--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Inherited aptitudes and traits of…" description: "\"Inherited aptitudes and traits of temperament count for quite as much as length of habituation in deciding what range of habits will come to dominate a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a5/thorstein-veblen-10833_aptitude_inherited-aptitudes-and-traits-of-temper_1758312.jpg" --- # Inherited aptitudes and traits of temperament count for… ![“Inherited aptitudes and traits of temperament count for quite as much as length of habituation in deciding what range of habits will come to dominate any individual's scheme of life.” quote by Thorstein Veblen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a5/thorstein-veblen-10833_aptitude_inherited-aptitudes-and-traits-of-temper_1758312.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a5/thorstein-veblen-10833_aptitude_inherited-aptitudes-and-traits-of-temper_1758312.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a5/thorstein-veblen-10833_aptitude_inherited-aptitudes-and-traits-of-temper_1758312.jpg) > “Inherited aptitudes and traits of temperament count for quite as much as length of habituation in deciding what range of habits will come to dominate any individual's scheme of life.” [Thorstein Veblen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thorstein-veblen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Inherited traits and temperament shape habits as much as learned behavior. **In simple terms:** Nature and nurture equally shape habits. Key Takeaway Balance innate traits with learned habits. Themes nature nurture habit formation Mood reflective analytical Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - career development - parenting - personal change Key Concepts sociology psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do your innate traits influence your daily routines? - Can you reshape habits despite temperament? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on genetics can ignore personal agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aptitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aptitude/) [Habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habit/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Schemes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/schemes/) [Temperament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temperament/) ## Related quotes > [“And it is this very disruption, the breakdown of old habits and the rebuilding of new ones, that constitutes our feeling of being alive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-kohn/and-it-is-this-very-disruption-the-breakdown-of-old-habits-and-the/) Eduardo Kohn > [It is only the dull, sleepy mind that creates and clings to habit. A mind that is attentive from moment to moment - attentive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/it-is-only-the-dull-sleepy-mind-that-creates-and-clings-to-habit-a/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [“We have negative mental habits that come up over and over again. One of the most significant negative habits we should be aware of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/we-have-negative-mental-habits-that-come-up-over-and-over-again-one/) [Thich Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/) > [Of course genes can’t pull the levers of our behavior directly. But they affect the wiring and workings of the brain, and the brain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/of-course-genes-can-t-pull-the-levers-of-our-behavior-directly-but-2/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [“There are many different paths to superior outcomes in business. You will have to find your own path, one that suits your temperament, disposition,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-slootman/there-are-many-different-paths-to-superior-outcomes-in-business-you/) Frank Slootman > [Only individuals with an aberrant temperament can in the long run retain their self-esteem in the face of the disesteem of their fellows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorstein-veblen/only-individuals-with-an-aberrant-temperament-can-in-the-long-run/) [Thorstein Veblen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thorstein-veblen/) > [Honestly, I never really thought I'd be a comedian. But I did take an aptitude test in seventh grade - and this is 100…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-wolf/honestly-i-never-really-thought-i-d-be-a-comedian-but-i-did-take-an/) [Michelle Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-wolf/) > [“My attitude is to be with one aptitude”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-s-jagadeesh-kumar/my-attitude-is-to-be-with-one-aptitude/) [P.S. Jagadeesh Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-s-jagadeesh-kumar/) > [Men are so constituted that every one undertakes what he sees another successful in, whether he has aptitude for it or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/men-are-so-constituted-that-every-one-undertakes-what-he-sees-another/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [If a man is to lose his fortune, it is a good thing if he were poor before he acquired it, for poverty requires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/if-a-man-is-to-lose-his-fortune-it-is-a-good-thing-if-he-were-poor/) [Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/) > [Now, occultism is not like mystic faculty, and it very seldom works in harmony either with business aptitude in the things of ordinary life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-waite/now-occultism-is-not-like-mystic-faculty-and-it-very-seldom-works-in/) [A. E. Waite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-waite/) > [“That evening, Hope wrote a letter to her MP, Jack Crow. She found no difficulty at all in composing it, but quite a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-macleod/that-evening-hope-wrote-a-letter-to-her-mp-jack-crow-she-found-no/) [Ken MacLeod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-macleod/) > [It is not your aptitude, but your attitude, that determines your altitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/it-is-not-your-aptitude-but-your-attitude-that-determines-your/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [ The first \[quality\] to be named must always be the power of attention, of giving one's whole mind to the patient without the interposition… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfred-trotter/the-first-quality-to-be-named-must-always-be-the-power-of-attention/) [Wilfred Trotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfred-trotter/) > [People are so constituted that everybody would rather undertake what they see others do, whether they have an aptitude for it or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/people-are-so-constituted-that-everybody-would-rather-undertake-what/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) ## More by Thorstein Veblen > [Born in iniquity and conceived in sin, the spirit of nationalism has never ceased to bend human institutions to the service of dissension and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorstein-veblen/born-in-iniquity-and-conceived-in-sin-the-spirit-of-nationalism-has/) [Thorstein Veblen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thorstein-veblen/) > [In aesthetic theory it might be extremely difficult, if not quite impracticable, to draw a line between the canon of classicism, or regard for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorstein-veblen/in-aesthetic-theory-it-might-be-extremely-difficult-if-not-quite/) [Thorstein Veblen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thorstein-veblen/) > [The addiction to sports, therefore, in a peculiar degree marks an arrested development in man's moral nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorstein-veblen/the-addiction-to-sports-therefore-in-a-peculiar-degree-marks-an/) [Thorstein Veblen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thorstein-veblen/) > [A protective tariff is a typical conspiracy in restraint of trade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorstein-veblen/a-protective-tariff-is-a-typical-conspiracy-in-restraint-of-trade/) [Thorstein Veblen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thorstein-veblen/) > [It is much more difficult to recede from a scale of expenditure once adopted than it is to extend the accustomed scale in response…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorstein-veblen/it-is-much-more-difficult-to-recede-from-a-scale-of-expenditure-once/) [Thorstein Veblen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thorstein-veblen/) > [A standard of living is of the nature of habit. ...it acts almost solely to prevent recession from a scale of conspicuous expenditure that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorstein-veblen/a-standard-of-living-is-of-the-nature-of-habit-it-acts-almost-solely/) [Thorstein Veblen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thorstein-veblen/) > [With the exception of the instinct of self-preservation, the propensity for emulation is probably the strongest and most alert and persistent of the economic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorstein-veblen/with-the-exception-of-the-instinct-of-self-preservation-the/) [Thorstein Veblen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thorstein-veblen/) > [It frequently happens that an element of the standard of living which set out with being primarily wasteful, ends with becoming, in the apprehension…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorstein-veblen/it-frequently-happens-that-an-element-of-the-standard-of-living-which/) [Thorstein Veblen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thorstein-veblen/) > [All business sagacity reduces itself in the last analysis to judicious use of sabotage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorstein-veblen/all-business-sagacity-reduces-itself-in-the-last-analysis-to/) [Thorstein Veblen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thorstein-veblen/) > [“She lives with man on terms of equality, knows nothing of that relation of status which is the ancient basis of all distinctions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorstein-veblen/she-lives-with-man-on-terms-of-equality-knows-nothing-of-that/) [Thorstein Veblen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thorstein-veblen/) > [The thief or swindler who has gained great wealth by his delinquency has a better chance than the small thief of escaping the rigorous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorstein-veblen/the-thief-or-swindler-who-has-gained-great-wealth-by-his-delinquency/) [Thorstein Veblen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thorstein-veblen/) > [The dog commends himself to our favor by affording play to our propensity for mastery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorstein-veblen/the-dog-commends-himself-to-our-favor-by-affording-play-to-our/) [Thorstein Veblen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thorstein-veblen/) > [“The ceremonial differentiation of the dietary is best seen in the use of intoxicating beverages and narcotics. If these articles of consumption are costly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorstein-veblen/the-ceremonial-differentiation-of-the-dietary-is-best-seen-in-the-use/) [Thorstein Veblen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thorstein-veblen/) > [The machine technology takes no cognizance of conventionally established rules of precedence; it knows neither manners nor breeding and can make no use of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorstein-veblen/the-machine-technology-takes-no-cognizance-of-conventionally/) [Thorstein Veblen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thorstein-veblen/) > [Loud dress becomes offensive to people of taste, as evincing an undue desire to reach and impress the untrained sensibilities of the vulgar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorstein-veblen/loud-dress-becomes-offensive-to-people-of-taste-as-evincing-an-undue/) [Thorstein Veblen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thorstein-veblen/) [Explore all 63 Thorstein Veblen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thorstein-veblen/) ## More Aptitude quotes > [People are so constituted that everybody would rather undertake what they see others do, whether they have an aptitude for it