--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The habit of doing more than is necessary…" description: "\"The habit of doing more than is necessary can only be earned through practice.\" — Seth Godin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ac/seth-godin-152_habit_the-habit-of-doing-more-than-is-necessar_1182550.png" --- # The habit of doing more than is necessary can only be… ![“The habit of doing more than is necessary can only be earned through practice.” quote by Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ac/seth-godin-152_habit_the-habit-of-doing-more-than-is-necessar_1182550.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ac/seth-godin-152_habit_the-habit-of-doing-more-than-is-necessar_1182550.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ac/seth-godin-152_habit_the-habit-of-doing-more-than-is-necessar_1182550.png) > “The habit of doing more than is necessary can only be earned through practice.” [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Excellence requires deliberate practice beyond minimal effort, turning extra work into habit. **In simple terms:** Extra effort needs practice to become habit. Key Takeaway Practice to earn extra effort. Themes discipline habit excellence Mood motivational reflective Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - workplace productivity - personal development - skill building Key Concepts deliberate practice skill acquisition Questions to Reflect On - How do you measure when extra effort becomes necessary? - What habits sustain your extra work? A Different Perspective Practice alone may not guarantee quality without reflection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habit/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) ## Related quotes > [Sometimes, the hardest habit to break is the habit of doing nothing beyond the necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/sometimes-the-hardest-habit-to-break-is-the-habit-of-doing-nothing/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [The successful person has the habit of doing the things failures don't like to do. They don't like doing them either necessarily. But their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/em-gray/the-successful-person-has-the-habit-of-doing-the-things-failures-don/) EM Gray > [How long had he been doing what was necessary instead of what was right? In a fair world they would be one and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jordan/how-long-had-he-been-doing-what-was-necessary-instead-of-what-was/) [Robert Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jordan/) > [“I’m doing what’s necessary. Sometimes you have to take certain steps in order to get to your goal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bay/i-m-doing-what-s-necessary-sometimes-you-have-to-take-certain-steps/) [Louise Bay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bay/) > [“Life is about doing what is necessary, and you did.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/life-is-about-doing-what-is-necessary-and-you-did/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [It is no use saying, 'We are doing our best.' You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-no-use-saying-we-are-doing-our-best-you-have-got-to-succeed-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The practice of doing more than necessary works best when packing lunch boxes”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-stern/the-practice-of-doing-more-than-necessary-works-best-when-packing/) [Josh Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-stern/) > [I'm doing all the necessary ways to be able to be more fit and to be be able to play more games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-partey/i-m-doing-all-the-necessary-ways-to-be-able-to-be-more-fit-and-to-be/) [Thomas Partey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-partey/) > [“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible. SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-morgan-cron/start-by-doing-what-s-necessary-then-do-what-s-possible-and-suddenly/) [Ian Morgan Cron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-morgan-cron/) > [The secret of adventure, then, is not to carefully seek it out but to travel in such a way that it finds you. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rolf-potts/the-secret-of-adventure-then-is-not-to-carefully-seek-it-out-but-to/) [Rolf Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rolf-potts/) > [Our joy, peace and happiness depend very much on our practice of recognizing and transforming habit energies. There are positive habit energies that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/our-joy-peace-and-happiness-depend-very-much-on-our-practice-of/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [The problem is with any practice is that it is a practice. That is why people don't win. The reason why people don't win…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-problem-is-with-any-practice-is-that-it-is-a-practice-that-is-why/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I have this really bad habit of doing things on the Internet and forgetting that the whole world is going to see it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maisie-williams/i-have-this-really-bad-habit-of-doing-things-on-the-internet-and/) [Maisie Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maisie-williams/) > [“A habit is when not doing an action causes a bit of pain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nir-eyal/a-habit-is-when-not-doing-an-action-causes-a-bit-of-pain/) [Nir Eyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nir-eyal/) > [“The secret of success of every man who has ever been successful lies in the fact that he formed the habit of doing things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-e-n-gray/the-secret-of-success-of-every-man-who-has-ever-been-successful-lies/) Albert E.N. Gray ## More by Seth Godin > [“You weren't born to be a cog in the giant industrial machine. You were trained to become a cog. There's an alternative available to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/you-weren-t-born-to-be-a-cog-in-the-giant-industrial-machine-you-were/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Forgive yourself for not being the richest, the thinnest, the tallest, the one with the best hair. Forgive yourself for not being the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/forgive-yourself-for-not-being-the-richest-the-thinnest-the-tallest/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The easier it is to quantify, the less it's worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-easier-it-is-to-quantify-the-less-it-s-worth/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Developing expertise or assets that are not easily copied is essential; otherwise you're just a middleman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/developing-expertise-or-assets-that-are-not-easily-copied-is/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Leadership is a choice. It's the choice not to do nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/leadership-is-a-choice-it-s-the-choice-not-to-do-nothing/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The next thing you do today will be the most important thing on your agenda, because, after all, you're doing it