--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The unfortunate thing about this world is…" description: "\"“The unfortunate thing about this world is that good habits are so much easier to give up than bad ones.”\" — Somerset Maugham" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b4/somerset-maugham-31549_easier_the-unfortunate-thing-about-this-world-i_3230345.jpg" --- # The unfortunate thing about this world is that good habits… ![“The unfortunate thing about this world is that good habits are so much easier to give up than bad ones.” quote by Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b4/somerset-maugham-31549_easier_the-unfortunate-thing-about-this-world-i_3230345.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b4/somerset-maugham-31549_easier_the-unfortunate-thing-about-this-world-i_3230345.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b4/somerset-maugham-31549_easier_the-unfortunate-thing-about-this-world-i_3230345.jpg) > ““The unfortunate thing about this world is that good habits are so much easier to give up than bad ones.”” [Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/somerset-maugham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Good habits are often abandoned more easily than bad ones because they lack immediate reward and require effort. **In simple terms:** Bad habits stick, good habits slip away. Key Takeaway Make good habits rewarding. Themes habit formation self‑control psychology Mood frustrated reflective Type advice observational When to use this quote - personal development - health routines - financial planning Key Concepts behavioral economics reinforcement willpower Questions to Reflect On - How can you make good habits more immediately satisfying? - What triggers cause you to revert to bad habits? A Different Perspective Bad habits may be reinforced by social cues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Good habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-habits/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) ## Related quotes > [An unfortunate thing about this world is that the good habits are much easier to give up than the bad ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/an-unfortunate-thing-about-this-world-is-that-the-good-habits-are/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [There’s something about it that makes other good habits easier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/there-s-something-about-it-that-makes-other-good-habits-easier/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [If you dress a new something in old habits, it’s easier for the public to accept it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/if-you-dress-a-new-something-in-old-habits-it-s-easier-for-the-public/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [“Whether selling a new song, a new food, or a new crib, the lesson is the same: If you dress a new something in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/whether-selling-a-new-song-a-new-food-or-a-new-crib-the-lesson-is-the/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [“Luckily, scientists have uncovered a few secrets to help make the process of creating habits easier. In their bestselling book Nudge, the economist Richard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-david/luckily-scientists-have-uncovered-a-few-secrets-to-help-make-the/) [Susan David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-david/) > [You'd find it easier to be bad than good if you had red hair... People who haven't red hair don't know what trouble is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-shirley/you-d-find-it-easier-to-be-bad-than-good-if-you-had-red-hair-people/) [Anne Shirley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-shirley/) > [Sometimes it's easier to be as bad as they expect you to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-yep/sometimes-it-s-easier-to-be-as-bad-as-they-expect-you-to-be/) [Laurence Yep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-yep/) > [“You'd find it easier to be bad than good if you had red hair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery-2/you-d-find-it-easier-to-be-bad-than-good-if-you-had-red-hair/) [L. M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery-2/) > [Online shopping makes everything so much easier - it's a bad habit of mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-palvin/online-shopping-makes-everything-so-much-easier-it-s-a-bad-habit-of/) [Barbara Palvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-palvin/) > [You'd find it easier to be bad than good if you had red hair." — Anne Shirley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-maud-montgomery/you-d-find-it-easier-to-be-bad-than-good-if-you-had-red-hair-anne/) [Lucy Maud Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-maud-montgomery/) > [You'd find it easier to be bad than good if you had red hair," said Anne reproachfully. "People who haven't red hair don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-maud-montgomery/you-d-find-it-easier-to-be-bad-than-good-if-you-had-red-hair-said/) [Lucy Maud Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-maud-montgomery/) > [“It’s exhausting, trying to make a bad person act good. You can see why it’s so much easier for them to be bad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/it-s-exhausting-trying-to-make-a-bad-person-act-good-you-can-see-why/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [A goal gets us motivated,while a good habit keeps us stay motivated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/a-goal-gets-us-motivated-while-a-good-habit-keeps-us-stay-motivated/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [We are in danger of forgetting that we cannot do what God does, and that God will not do what we can do. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/we-are-in-danger-of-forgetting-that-we-cannot-do-what-god-does-and/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [. . when the initial excitement of playing starts to evaporate, good habits are needed to sustain the learning process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-snell/when-the-initial-excitement-of-playing-starts-to-evaporate-good/) [Howard Snell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-snell/) ## More by Somerset Maugham > [“...with two lovers there is always one who loves and one who lets himself be loved; it is bitter truth to which most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/somerset-maugham/with-two-lovers-there-is-always-one-who-loves-and-one-who-lets/) [Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/somerset-maugham/) > [“Himself an ugly man, insignificant of appearance, he prized very highly comeliness in others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/somerset-maugham/himself-an-ugly-man-insignificant-of-appearance-he-prized-very-highly/) [Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/somerset-maugham/) > [“The summer came upon the country like a conqueror.