--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Change, not habit, is what gets most of…" description: "\"Change, not habit, is what gets most of us down; habit is the stabilizer of human society, change accounts for its progress.\" — William Feather" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/william-feather-2664_accounts_change-not-habit-is-what-gets-most-of-us_1244803.png" --- # Change, not habit, is what gets most of us down; habit is… ![“Change, not habit, is what gets most of us down; habit is the stabilizer of human society, change accounts for its progress.” quote by William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/william-feather-2664_accounts_change-not-habit-is-what-gets-most-of-us_1244803.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/william-feather-2664_accounts_change-not-habit-is-what-gets-most-of-us_1244803.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/william-feather-2664_accounts_change-not-habit-is-what-gets-most-of-us_1244803.png) > “Change, not habit, is what gets most of us down; habit is the stabilizer of human society, change accounts for its progress.” [William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Change disrupts stability, while habit provides societal cohesion; progress depends on balancing both. **In simple terms:** Change challenges stability; habit stabilizes society. Key Takeaway Balance innovation with tradition. Themes change stability progress society risk Mood reflective analytical Type philosophical advisory When to use this quote - business strategy - personal growth - policy making - community building Key Concepts social dynamics psychology innovation Questions to Reflect On - How can we foster change without losing stability? - When is habit more beneficial than change? A Different Perspective Habit can hinder necessary adaptation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accounts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accounts/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Change Habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-habit-555061/) [Gets Habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gets-habit-2074833/) [Habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habit/) [Habit Gets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habit-gets-2461290/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Human society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-society/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress/) [Society Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society-change-342899/) ## Related quotes > [“Because always,’ he thinks, ‘when anything gets to be a habit, it also manages to get a right good distance away from truth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/because-always-he-thinks-when-anything-gets-to-be-a-habit-it-also/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [He gets into the habit of thinking so passionately at night that he begins to be persecuted by insomnia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/he-gets-into-the-habit-of-thinking-so-passionately-at-night-that-he/) [Louis de Bernieres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [When you get into that habit of winning, it gets - I don't know if you call it contagious - but it gets to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/venus-williams/when-you-get-into-that-habit-of-winning-it-gets-i-don-t-know-if-you/) [Venus Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/venus-williams/) > [To this day I always insist on working out a problem from the beginning without reading up on it first, a habit that sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-laughlin/to-this-day-i-always-insist-on-working-out-a-problem-from-the/) [Robert B. Laughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-laughlin/) > [“It's the habit that gets you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-mcdonald/it-s-the-habit-that-gets-you/) [Abby McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-mcdonald/) > [First you get a habit, then it gets you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/first-you-get-a-habit-then-it-gets-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [Every once in a while someone without a single bad habit gets caught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kin-hubbard/every-once-in-a-while-someone-without-a-single-bad-habit-gets-caught/) [Kin Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kin-hubbard/) > [Motivation gets you going and habit gets you there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/motivation-gets-you-going-and-habit-gets-you-there/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [To change a habit, make a conscious decision, then act out the new behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxwell-maltz/to-change-a-habit-make-a-conscious-decision-then-act-out-the-new/) [Maxwell Maltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxwell-maltz/) > [If you're going to change a habit, you must BE the treatment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/if-you-re-going-to-change-a-habit-you-must-be-the-treatment/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Sometimes, counter-intuitively, it's easier to make a major change than a minor change. When a habit is changing very gradually, we may lose interest,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/sometimes-counter-intuitively-it-s-easier-to-make-a-major-change-than/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [Rather, to change a habit, you must keep the old cue, and deliver the old reward, but insert a new routine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/rather-to-change-a-habit-you-must-keep-the-old-cue-and-deliver-the/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [Change of habit cannot alter Nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop/change-of-habit-cannot-alter-nature/) [Aesop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop/) > [A fixed habit is supported by old, well-worn pathways in the brain. When you make conscious choices to change a habit, you create new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/a-fixed-habit-is-supported-by-old-well-worn-pathways-in-the-brain/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I believe you can never change a habit, or create one, with a word or a piece of chalk. You can talk all day,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-newell/i-believe-you-can-never-change-a-habit-or-create-one-with-a-word-or-a/) [Pete Newell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-newell/) ## More by William Feather > [Before it can be solved, a problem must be clearly defined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/before-it-can-be-solved-a-problem-must-be-clearly-defined/) [William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/) > [Deliver me from all evildoers that talk nothing but sickness and failure. Grant me the companionship of men who think success and men who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/deliver-me-from-all-evildoers-that-talk-nothing-but-sickness-and/) [William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/) > [Unnecessary hustle is one of the American follies. We hustle at both work and play, and consequently enjoy neither to the utmost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/unnecessary-hustle-is-one-of-the-american-follies-we-hustle-at-both/) [William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/) > [Business is like a wheelbarrow-it stands still until someone pushes it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/business-is-like-a-wheelbarrow-it-stands-still-until-someone-pushes-it/) [William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/) > [A good man likes a hard boss. I don't mean a nagging boss or a grouchy boss. 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