood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-elton-trueblood/) > [Cultivate the habit of thinking ahead, and of anticipating the necessary and immediate consequences of all your actions… Likewise in your pleasures, ask yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/cultivate-the-habit-of-thinking-ahead-and-of-anticipating-the/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [“Habits form and habits grow, Then some time later, habits go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tito-rajarshi-mukhopadhyay/habits-form-and-habits-grow-then-some-time-later-habits-go/) Tito Rajarshi Mukhopadhyay > [It is a good practice to write at least on page of mantra daily. Many people get better concentration by writing than by chanting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/it-is-a-good-practice-to-write-at-least-on-page-of-mantra-daily-many/) [Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/) > [I feel that between my experience and my mother's, breast cancer is a little bit like someone who lives next door. I know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-nixon/i-feel-that-between-my-experience-and-my-mother-s-breast-cancer-is-a/) [Cynthia Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-nixon/) > [Thirty days is just about the right amount of time to add a new habit or subtract a habit - like watching the news…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-cutts/thirty-days-is-just-about-the-right-amount-of-time-to-add-a-new-habit/) [Matt Cutts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-cutts/) > [Working at home is hard. It tends to give you bad habits. It feels more like you're going to work when you get up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beaton/working-at-home-is-hard-it-tends-to-give-you-bad-habits-it-feels-more/) [Kate Beaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beaton/) > [There are two sorts of content; one is connected with exertion, the other with habits of indolence. The first is a virtue; the other,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-edgeworth/there-are-two-sorts-of-content-one-is-connected-with-exertion-the/) [Maria Edgeworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-edgeworth/) > [The DMK and the Communists may have the habit of lying, but I don't come from a family that lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamilisai-soundararajan/the-dmk-and-the-communists-may-have-the-habit-of-lying-but-i-don-t/) [Tamilisai Soundararajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamilisai-soundararajan/) > [Lust indulged became habit, and habit unresisted became necessity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/lust-indulged-became-habit-and-habit-unresisted-became-necessity/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [I don't analyze what I'm doing. I've read convincing interpretations of my work, and sometimes I've noticed something that I wasn't aware of, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-sherman/i-don-t-analyze-what-i-m-doing-i-ve-read-convincing-interpretations/) [Cindy Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-sherman/) [Browse all 4,726 Habit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habit/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“a habit is a formula our brain automatically follows: When I see CUE, I will do ROUTINE in order to get a REWARD. 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