--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Don’t do the natural thing, the impulsive…" description: "\"“Don’t do the natural thing, the impulsive thing. That is usually wrong.”\" — Dale Carnegie" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a01/dale-carnegie-382_impulsive_don-t-do-the-natural-thing-the-impulsive_2536634.jpg" --- # Don’t do the natural thing, the impulsive thing. That is… ![“Don’t do the natural thing, the impulsive thing. That is usually wrong.” quote by Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a01/dale-carnegie-382_impulsive_don-t-do-the-natural-thing-the-impulsive_2536634.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a01/dale-carnegie-382_impulsive_don-t-do-the-natural-thing-the-impulsive_2536634.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a01/dale-carnegie-382_impulsive_don-t-do-the-natural-thing-the-impulsive_2536634.jpg) > ““Don’t do the natural thing, the impulsive thing. That is usually wrong.”” [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Impulsive actions often lead to poor outcomes; deliberate thought yields better decisions. **In simple terms:** Think before acting. Key Takeaway Pause and consider consequences. Themes self‑control decision‑making wisdom Mood reflective cautious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - workplace - financial choices Key Concepts psychology behavioral economics Questions to Reflect On - When have you acted impulsively and regretted it? - Can spontaneity ever be beneficial? A Different Perspective Impulsivity can be useful in emergencies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Impulsive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impulsive/) [Impulsive Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impulsive-thing-1394828/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Thing Impulsive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-impulsive-1394829/) [Usually Wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/usually-wrong-528638/) [Wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong/) ## Related quotes > [You know, grieve your wife, this is an impulsive thing and you have no idea the kind of trouble you're getting yourself into it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-platt/you-know-grieve-your-wife-this-is-an-impulsive-thing-and-you-have-no/) [Oliver Platt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-platt/) > [“What could go wrong... Doing some stupid impulsive thing that caused the death of drowthers was practically a family tradition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/what-could-go-wrong-doing-some-stupid-impulsive-thing-that-caused-the/) [orson scott card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [When you're twins, everyone's always looking for differences. The ones they see are usually wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mccourty/when-you-re-twins-everyone-s-always-looking-for-differences-the-ones/) [Jason McCourty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mccourty/) > [Most of my presumptions about a production are usually wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/most-of-my-presumptions-about-a-production-are-usually-wrong/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [The funny thing is, people's perceptions of what a song is about is usually wrong a majority of the time. But they're still going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-gill/the-funny-thing-is-people-s-perceptions-of-what-a-song-is-about-is/) [Vince Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-gill/) > [Those who are full of certainty are usually wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-boles/those-who-are-full-of-certainty-are-usually-wrong/) [Nick Boles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-boles/) > [“some people assume all is well, that the PK has it all together. They’re usually wrong; remember,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barnabas-piper/some-people-assume-all-is-well-that-the-pk-has-it-all-together-they/) [Barnabas Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barnabas-piper/) > [The customer is usually wrong, but statistics indicate that it doesn't pay to tell him so](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/the-customer-is-usually-wrong-but-statistics-indicate-that-it-doesn-t/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [If revealed religions have revealed anything it is that they are usually wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-crick/if-revealed-religions-have-revealed-anything-it-is-that-they-are/) [Francis Crick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-crick/) > [When most investors, including the pros, all agree on something, they're usually wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-icahn/when-most-investors-including-the-pros-all-agree-on-something-they-re/) [Carl Icahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-icahn/) > [When you feel like something is really wrong, it's usually wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-jenner/when-you-feel-like-something-is-really-wrong-it-s-usually-wrong/) [Kris Jenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-jenner/) > [The US government is usually on the wrong side against the poor and downtrodden, because the wrong side is the right side, given the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/the-us-government-is-usually-on-the-wrong-side-against-the-poor-and/) [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) > [“—and start a little before the beginning, because we are usually wrong about where things begin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-kingfisher/and-start-a-little-before-the-beginning-because-we-are-usually-wrong/) [T. Kingfisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-kingfisher/) > [Nature is usually wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-whistler/nature-is-usually-wrong/) [James Whistler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-whistler/) > [Nature is very rarely right, to such an extent even, that it might almost be said that nature is usually wrong...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-whistler/nature-is-very-rarely-right-to-such-an-extent-even-that-it-might/) [James Whistler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-whistler/) ## More by Dale Carnegie > [“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures bristling with prejudice and motivated by pride and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/when-dealing-with-people-remember-you-are-not-dealing-with-creatures/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [I deal with the obvious. I present, reiterate, and glorify the obvious - because the obvious is what people need to be told.