next. Well, perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-next-thing-you-do-today-will-be-the-most-important-thing-on-your/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [I look at Starbucks, Howard Schultz has made many brilliant decisions, and one of the things that they did was they invented the third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-look-at-starbucks-howard-schultz-has-made-many-brilliant-decisions/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Be relentlessly generous, without focusing on when it will come back to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/be-relentlessly-generous-without-focusing-on-when-it-will-come-back/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The public square is more public than ever, but minds are rarely changed in 140 character bursts and by selfies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-public-square-is-more-public-than-ever-but-minds-are-rarely/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Making an average pitch to average people, or having an average gala for average people isn't going to scale anymore. 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Nope, what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-shortage-of-remarkable-ideas-i-think-your/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The mirror we hold up to the person next to us is one of the most important pictures she will ever see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-mirror-we-hold-up-to-the-person-next-to-us-is-one-of-the-most/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [If you're a marketer who doesn't know how to invent, design, influence, adapt, and ultimately discard products, then you're no longer a marketer. You're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/if-you-re-a-marketer-who-doesn-t-know-how-to-invent-design-influence/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) [Explore all 1,110 Seth Godin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) ## More Habit quotes > [I would drink gallons of coffee a day. Even now, off caffeine, I talk faster than anyone you've ever met. I finally recognized that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-englander/i-would-drink-gallons-of-coffee-a-day-even-now-off-caffeine-i-talk/) [Nathan Englander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-englander/) > [We need to discover all over again that worship is natural to the Christian, as it was to the godly Israelites who wrote the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer/we-need-to-discover-all-over-again-that-worship-is-natural-to-the/) [J. I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/) > [Chaos often breeds life, when order breeds habit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/chaos-often-breeds-life-when-order-breeds-habit/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [“A lot of habitually creative people have preparation rituals linked to the setting in which they choose to start their day. By putting themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/a-lot-of-habitually-creative-people-have-preparation-rituals-linked/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [One of the noblest words in our language is "grace," defined as "unearned blessing." We live by grace far more than by anything else.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-elton-trueblood/one-of-the-noblest-words-in-our-language-is-grace-defined-as-unearned/) [D. Elton Trueblood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-elton-trueblood/) > [Cultivate the habit of thinking ahead, and of anticipating the necessary and immediate consequences of all your actions… Likewise in your pleasures, ask yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/cultivate-the-habit-of-thinking-ahead-and-of-anticipating-the/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [“Habits form and habits grow, Then some time later, habits go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tito-rajarshi-mukhopadhyay/habits-form-and-habits-grow-then-some-time-later-habits-go/) Tito Rajarshi Mukhopadhyay > [It is a good practice to write at least on page of mantra daily. Many people get better concentration by writing than by chanting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/it-is-a-good-practice-to-write-at-least-on-page-of-mantra-daily-many/) [Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/) > [I feel that between my experience and my mother's, breast cancer is a little bit like someone who lives next door. I know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-nixon/i-feel-that-between-my-experience-and-my-mother-s-breast-cancer-is-a/) [Cynthia Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-nixon/) > [Thirty days is just about the right amount of time to add a new habit or subtract a habit - like watching the news…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-cutts/thirty-days-is-just-about-the-right-amount-of-time-to-add-a-new-habit/) [Matt Cutts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-cutts/) > [Working at home is hard. It tends to give you bad habits. It feels more like you're going to work when you get up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beaton/working-at-home-is-hard-it-tends-to-give-you-bad-habits-it-feels-more/) [Kate Beaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beaton/) > [There are two sorts of content; one is connected with exertion, the other with habits of indolence. 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I've read convincing interpretations of my work, and sometimes I've noticed something that I wasn't aware of, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-sherman/i-don-t-analyze-what-i-m-doing-i-ve-read-convincing-interpretations/) [Cindy Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-sherman/) [Browse all 4,726 Habit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habit/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The habit of doing more than is necessary can only be earned through practice.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Seth Godin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-habit-of-doing-more-than-is-necessary-can-only-be-earned-through/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Habit" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-habit-of-doing-more-than-is-necessary-can-only-be-earned-through/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ac/seth-godin-152_habit_the-habit-of-doing-more-than-is-necessar_1182550.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ac/seth-godin-152_habit_the-habit-of-doing-more-than-is-necessar_1182550.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ac/seth-godin-152_habit_the-habit-of-doing-more-than-is-necessar_1182550.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The habit of doing more than is necessary can only be earned through practice.” — Seth Godin", "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": "Seth Godin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The habit of doing more than...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-habit-of-doing-more-than-is-necessary-can-only-be-earned-through/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-habit-of-doing-more-than-is-necessary-can-only-be-earned-through/#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 } } ] } ```