or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/people-are-so-constituted-that-everybody-would-rather-undertake-what/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [ The first \[quality\] to be named must always be the power of attention, of giving one's whole mind to the patient without the interposition… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfred-trotter/the-first-quality-to-be-named-must-always-be-the-power-of-attention/) [Wilfred Trotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfred-trotter/) > [It is not your aptitude, but your attitude, that determines your altitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/it-is-not-your-aptitude-but-your-attitude-that-determines-your/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [“That evening, Hope wrote a letter to her MP, Jack Crow. She found no difficulty at all in composing it, but quite a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-macleod/that-evening-hope-wrote-a-letter-to-her-mp-jack-crow-she-found-no/) [Ken MacLeod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-macleod/) > [Now, occultism is not like mystic faculty, and it very seldom works in harmony either with business aptitude in the things of ordinary life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-waite/now-occultism-is-not-like-mystic-faculty-and-it-very-seldom-works-in/) [A. E. Waite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-waite/) > [If a man is to lose his fortune, it is a good thing if he were poor before he acquired it, for poverty requires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/if-a-man-is-to-lose-his-fortune-it-is-a-good-thing-if-he-were-poor/) [Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/) > [Men are so constituted that every one undertakes what he sees another successful in, whether he has aptitude for it or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/men-are-so-constituted-that-every-one-undertakes-what-he-sees-another/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [“My attitude is to be with one aptitude”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-s-jagadeesh-kumar/my-attitude-is-to-be-with-one-aptitude/) [P.S. Jagadeesh Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-s-jagadeesh-kumar/) > [Honestly, I never really thought I'd be a comedian. But I did take an aptitude test in seventh grade - and this is 100…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-wolf/honestly-i-never-really-thought-i-d-be-a-comedian-but-i-did-take-an/) [Michelle Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-wolf/) > [Appalling numbers of youth have been led into a cynical ultra-sophisticated attitude which regards drinking as a badge of social aptitude, which makes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-parker-yockey/appalling-numbers-of-youth-have-been-led-into-a-cynical-ultra/) [Francis Parker Yockey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-parker-yockey/) > [Henke sensed her terrifying aptitude for destruction as never before. Henke had feared for her sanity; now she knew the truth was almost worse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-weber/henke-sensed-her-terrifying-aptitude-for-destruction-as-never-before/) [David Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-weber/) > [Attitude and not the Aptitude decide the Altitude you reach in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/attitude-and-not-the-aptitude-decide-the-altitude-you-reach-in-life/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [That's what humanity is: a series of successes and failures, a testing of one's own nature and aptitude. Neither the body nor the soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/that-s-what-humanity-is-a-series-of-successes-and-failures-a-testing/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [“I am Captain Aptitude. Well, I will be, once I get acclimated to the climate at this altitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-am-captain-aptitude-well-i-will-be-once-i-get-acclimated-to-the/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Once again the Naderites were onstage attacking the Educational Testing Service - the organization which develops and administers the scholastic aptitude tests...the reason for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-seligman/once-again-the-naderites-were-onstage-attacking-the-educational/) Daniel Seligman [Browse all 196 Aptitude quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aptitude/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Inherited aptitudes and traits of temperament count for quite as much as length of habituation in deciding what range of habits will come to dominate any individual's scheme of life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thorstein Veblen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorstein-veblen/inherited-aptitudes-and-traits-of-temperament-count-for-quite-as-much/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aptitude" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorstein-veblen/inherited-aptitudes-and-traits-of-temperament-count-for-quite-as-much/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a5/thorstein-veblen-10833_aptitude_inherited-aptitudes-and-traits-of-temper_1758312.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a5/thorstein-veblen-10833_aptitude_inherited-aptitudes-and-traits-of-temper_1758312.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a5/thorstein-veblen-10833_aptitude_inherited-aptitudes-and-traits-of-temper_1758312.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Inherited aptitudes and traits of temperament count for quite as much as length of habituation in deciding…” — Thorstein Veblen", "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": "Thorstein Veblen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thorstein-veblen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Inherited aptitudes and traits of temperament...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorstein-veblen/inherited-aptitudes-and-traits-of-temperament-count-for-quite-as-much/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorstein-veblen/inherited-aptitudes-and-traits-of-temperament-count-for-quite-as-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 } } ] } ```