--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think you can change your belief, but…" description: "\"I think you can change your belief, but sometimes your behavior takes a lot longer.\" — Tara Westover" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/557/tara-westover-8275_behavior_i-think-you-can-change-your-belief-but-s_191059.jpg" --- # I think you can change your belief, but sometimes your… ![“I think you can change your belief, but sometimes your behavior takes a lot longer.” quote by Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/557/tara-westover-8275_behavior_i-think-you-can-change-your-belief-but-s_191059.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/557/tara-westover-8275_behavior_i-think-you-can-change-your-belief-but-s_191059.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/557/tara-westover-8275_behavior_i-think-you-can-change-your-belief-but-s_191059.jpg) > “I think you can change your belief, but sometimes your behavior takes a lot longer.” [Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Beliefs can shift relatively quickly, but changing habits often takes much longer. **In simple terms:** Changing belief is easier than changing behavior. Key Takeaway Align actions with new beliefs through incremental habits. Themes behavior change beliefs psychology self‑improvement habit formation Mood motivational practical Type inspirational self‑help When to use this quote - personal development workshops - coaching sessions - daily routines - goal setting Key Concepts Cognitive dissonance behavioral economics neuroscience Questions to Reflect On - What small actions can reinforce a new belief? - How do you sustain behavior change over time? A Different Perspective Habits are resistant to change and may revert under stress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) ## Related quotes > [“The link between belief and behavior raises the stakes considerably. Some propositions are so dangerous that it may even be ethical to kill people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-link-between-belief-and-behavior-raises-the-stakes-considerably/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“To perceive the world differently, we must be willing to change our belief system, let the past slip away, expand our sense of now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/to-perceive-the-world-differently-we-must-be-willing-to-change-our/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Once people learned how to believe in something, that skill started spilling over to other parts of their lives, until they started believing they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/once-people-learned-how-to-believe-in-something-that-skill-started/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [The world we see that seems so insane is the result of a belief system that is not working. To perceive the world differently,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-world-we-see-that-seems-so-insane-is-the-result-of-a-belief/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [“the only way we change our belief is through our thoughts and actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-badami/the-only-way-we-change-our-belief-is-through-our-thoughts-and-actions/) [Rahul Badami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-badami/) > [The same process that makes AA so effective—the power of a group to teach individuals how to believe—happens whenever people come together to help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/the-same-process-that-makes-aa-so-effective-the-power-of-a-group-to/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [If you change the belief first, changing the action is easier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-mcwilliams/if-you-change-the-belief-first-changing-the-action-is-easier/) [Peter McWilliams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-mcwilliams/) > [“A exit from self is there to take beside a choice to be made for change. You’re one belief away from a supernatural transformation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-w-allison/a-exit-from-self-is-there-to-take-beside-a-choice-to-be-made-for/) [Calvin W. Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-w-allison/) > [Man will not be able to change through no belief the Destiny of this world, but he will be able to see another world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sorin-cerin/man-will-not-be-able-to-change-through-no-belief-the-destiny-of-this/) [Sorin Cerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sorin-cerin/) > [“Change your thought, change your mind. Change your belief, change your action.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/change-your-thought-change-your-mind-change-your-belief-change-your/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“So if you want to change a belief or perception, you have to first change your state of being. And changing your state of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dispenza/so-if-you-want-to-change-a-belief-or-perception-you-have-to-first/) [Joe Dispenza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dispenza/) > [“Don't you see? The things we once loved do not change, only our belief in them... You are left with the only things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-wilson/don-t-you-see-the-things-we-once-loved-do-not-change-only-our-belief/) [Kevin Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-wilson/) > [“I have discovered that if I can change the way I think about something, I can change the way I react to it. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/i-have-discovered-that-if-i-can-change-the-way-i-think-about/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [I think that people get to a certain point in their life and they think that nothing can change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-smart/i-think-that-people-get-to-a-certain-point-in-their-life-and-they/) [Jean Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-smart/) > [Love is when you think you can change someone, but they end up changing you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-lawls/love-is-when-you-think-you-can-change-someone-but-they-end-up/) Jessica Lawls ## More by Tara Westover > [I have a theory that all abuse, no matter what kind of abuse it is, is foremost an assault on the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/i-have-a-theory-that-all-abuse-no-matter-what-kind-of-abuse-it-is-is/) [Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/) > [I get up when I feel like getting up. That's the deal I've made with myself: I can stay in bed as long as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/i-get-up-when-i-feel-like-getting-up-that-s-the-deal-i-ve-made-with/) [Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/) > [Anger can be a good thing. It's a mechanism that your brain uses to get you out of situations that are bad for you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/anger-can-be-a-good-thing-it-s-a-mechanism-that-your-brain-uses-to/) [Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/) > [I felt like I needed to come to terms with the decision I'd made to let go of my family. What do you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/i-felt-like-i-needed-to-come-to-terms-with-the-decision-i-d-made-to/) [Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/) > [Learning in our family was entirely self-directed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/learning-in-our-family-was-entirely-self-directed/) [Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/) > [I'm no longer religious, but the Bible fascinates me. Hardly anyone reads it anymore, but it's got everything: it's a book of poetry, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/i-m-no-longer-religious-but-the-bible-fascinates-me-hardly-anyone/) [Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/) > [I didn't even have a birth certificate until I was 9 years old, which meant that, according to the state of Idaho and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/i-didn-t-even-have-a-birth-certificate-until-i-was-9-years-old-which/) [Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/) > [There's a sense of sovereignty that comes from life on a mountain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/there-s-a-sense-of-sovereignty-that-comes-from-life-on-a-mountain/) [Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/) > [“You can’t be a person without a birthday, they seemed to say.