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/somerset-maugham/the-summer-came-upon-the-country-like-a-conqueror/) [Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/somerset-maugham/) > [“You know, there are two good things in life, freedom of thought and freedom of action.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/somerset-maugham/you-know-there-are-two-good-things-in-life-freedom-of-thought-and/) [Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/somerset-maugham/) > [“If change is of the essence of existence one would have thought it only sensible to make it the premise of our philosophy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/somerset-maugham/if-change-is-of-the-essence-of-existence-one-would-have-thought-it/) [Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/somerset-maugham/) > [“...the painted veil which those who live call life”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/somerset-maugham/the-painted-veil-which-those-who-live-call-life/) [Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/somerset-maugham/) > [“You're mistaken in thinking I'm unhappy. T have a great deal too much to do to think of you very often.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/somerset-maugham/you-re-mistaken-in-thinking-i-m-unhappy-t-have-a-great-deal-too-much/) [Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/somerset-maugham/) > [“Only the poet or the saint can water an asphalt pavement in the confident anticipation that lilies will reward his labour.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/somerset-maugham/only-the-poet-or-the-saint-can-water-an-asphalt-pavement-in-the/) [Somerset maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/somerset-maugham/) > [“I have noticed that when someone asks for you on the telephone and, finding you out, leaves a message begging you to call him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/somerset-maugham/i-have-noticed-that-when-someone-asks-for-you-on-the-telephone-and/) [Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/somerset-maugham/) > [“...it is well known that to praise someone whose rivalry you do not dread is often a very good way of putting a spoke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/somerset-maugham/it-is-well-known-that-to-praise-someone-whose-rivalry-you-do-not/) [Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/somerset-maugham/) > [“Chi non riesce in nessun altra cosa di solito si mette a scrivere.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/somerset-maugham/chi-non-riesce-in-nessun-altra-cosa-di-solito-si-mette-a-scrivere/) [Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/somerset-maugham/) > [Death is a very dull, dreary affair, and my advice to you is to have nothing whatever to do with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/somerset-maugham/death-is-a-very-dull-dreary-affair-and-my-advice-to-you-is-to-have-2/) [Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/somerset-maugham/) [Explore all 13 Somerset Maugham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/somerset-maugham/) ## More Easier quotes > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [I think hair gel was invented to make it easier to identify assholes from a distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-think-hair-gel-was-invented-to-make-it-easier-to-identify-assholes/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [It is easier to say you're mad, rather than admitting you're hurt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-easier-to-say-you-re-mad-rather-than-admitting-you-re-hurt/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Nothing is easier than yesterday's solutions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-sperry/nothing-is-easier-than-yesterday-s-solutions/) Roger Sperry > [When you have a cavity in your tooth and you let it get worse, eventually you have to get a root canal. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-newton-john/when-you-have-a-cavity-in-your-tooth-and-you-let-it-get-worse/) [Olivia Newton-John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-newton-john/) > [Generally, I like all islands. There, it is easier to rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/generally-i-like-all-islands-there-it-is-easier-to-rule/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [It's funny, everything is so much easier when you do it yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carine-roitfeld/it-s-funny-everything-is-so-much-easier-when-you-do-it-yourself/) [Carine Roitfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carine-roitfeld/) > [It is easier to perceive error than to find truth, for the former lies on the surface and is easily seen, while the latter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/it-is-easier-to-perceive-error-than-to-find-truth-for-the-former-lies/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I'm truly, 100% guided by the characters and my Muse. If one of the characters suddenly decided to do something very different, I'd just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-foster/i-m-truly-100-guided-by-the-characters-and-my-muse-if-one-of-the/) [Lori Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-foster/) > [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/) > [“it is easier to do a job right than to explain why you didnt”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-van-buren/it-is-easier-to-do-a-job-right-than-to-explain-why-you-didnt/) [Martin Van Buren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-van-buren/) > [“Often we find it easier to think our way around things rather than to feel our way through them:”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/often-we-find-it-easier-to-think-our-way-around-things-rather-than-to/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [I know it is easier said than done, but you have to find a way to surround yourself with positivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/i-know-it-is-easier-said-than-done-but-you-have-to-find-a-way-to/) [Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) > [God puts you where God needs you. You are where you are supposed to be. 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