---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Each of us has an inner thermostat…"
description: "\"Each of us has an inner thermostat setting that determines how much love, success, and creativity we allow ourselves to enjoy. When we exceed out inner..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b32/gay-hendricks-15128_creativity_each-of-us-has-an-inner-thermostat-setti_2658305.jpg"
---

#  Each of us has an inner thermostat setting that determines…

![“Each of us has an inner thermostat setting that determines how much love, success, and creativity we allow ourselves to enjoy. When we exceed out inner thermostat setting, we will often do something to sabotage ourselves, causing us to drop back into the old, familiar zone where we feel secure.” quote by Gay Hendricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b32/gay-hendricks-15128_creativity_each-of-us-has-an-inner-thermostat-setti_2658305.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b32/gay-hendricks-15128_creativity_each-of-us-has-an-inner-thermostat-setti_2658305.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b32/gay-hendricks-15128_creativity_each-of-us-has-an-inner-thermostat-setti_2658305.jpg)

> “Each of us has an inner thermostat setting that determines how much love, success, and creativity we allow ourselves to enjoy. When we exceed out inner thermostat setting, we will often do something to sabotage ourselves, causing us to drop back into the old, familiar zone where we feel secure.”

[Gay Hendricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gay-hendricks/)

## About This Quote

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

People have an internal “thermostat” for love, success, and creativity; exceeding it triggers self‑sabotage.

**In simple terms:** Inner limits cause self‑sabotage.

Key Takeaway

Expand your personal limits consciously.

Themes

self‑growth psychology limit‑setting

Mood

inquisitive encouraging

Type

self‑help psychological

When to use this quote

- coaching
- therapy
- goal setting

Key Concepts

Self‑sabotage comfort zone personal development

Questions to Reflect On

- What limits are you imposing on yourself?
- How can you safely stretch your thermostat?

A Different Perspective

Change can be uncomfortable.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Determine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/determine/) [Enjoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoy/) [Exceed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exceed/) [Exceed Inner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exceed-inner-2405748/) [Familiar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/familiar/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Inner Thermostat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inner-thermostat-2405746/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Much love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/much-love/) [Sabotage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sabotage/) [Secure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secure/) [Setting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/setting/) [Settings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/settings/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Thermostat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thermostat-1791199/) [Thermostat Setting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thermostat-setting-2405747/) [Zone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zone/) [Zone Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zone-feel-1385342/)

## Related quotes

> [Directing pushes me out of my comfort zone, and I feel like a student again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prakash-raj/directing-pushes-me-out-of-my-comfort-zone-and-i-feel-like-a-student/)

[Prakash Raj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prakash-raj/)

> [My comfort zone and where I feel most natural is being a heel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/my-comfort-zone-and-where-i-feel-most-natural-is-being-a-heel/)

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

> [I guess the way I describe it is when basketball players talk about being in the zone and they feel like they can't miss.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ladainian-tomlinson/i-guess-the-way-i-describe-it-is-when-basketball-players-talk-about/)

[LaDainian Tomlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ladainian-tomlinson/)

> [It's a real comfort zone for me to feel alien.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/it-s-a-real-comfort-zone-for-me-to-feel-alien/)

[Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/)

> [When I'm pushed outside of my comfort zone, I feel vulnerable. That's also one of the reasons I like being pushed out of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-prepon/when-i-m-pushed-outside-of-my-comfort-zone-i-feel-vulnerable-that-s/)

[Laura Prepon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-prepon/)

> [I feel like I've got the skills to be at the top, I feel like I've got the mind-state, so basically what I'm saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonreal/i-feel-like-i-ve-got-the-skills-to-be-at-the-top-i-feel-like-i-ve-got/)

[SonReal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonreal/)

> [Most of the time in the 21st century, we dominate our surroundings: We tweak the thermostat, and the temperature falls one degree. We push…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-kristof/most-of-the-time-in-the-21st-century-we-dominate-our-surroundings-we/)

[Nicholas Kristof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-kristof/)

> [He is a thermostat leader, not a thermometer...He does not react to the environment he's in. He changes every environment he's in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-dilfer/he-is-a-thermostat-leader-not-a-thermometer-he-does-not-react-to-the/)

