--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When people believe they are in control…" description: "\"“When people believe they are in control, they tend to work harder and push themselves more. They are, on average, more confident and overcome setbacks..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f6/charles-duhigg-1088_failure_when-people-believe-they-are-in-control_684112.png" --- # When people believe they are in control, they tend to work… ![“When people believe they are in control, they tend to work harder and push themselves more. They are, on average, more confident and overcome setbacks faster.” quote by Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f6/charles-duhigg-1088_failure_when-people-believe-they-are-in-control_684112.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f6/charles-duhigg-1088_failure_when-people-believe-they-are-in-control_684112.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f6/charles-duhigg-1088_failure_when-people-believe-they-are-in-control_684112.png) > ““When people believe they are in control, they tend to work harder and push themselves more. They are, on average, more confident and overcome setbacks faster.”” [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. Perceived control boosts effort, confidence, and resilience, leading to faster recovery from setbacks. **In simple terms:** Feeling in control improves performance. Key Takeaway Foster a sense of control to enhance resilience. Themes control effort resilience Mood reflective confident Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - workplace projects - academic studies - personal challenges - team sports Key Concepts self‑determination psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does perceived control affect your work? - What strategies increase genuine control? A Different Perspective External factors may limit actual control. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) ## Related quotes > [Does everyone feel this way? When I was young, I was perpetually overconfident or insecure. Either I felt completely useless, unattractive, and worthless, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/does-everyone-feel-this-way-when-i-was-young-i-was-perpetually/) [Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/) > [“We believe that we’re in control of our lives. But in reality we can only seize opportunities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-klein/we-believe-that-we-re-in-control-of-our-lives-but-in-reality-we-can/) [Stefan Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-klein/) > [Reporters may believe they control the story, but the story always controls the reporters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-woodward/reporters-may-believe-they-control-the-story-but-the-story-always/) [Bob Woodward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-woodward/) > [What I'm saying so badly is we're bred now to believe we're in control and should be in control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-winton/what-i-m-saying-so-badly-is-we-re-bred-now-to-believe-we-re-in/) [Tim Winton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-winton/) > [“We are fools, not by our religious beliefs,however by what we are lead to believe by those who control what information we receive”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kloby/we-are-fools-not-by-our-religious-beliefs-however-by-what-we-are-lead/) [kloby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kloby/) > [“We do not want to believe that we cannot control alcohol and that alcohol is, in truth, controlling and dictating our lives. When you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-hemingway/we-do-not-want-to-believe-that-we-cannot-control-alcohol-and-that/) Liz Hemingway > [Destiny is as destiny does. If you believe you have no control, then you have no control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wess-roberts/destiny-is-as-destiny-does-if-you-believe-you-have-no-control-then/) [Wess Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wess-roberts/) > [I believe that you control your destiny, that you can be what you want to be. You can also stop and say, 'No, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-believe-that-you-control-your-destiny-that-you-can-be-what-you-want/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One thing I really believe is control what you can control so for me, each and every day I get an opportunity, no matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mccourty/one-thing-i-really-believe-is-control-what-you-can-control-so-for-me/) [Jason McCourty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mccourty/) > [“Control what people believe, and you control what they do. Who they are. The world is only the aggregate of human perception. Stories are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-carey/control-what-people-believe-and-you-control-what-they-do-who-they-are/) [Mike Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-carey/) > [Men always believe they are in control of everything around them. 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So whatever you are not in control of you can't worry about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-olsen/i-believe-that-you-are-only-in-control-of-so-much-so-whatever-you-are/) [Elizabeth Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-olsen/) > [Always look brighter side of an aspect.As soon as you believe that you are in control of your thoughts & situation you will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/always-look-brighter-side-of-an-aspect-as-soon-as-you-believe-that/) [DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/) ## 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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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 Failure quotes > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. 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Nothing makes failure acceptable, so you might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/rhiannon-s-law-28-if-you-re-going-to-fuck-up-be-sure-to-fuck-up-good/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Failure is a part of life and you have to learn to deal with it. Failure is something that is part of life's cycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/failure-is-a-part-of-life-and-you-have-to-learn-to-deal-with-it/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [First action was a mistake. What about the second? third? fourth and fifth?...Mehn you are bad...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/first-action-was-a-mistake-what-about-the-second-third-fourth-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [God's love never fail :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-s-love-never-fail/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don’t you just hate nights like that, when you think over every mistake you’ve made, every hurt you’ve received, every bit of meanness you’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/don-t-you-just-hate-nights-like-that-when-you-think-over-every/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [“Our failure to understand another being's inner reality doesn't make that reality any less real, or any less valuable to that being. (p.255)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/our-failure-to-understand-another-being-s-inner-reality-doesn-t-make/) [Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/) > [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/) [Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/) > [Don't take too much comfort in the fact that you're successful today because tomorrow could bring failure. 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