---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Habit hath so vast a prevalence over the…"
description: "\"Habit hath so vast a prevalence over the human mind that there is scarce anything too strange or too strong to be asserted of it. The story of the mise..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/henry-fielding-1358_cheat_habit-hath-so-vast-a-prevalence-over-the_2492222.png"
---

#  Habit hath so vast a prevalence over the human mind that…

![“Habit hath so vast a prevalence over the human mind that there is scarce anything too strange or too strong to be asserted of it. The story of the miser who, from long accustoming to cheat others, came at last to cheat himself, and with great delight and triumph picked his own pocket of a guinea…” quote by Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/henry-fielding-1358_cheat_habit-hath-so-vast-a-prevalence-over-the_2492222.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/henry-fielding-1358_cheat_habit-hath-so-vast-a-prevalence-over-the_2492222.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/henry-fielding-1358_cheat_habit-hath-so-vast-a-prevalence-over-the_2492222.png)

> “Habit hath so vast a prevalence over the human mind that there is scarce anything too strange or too strong to be asserted of it. The story of the miser who, from long accustoming to cheat others, came at last to cheat himself, and with great delight and triumph picked his own pocket of a guinea to convey to his hoard, is not impossible or improbable.”

[Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/)

## About This Quote

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

Human habits dominate thoughts and actions, making even absurd or extreme behaviors seem plausible.

**In simple terms:** Habits strongly shape what we think and do.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and question your habits.

Themes

human nature habit psychology self‑deception

Mood

reflective critical thoughtful

Type

aphilosophical observational

When to use this quote

- personal decision‑making
- financial choices
- ethical dilemmas
- relationship patterns

Key Concepts

behavioral conditioning cognitive bias self‑sabotage

Questions to Reflect On

- What habit limits you without you realizing?
- How can you test the truth of a habit?

A Different Perspective

Habits can be hard to change and may mask underlying issues.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Delight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delight/) [Guinea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guinea/) [Habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habit/) [Human mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-mind/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Improbable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/improbable/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Misers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misers/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Triumph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/triumph/)

## Related quotes

> [If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/if-the-doors-of-perception-were-cleansed-everything-would-appear-to-3/)

[William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/)

> [If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/if-the-doors-of-perception-were-cleansed-everything-would-appear-to/)

[William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/)

> [If you rush to take a drug, do so with the full knowledge that you are being a Guinea Pig. The longer a drug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-s-mendelsohn/if-you-rush-to-take-a-drug-do-so-with-the-full-knowledge-that-you-are/)

[Robert S. Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-s-mendelsohn/)

> [Girls like Diana Spencer, armed with nothing more than a guinea-pig-rearing certificate, proud to say in that old Sloane way that she was 'as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-york/girls-like-diana-spencer-armed-with-nothing-more-than-a-guinea-pig/)

[Peter York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-york/)

> [“I think guinea pigs are fabulous!!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica/i-think-guinea-pigs-are-fabulous/)

[Monica](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica/)

> [My voice sounded like one of the guinea fowl that screeched in our trees as it pooped, but I never let that stop me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kamkwamba/my-voice-sounded-like-one-of-the-guinea-fowl-that-screeched-in-our/)

[William Kamkwamba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kamkwamba/)

> [I must say, with regard to Equatorial Guinea, the Government of Equatorial Guinea, as soon as they had arrested these people, sent a delegation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thabo-mbeki/i-must-say-with-regard-to-equatorial-guinea-the-government-of/)

[Thabo Mbeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thabo-mbeki/)

> [New Guinea was sort of a graveyard for planes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-zuckoff/new-guinea-was-sort-of-a-graveyard-for-planes/)

[Mitchell Zuckoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-zuckoff/)

> [All we want is to be treated like human beings, and not to be patronized, or experimented on like guinea pigs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/all-we-want-is-to-be-treated-like-human-beings-and-not-to-be/)

[Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/)

> [I was criticized at some level within the Republican Party by those who say government should not be in the economic development business at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-huntsman-jr/i-was-criticized-at-some-level-within-the-republican-party-by-those/)