[Trent Dilfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-dilfer/)

> [Personally, I have already turned down the Downing St thermostat by 1 degree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/personally-i-have-already-turned-down-the-downing-st-thermostat-by-1/)

[Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/)

> [“some people are thermometers, some are thermostats. You’re a thermostat. You don’t register the temperature in a room, you change it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-agassi/some-people-are-thermometers-some-are-thermostats-you-re-a-thermostat/)

[Andre Agassi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-agassi/)

> [“Choose your own mental state, rather than letting the environment govern it. Be a thermostat, not a thermometer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pavan-choudary/choose-your-own-mental-state-rather-than-letting-the-environment/)

[Pavan Choudary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pavan-choudary/)

> [ \[Even the mechanism can be endowed with an image. Thus\] the thermostat has an image of the outside world in the shape of information… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/even-the-mechanism-can-be-endowed-with-an-image-thus-the-thermostat/)

[Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/)

> [The maintenance man is moving the thermostat in our office today. I started talking with him about the](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/the-maintenance-man-is-moving-the-thermostat-in-our-office-today-i/)

[Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/)

> [...if we all turned down the thermostat in our house by just one degree, we would save over £650 million worth of energy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cameron/if-we-all-turned-down-the-thermostat-in-our-house-by-just-one-degree/)

[David Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cameron/)

> [People don't want to give up their SUVs. They don't want to turn the thermostat down in the winter and up in the summer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-begley-jr/people-don-t-want-to-give-up-their-suvs-they-don-t-want-to-turn-the/)

[Ed Begley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-begley-jr/)

## More by Gay Hendricks

> [“like my body—I may not control the expiration date, but I can certainly influence the quality of the shelf life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gay-hendricks/like-my-body-i-may-not-control-the-expiration-date-but-i-can/)

[Gay Hendricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gay-hendricks/)

> [The highest goal of spirituality is Self-realization, but what does that mean? It means to feel your Self as a living reality in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gay-hendricks/the-highest-goal-of-spirituality-is-self-realization-but-what-does/)

[Gay Hendricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gay-hendricks/)

> [I expand in abundance, success and love every day as I inspire those around me to do the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gay-hendricks/i-expand-in-abundance-success-and-love-every-day-as-i-inspire-those/)

[Gay Hendricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gay-hendricks/)

> [The beauty of the human mind is that any decision that is made can be unmade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gay-hendricks/the-beauty-of-the-human-mind-is-that-any-decision-that-is-made-can-be/)

[Gay Hendricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gay-hendricks/)

> [Are you willing to increase the amount of time every day that you feel good inside?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gay-hendricks/are-you-willing-to-increase-the-amount-of-time-every-day-that-you/)

[Gay Hendricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gay-hendricks/)

> [“Entanglement begins the moment you step out of an equal relationship with your partner and become an advocate for your victimhood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gay-hendricks/entanglement-begins-the-moment-you-step-out-of-an-equal-relationship/)

[Gay Hendricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gay-hendricks/)

> [There's no such thing as a minor lapse of awareness. You're either present with what is--right here, right now--or you're someplace else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gay-hendricks/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-minor-lapse-of-awareness-you-re-either/)

[Gay Hendricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gay-hendricks/)

> [“Wherever I go, may I learn and love as much as I can in every moment. Wherever I am, may I be open to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gay-hendricks/wherever-i-go-may-i-learn-and-love-as-much-as-i-can-in-every-moment/)

[Gay Hendricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gay-hendricks/)

> [Welcome the back talk, because it's completely natural and normal. It's actually a sign that the new idea you've planted in your mind is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gay-hendricks/welcome-the-back-talk-because-it-s-completely-natural-and-normal-it-s/)

[Gay Hendricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gay-hendricks/)

> [“pausing even for lunch, they turned the car around and headed”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gay-hendricks/pausing-even-for-lunch-they-turned-the-car-around-and-headed/)

[Gay Hendricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gay-hendricks/)

> [Genuine love is between two people who know they are already complete. Genuine love is based on a new paradigm in which both partners…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gay-hendricks/genuine-love-is-between-two-people-who-know-they-are-already-complete/)

[Gay Hendricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gay-hendricks/)

