--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Once you know a habit exists, you have…" description: "\"“Once you know a habit exists, you have the responsibility to change it . . . others have done so . . . That, in some ways, is the point of this book. ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a16/charles-duhigg-1088_books_once-you-know-a-habit-exists-you-have-th_2922082.png" --- # Once you know a habit exists, you have the responsibility… ![“Once you know a habit exists, you have the responsibility to change it . . . others have done so . . . That, in some ways, is the point of this book. Perhaps a sleep-walking murderer can plausibly argue that he wasn’t aware of his habit, and so he doesn’t bear responsibility for his crime, but…” quote by Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a16/charles-duhigg-1088_books_once-you-know-a-habit-exists-you-have-th_2922082.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a16/charles-duhigg-1088_books_once-you-know-a-habit-exists-you-have-th_2922082.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a16/charles-duhigg-1088_books_once-you-know-a-habit-exists-you-have-th_2922082.png) > ““Once you know a habit exists, you have the responsibility to change it . . . others have done so . . . That, in some ways, is the point of this book. Perhaps a sleep-walking murderer can plausibly argue that he wasn’t aware of his habit, and so he doesn’t bear responsibility for his crime, but almost all of the other patterns that exist in most people’s lives — how we eat and sleep and talk to our kids, how we unthinkingly spend our time, attention and money — those are habits that we know exist. And once you understand that habits can change, you have the freedom and the responsibility to remake them. Once you understand that habits can be rebuilt, the power of habit becomes easier to grasp and the only option left is to get to work.”” [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. Recognizing a habit gives you both the freedom and duty to reshape it, because habits are conscious patterns we can alter. **In simple terms:** Knowing a habit exists lets you change it. Key Takeaway Take responsibility and act to remodel habits. Themes responsibility self‑improvement behavior change freedom Mood motivational reflective Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - parenting - diet - sleep - financial spending - time management Key Concepts habit loop cue‑routine‑reward neuroplasticity self‑efficacy Questions to Reflect On - What habit are you avoiding changing? - How can you create a cue to start a new routine? A Different Perspective Habits are often deeply ingrained, making change difficult without support or strategy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habit/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) ## Related quotes > [Once you understand that habits can change, you have the freedom -- and the responsibility -- to remake them. Once you understand that habits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/once-you-understand-that-habits-can-change-you-have-the-freedom-and/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [Oh, yeah. I think it's very serious that if you don't take care of yourself, and you know, try to live and eat healthy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/da-brat/oh-yeah-i-think-it-s-very-serious-that-if-you-don-t-take-care-of/) [Da Brat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/da-brat/) > [“Movements don’t emerge because everyone suddenly decides to face the same direction at once. They rely on social patterns that begin as the habits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/movements-don-t-emerge-because-everyone-suddenly-decides-to-face-the/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [It is difficult for a fool's habits to change to selflessness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yamamoto-tsunetomo/it-is-difficult-for-a-fool-s-habits-to-change-to-selflessness/) [Yamamoto Tsunetomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yamamoto-tsunetomo/) > [Old habits eat good intentions for lunch. Change your habits so you can change your outcomes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-hardy/old-habits-eat-good-intentions-for-lunch-change-your-habits-so-you/) [Darren Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-hardy/) > [When you change your habits, change everything about yourself, then everything as it was before starts to crumble and doesn't work anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrey-rublev/when-you-change-your-habits-change-everything-about-yourself-then/) [Andrey Rublev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrey-rublev/) > [“Convincing a leader of the value of front-line ideas alone is rarely enough for that person to overcome years of entrenched bad habits and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-m-schroeder/convincing-a-leader-of-the-value-of-front-line-ideas-alone-is-rarely/) [Dean M. Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-m-schroeder/) > [If your habits don't line up with your dream, then you need to either change your habits or change your dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/if-your-habits-don-t-line-up-with-your-dream-then-you-need-to-either/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [You cant change your future. But you can change your habits. And surely your habits will change your future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcopolo/you-cant-change-your-future-but-you-can-change-your-habits-and-surely/) Marcopolo > [I can't predict how reading habits will change. But I will say that the greatest loss is the paper archive - no more a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/i-can-t-predict-how-reading-habits-will-change-but-i-will-say-that/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [“If you change your habits, you change your results.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/butch-bellah/if-you-change-your-habits-you-change-your-results/) [Butch Bellah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/butch-bellah/) > [“You cannot change your FUTURE, you can change your HABITS. And surely your HABITS will change your FUTURE”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-cannot-change-your-future-you-can-change-your-habits-and-surely/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Habits change into character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/habits-change-into-character/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [Things do change. The only question is that since things are deteriorating so quickly, will society and man's habits change quickly enough?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/things-do-change-the-only-question-is-that-since-things-are/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [Our lives change when our habits change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-kelly/our-lives-change-when-our-habits-change/) [Matthew Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-kelly/) ## 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. Yet it also seems to believe that if, or when, The End comes, it will still come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/america-has-always-had-an-apocalyptic-strain-yet-it-also-seems-to/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [Bromates are regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act, but officials are required to test for them only when water leaves a treatment plant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/bromates-are-regulated-by-the-safe-drinking-water-act-but-officials/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [America is the Saudi Arabia of coal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/america-is-the-saudi-arabia-of-coal/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [“Habits, scientists say, emerge because the brain is constantly looking for ways to save effort. 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 Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Once you know a habit exists, you have the responsibility to change it . . . others have done so . . . That, in some ways, is the point of this book. 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