[Jon Huntsman, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-huntsman-jr/)

> [ I met one child there eleven years old, speaking three languages \[in Guinea\]. He could speak English, French and Malinke. Speaking my language actually… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/i-met-one-child-there-eleven-years-old-speaking-three-languages-in/)

[Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/)

> [A man starts upon a sudden, takes Pen, Ink, and Paper, and without ever having had a thought of it before, resolves within himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/a-man-starts-upon-a-sudden-takes-pen-ink-and-paper-and-without-ever/)

[Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/)

> [In certain savage tribes in New Guinea, they put the old people up in the trees and shake them once a year in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dos-passos/in-certain-savage-tribes-in-new-guinea-they-put-the-old-people-up-in/)

[John Dos Passos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dos-passos/)

> [At the time when I was conducting my research there was no known method for taking the guinea pig's temperature. I demonstrated a technique…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-jules-henry-nicole/at-the-time-when-i-was-conducting-my-research-there-was-no-known/)

[Charles Jules Henry Nicole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-jules-henry-nicole/)

> [The jingling of the guinea helps the hurt that Honor feels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/the-jingling-of-the-guinea-helps-the-hurt-that-honor-feels/)

[Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/)

## More by Henry Fielding

> [“Though Jones had formerly believed himself in the very prime of youth and vigor, his first encounter with Lady Bellaston both vexed and puzzled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/though-jones-had-formerly-believed-himself-in-the-very-prime-of-youth/)

[Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/)

> [A good man therefore is a standing lesson to us all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/a-good-man-therefore-is-a-standing-lesson-to-us-all/)

[Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/)

> [Good-breeding is not confined to externals, much less to any particular dress or attitude of the body; it is the art of pleasing, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/good-breeding-is-not-confined-to-externals-much-less-to-any/)

[Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/)

> [Adversity is the trial of principle. Without it, a man hardly knows whether he is honest or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/adversity-is-the-trial-of-principle-without-it-a-man-hardly-knows/)

[Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/)

> [Sir, money, money, the most charming of all things; money, which will say more in one moment than the most elegant lover can in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/sir-money-money-the-most-charming-of-all-things-money-which-will-say/)

[Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/)

> [The greatest part of mankind labor under one delirium or another; and Don Quixote differed from the rest, not in madness, but the species…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/the-greatest-part-of-mankind-labor-under-one-delirium-or-another-and/)

[Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/)

> [Want compassion is not to be numbered among the general faults of mankind. The black ingredient which fouls our disposition is envy. Hence our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/want-compassion-is-not-to-be-numbered-among-the-general-faults-of/)

[Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/)

> [It is well known to all great men, that by conferring an obligation they do not always procure a friend, but are certain of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/it-is-well-known-to-all-great-men-that-by-conferring-an-obligation/)

[Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/)

> [One fool at least in every married couple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/one-fool-at-least-in-every-married-couple/)

[Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/)

> [A lover, when he is admitted to cards, ought to be solemnly silent, and observe the motions of his mistress. He must laugh when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/a-lover-when-he-is-admitted-to-cards-ought-to-be-solemnly-silent-and/)

[Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/)

> [If you make money your god, it will plague you like the devil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/if-you-make-money-your-god-it-will-plague-you-like-the-devil/)

[Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/)

> [As a conquered rebellion strengthens a government, or as health is more perfectly established by recovery from some diseases; so anger, when removed, often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/as-a-conquered-rebellion-strengthens-a-government-or-as-health-is/)

[Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/)

> [A wonder lasts but nine days, and then the puppy's eyes are open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/a-wonder-lasts-but-nine-days-and-then-the-puppy-s-eyes-are-open/)

[Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/)

> [Custom may lead a man into many errors; but it justifies none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/custom-may-lead-a-man-into-many-errors-but-it-justifies-none/)

[Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/)

> [A grave aspect to a grave character is of much more consequence than the world is generally aware of; a barber may make you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/a-grave-aspect-to-a-grave-character-is-of-much-more-consequence-than/)

[Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/)

[Explore all 246 Henry Fielding quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/)