> [A successful life is an authentic life. Happiness and creativity rest on a foundation of transparency to yourself and others. Knowing your own heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gay-hendricks/a-successful-life-is-an-authentic-life-happiness-and-creativity-rest/)

[Gay Hendricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gay-hendricks/)

> [As we free our breath through diaphragmatic breathing, we relax our emotions and let go our body tensions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gay-hendricks/as-we-free-our-breath-through-diaphragmatic-breathing-we-relax-our/)

[Gay Hendricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gay-hendricks/)

> [Nobody knows but you what it is that’s sacred to you as far as what you want to manifest in your life. You need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gay-hendricks/nobody-knows-but-you-what-it-is-that-s-sacred-to-you-as-far-as-what/)

[Gay Hendricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gay-hendricks/)

> [Many healings of other physical troubles have occurred in my clients after they started to integrate breathing practices into their lives. There is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gay-hendricks/many-healings-of-other-physical-troubles-have-occurred-in-my-clients/)

[Gay Hendricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gay-hendricks/)

[Explore all 44 Gay Hendricks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gay-hendricks/)

## More Creativity quotes

> [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“The Soviet “creative intelligentsia” - that is, people accustomed to thinking one thing, saying another and doing a third - is as a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-amalrik/the-soviet-creative-intelligentsia-that-is-people-accustomed-to/)

[Andrei Amalrik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-amalrik/)

> [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/)

[John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/)

> [A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/a-rock-pile-ceases-to-be-a-rock-pile-the-moment-a-single-man/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [You don't get lucky. You create lucky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/you-don-t-get-lucky-you-create-lucky/)

[Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [“You are the end of beauty and creativity one must have created so far.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/you-are-the-end-of-beauty-and-creativity-one-must-have-created-so-far/)

[M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/)

> [Jonah Lehrer is one of the most talented explainers of science that we’ve got. What a pleasure it is to follow his investigation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/jonah-lehrer-is-one-of-the-most-talented-explainers-of-science-that/)

[Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/)

> [If you've got creativity, imagination, and intelligence, and you want to be hypnotised, then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-barry/if-you-ve-got-creativity-imagination-and-intelligence-and-you-want-to/)

[Keith Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-barry/)

> [“I believe in magic. As a writer, I create them on blank paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonnia-kemmer/i-believe-in-magic-as-a-writer-i-create-them-on-blank-paper/)

[Sonnia Kemmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonnia-kemmer/)

> [Creativity is like chasing chickens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-niemann/creativity-is-like-chasing-chickens/)

[Christoph Niemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-niemann/)

> [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/)

[David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/)

> [You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. It's a time when you really get to do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/you-always-hear-actors-say-theater-is-my-first-love-and-it-is-it-s-a/)

[Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/)

> [Create an environment for people to fail, to learn, and to grow. Their creativity and productivity will increase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/create-an-environment-for-people-to-fail-to-learn-and-to-grow-their/)

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

[Browse all 13,625 Creativity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Each of us has an inner thermostat setting that determines how much love, success, and creativity we allow ourselves to enjoy. When we exceed out inner thermostat setting, we will often do something to sabotage ourselves, causing us to drop back into the old, familiar zone where we feel secure.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gay Hendricks"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gay-hendricks/each-of-us-has-an-inner-thermostat-setting-that-determines-how-much/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Creativity"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gay-hendricks/each-of-us-has-an-inner-thermostat-setting-that-determines-how-much/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b32/gay-hendricks-15128_creativity_each-of-us-has-an-inner-thermostat-setti_2658305.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b32/gay-hendricks-15128_creativity_each-of-us-has-an-inner-thermostat-setti_2658305.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b32/gay-hendricks-15128_creativity_each-of-us-has-an-inner-thermostat-setti_2658305.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Each of us has an inner thermostat setting that determines how much love, success, and creativity we allow…” — Gay Hendricks",
                "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": "Gay Hendricks",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gay-hendricks/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Each of us has an inner...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gay-hendricks/each-of-us-has-an-inner-thermostat-setting-that-determines-how-much/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gay-hendricks/each-of-us-has-an-inner-thermostat-setting-that-determines-how-much/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