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/you-can-t-be-a-person-without-a-birthday-they-seemed-to-say/) [Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/) > [I had to be - I was in school for probably three or four years before I began taking courses in history and political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/i-had-to-be-i-was-in-school-for-probably-three-or-four-years-before-i/) [Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/) > [BYU was a really positive place for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/byu-was-a-really-positive-place-for-me/) [Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/) > [For a long time, I didn't think I had the right to walk away from my family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/for-a-long-time-i-didn-t-think-i-had-the-right-to-walk-away-from-my/) [Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/) > [“This moment would define my memory of that night, and of the many nights like it, for a decade. In it I saw myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/this-moment-would-define-my-memory-of-that-night-and-of-the-many/) [Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/) > [We think about education as a stepping stone into a higher socio-economic class, into a better job. And it does do those things. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/we-think-about-education-as-a-stepping-stone-into-a-higher-socio/) [Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/) > [I felt like we had stories about family loyalty; I didn't feel like we had stories about what to do when you felt that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/i-felt-like-we-had-stories-about-family-loyalty-i-didn-t-feel-like-we/) [Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/) [Explore all 82 Tara Westover quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/) ## More Behavior quotes > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [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/) > [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I now know that deep within the human concept is something dark, selfish, and completely willing to do whatever is necessary to support the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-west/i-now-know-that-deep-within-the-human-concept-is-something-dark/) [Melissa West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-west/) > [“We are endowed with genes which code out our reaction to beavers and otters, maybe our reaction to each other as well. We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/we-are-endowed-with-genes-which-code-out-our-reaction-to-beavers-and/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [The number of poor, and poorly prepared, students who succeed in college and beyond undercuts the simplistic notion that economic or educational disadvantage is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-merullo/the-number-of-poor-and-poorly-prepared-students-who-succeed-in/) [Roland Merullo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-merullo/) > [To behave creatively in art means behavior with skill; and skill comes from discipline, not derangement. The artist who knows the rules -and proportion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burne-hogarth/to-behave-creatively-in-art-means-behavior-with-skill-and-skill-comes/) Burne Hogarth > [You don't put milk in chamomile tea - that's disgusting behavior! That's not right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-fraser/you-don-t-put-milk-in-chamomile-tea-that-s-disgusting-behavior-that-s/) [Laura Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-fraser/) > [The laws of thermodynamics, as empirically determined, express the approximate and probable behavior of systems of a great number of particles, or, more precisely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-willard-gibbs/the-laws-of-thermodynamics-as-empirically-determined-express-the/) J. Willard Gibbs > [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-tipping-point-is-that-magic-moment-when-an-idea-trend-or-social/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [I think we've told a lot of lies about human behavior through film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-arquette/i-think-we-ve-told-a-lot-of-lies-about-human-behavior-through-film/) [Patricia Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-arquette/) > [The strongest rebellion may be expressed in quiet, undramatic behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-spock/the-strongest-rebellion-may-be-expressed-in-quiet-undramatic-behavior/) [Benjamin Spock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-spock/) > [The behavior of any bureaucratic organization can best be understood by assuming that it is controlled by a secret cabal of its enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-conquest/the-behavior-of-any-bureaucratic-organization-can-best-be-understood/) [Robert Conquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-conquest/) > [If you want good behavior, don't pay on a commission basis. Our judges aren't paid so much a case. We keep them pretty well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/if-you-want-good-behavior-don-t-pay-on-a-commission-basis-our-judges/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) [Browse all 4,218 Behavior quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think you can change your belief, but sometimes your behavior takes a lot longer.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tara Westover" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/i-think-you-can-change-your-belief-but-sometimes-your-behavior-takes/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Behavior" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/i-think-you-can-change-your-belief-but-sometimes-your-behavior-takes/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/557/tara-westover-8275_behavior_i-think-you-can-change-your-belief-but-s_191059.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/557/tara-westover-8275_behavior_i-think-you-can-change-your-belief-but-s_191059.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/557/tara-westover-8275_behavior_i-think-you-can-change-your-belief-but-s_191059.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think you can change your belief, but sometimes your behavior takes a lot longer.” — Tara Westover", "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": "Tara Westover", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think you can change your...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/i-think-you-can-change-your-belief-but-sometimes-your-behavior-takes/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/i-think-you-can-change-your-belief-but-sometimes-your-behavior-takes/#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 } } ] } ```