## More Cheat quotes

> [You can't cheat comedy. You know, it either is going to be there on the day you capture or it's not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-lin/you-can-t-cheat-comedy-you-know-it-either-is-going-to-be-there-on-the/)

[Justin Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-lin/)

> [I'm not a cheat. I'm not a diver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-young/i-m-not-a-cheat-i-m-not-a-diver/)

[Ashley Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-young/)

> [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/)

[Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

> [Even with cheat codes, you can't get on my level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/even-with-cheat-codes-you-can-t-get-on-my-level/)

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

> [“As they say in New York, Get over it and, if you can't get over it, Get over talking about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-keyes/as-they-say-in-new-york-get-over-it-and-if-you-can-t-get-over-it-get/)

[Marian Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-keyes/)

> [I hated myself totally white. So now I cheat. It's my white hair, and I put color there. My grandson says I'm punk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-hated-myself-totally-white-so-now-i-cheat-it-s-my-white-hair-and-i/)

[Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/)

> [“Some people will lie, cheat, steal and back-stab to to get ahead...and to think, all they have to do is READ!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fortune/some-people-will-lie-cheat-steal-and-back-stab-to-to-get-ahead-and-to/)

Fortune

> [“If love was a game, a lot of people would cheat to win, but little would play it the right way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gabryelle-dos-santos/if-love-was-a-game-a-lot-of-people-would-cheat-to-win-but-little/)

Amanda gabryelle dos santos

> [“Rock-Paper-Scissors for it.” “But you always cheat,” Blake whined. “And then you just punch me and growl that ‘rock beats face’.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-adams/rock-paper-scissors-for-it-but-you-always-cheat-blake-whined-and-then/)

[Kyle Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-adams/)

> [“The human race, to which so many of my readers belong, has been playing at children's games from the beginning, and will probably do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/the-human-race-to-which-so-many-of-my-readers-belong-has-been-playing/)

[G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

> [I dont play when it comes to being unfaithful. You cheat, you get no second chance & you lost the best thing that ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-dont-play-when-it-comes-to-being-unfaithful-you-cheat-you-get-no/)

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

> [Then they're like addicts; they can't help themselves... They will steal, cheat, embezzle and commit other crimes just to get money to gamble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-warren-kindt/then-they-re-like-addicts-they-can-t-help-themselves-they-will-steal/)

[John Warren Kindt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-warren-kindt/)

> [There can never be such a thing as a free market, because it is human nature to cheat, monopolize, and buy off others so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/there-can-never-be-such-a-thing-as-a-free-market-because-it-is-human/)

[Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/)

> [If you can't count, they can cheat you. If you can't read, they can beat you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/if-you-can-t-count-they-can-cheat-you-if-you-can-t-read-they-can-beat/)

[Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/)

> [People still cheat on their wives, that hasn't fallen out of fashion. We all speak of it badly, but it has not fallen out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/people-still-cheat-on-their-wives-that-hasn-t-fallen-out-of-fashion/)

[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/)

Browse all 1,132 Cheat quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Habit hath so vast a prevalence over the human mind that there is scarce anything too strange or too strong to be asserted of it. The story of the miser who, from long accustoming to cheat others, came at last to cheat himself, and with great delight and triumph picked his own pocket of a guinea to convey to his hoard, is not impossible or improbable.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Henry Fielding"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/habit-hath-so-vast-a-prevalence-over-the-human-mind-that-there-is/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cheat"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/habit-hath-so-vast-a-prevalence-over-the-human-mind-that-there-is/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/henry-fielding-1358_cheat_habit-hath-so-vast-a-prevalence-over-the_2492222.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/henry-fielding-1358_cheat_habit-hath-so-vast-a-prevalence-over-the_2492222.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/henry-fielding-1358_cheat_habit-hath-so-vast-a-prevalence-over-the_2492222.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Habit hath so vast a prevalence over the human mind that there is scarce anything too strange or too strong…” — Henry Fielding",
                "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": "Henry Fielding",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Habit hath so vast a prevalence...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/habit-hath-so-vast-a-prevalence-over-the-human-mind-that-there-is/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/habit-hath-so-vast-a-prevalence-over-the-human-mind-that-there-is/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```