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/i-deal-with-the-obvious-i-present-reiterate-and-glorify-the-obvious/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [You can make more friends in two months by becoming more interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/you-can-make-more-friends-in-two-months-by-becoming-more-interested/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [“The man who goes farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing boat never gets far from shore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/the-man-who-goes-farthest-is-generally-the-one-who-is-willing-to-do/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [“Apply the blacksmith's homely principle when you are speaking. If you feel deeply about your subject you will be able to think of little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/apply-the-blacksmith-s-homely-principle-when-you-are-speaking-if-you/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/one-of-the-most-tragic-things-i-know-about-human-nature-is-that-all/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [If you can't sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there worrying. It's the worry that gets you, not the lack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/if-you-can-t-sleep-then-get-up-and-do-something-instead-of-lying/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [I realize now that people are not thinking about you and me or caring what is said about us. They are thinking about themselves-before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/i-realize-now-that-people-are-not-thinking-about-you-and-me-or-caring/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [Those convinced against their will are of the same opinion still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/those-convinced-against-their-will-are-of-the-same-opinion-still/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [Each nation feels superior to other nations. That breeds patriotism - and wars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/each-nation-feels-superior-to-other-nations-that-breeds-patriotism/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [We are gods in the chrysalis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/we-are-gods-in-the-chrysalis/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [If you want to know how to make people shun you and laugh at you behind your back and even despise you, here is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/if-you-want-to-know-how-to-make-people-shun-you-and-laugh-at-you/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [So if you aspire to be a good conversationali st, be an attentive listener. To be interesting, be interested. Ask questions that other persons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/so-if-you-aspire-to-be-a-good-conversationali-st-be-an-attentive/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [...Be grateful for what you have to be thankful for instead of complaining about the little things that annoy you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/be-grateful-for-what-you-have-to-be-thankful-for-instead-of/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [Don't be afraid of enemies who attack you. Be afraid of the friends who flatter you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/don-t-be-afraid-of-enemies-who-attack-you-be-afraid-of-the-friends/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) [Explore all 592 Dale Carnegie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) ## More Impulsive quotes > [Music comes from the heart and returns to the heart... music is spontaneous, impulsive expression... its range is without limit... music is forever growing...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leopold-stokowski/music-comes-from-the-heart-and-returns-to-the-heart-music-is/) [Leopold Stokowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leopold-stokowski/) > [I think you have to sort of accept that nobody really knows where it's going so there has to be a lot of impulsive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-ulrich/i-think-you-have-to-sort-of-accept-that-nobody-really-knows-where-it/) [Lars Ulrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-ulrich/) > [I've always been impulsive. My thinking is usually pretty good, but I always seem to do it after I do my talking — by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/i-ve-always-been-impulsive-my-thinking-is-usually-pretty-good-but-i/) [Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/) > [“A lot of impulsive mistakes are made by people who simply aren’t willing to stay bored a little longer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-aurandt/a-lot-of-impulsive-mistakes-are-made-by-people-who-simply-aren-t/) [Paul Aurandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-aurandt/) > [Courage is impulsive; it is narcissism tempered with nihilism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayelet-waldman/courage-is-impulsive-it-is-narcissism-tempered-with-nihilism/) [Ayelet Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayelet-waldman/) > [More errors arise from inhibited indecision than from impulsive behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-l-ernst/more-errors-arise-from-inhibited-indecision-than-from-impulsive/) [Morris L. Ernst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-l-ernst/) > [“Impulsive isn’t something you choose. It’s something you are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-hubbard/impulsive-isn-t-something-you-choose-it-s-something-you-are/) [Kirsten Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-hubbard/) > [We cannot know the young child's personality by studying his systems of interest, for his attention is as yet too labile, his reactions impulsive,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-cannot-know-the-young-child-s-personality-by-studying-his-systems/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was kind of a misfit, actually. When you're young, you want to be like everybody else, and I was like nobody else. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howie-mandel/i-was-kind-of-a-misfit-actually-when-you-re-young-you-want-to-be-like/) [Howie Mandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howie-mandel/) > [I think I'm slightly impulsive, sometimes organised and always in search of a bargain!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-i-m-slightly-impulsive-sometimes-organised-and-always-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Generations of thinkers have made typewriters their frenemies, and long before there were Gmail inboxes, print correspondence stacked up, some hastily written and impulsive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-pilon/generations-of-thinkers-have-made-typewriters-their-frenemies-and/) [Mary Pilon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-pilon/) > [A major cause of the Roman Empire's decline, after six centuries of world dominance was its replacement of stone aqueducts by lead pipes for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harris-l-coulter/a-major-cause-of-the-roman-empire-s-decline-after-six-centuries-of/) [Harris L Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harris-l-coulter/) > [Usually, when I get hit with inspiration hard - I don't know, maybe it's impulsive - but I'm the type of person where I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/da-vine-joy-randolph/usually-when-i-get-hit-with-inspiration-hard-i-don-t-know-maybe-it-s/) [Da'Vine Joy Randolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/da-vine-joy-randolph/) > [As we continue toward the fifth secret technique of psychics, I have a gut feeling that you are the sort of person that lets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-wiseman/as-we-continue-toward-the-fifth-secret-technique-of-psychics-i-have-a/) [Richard Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-wiseman/) > [I was a very impulsive, emotional kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eran-zahavi/i-was-a-very-impulsive-emotional-kid/) [Eran Zahavi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eran-zahavi/) [Browse all 188 Impulsive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impulsive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Don’t do the natural thing, the impulsive thing. 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