--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Change becomes a habit and habits are…" description: "\"“Change becomes a habit and habits are hard to change .”\" — Yann Martel" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/899/yann-martel-395_change_change-becomes-a-habit-and-habits-are-ha_2928569.jpg" --- # Change becomes a habit and habits are hard to change . ![“Change becomes a habit and habits are hard to change .” quote by Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/899/yann-martel-395_change_change-becomes-a-habit-and-habits-are-ha_2928569.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/899/yann-martel-395_change_change-becomes-a-habit-and-habits-are-ha_2928569.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/899/yann-martel-395_change_change-becomes-a-habit-and-habits-are-ha_2928569.jpg) > ““Change becomes a habit and habits are hard to change .”” [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Habit formation reinforces behavior, making it difficult to alter once established. **In simple terms:** Habits become hard to change once formed. Key Takeaway Recognize and reshape habits consciously. Themes habit formation behavior change psychology Mood reflective motivational Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - personal development - addiction recovery - skill acquisition - organizational change Key Concepts reinforcement loops neuroplasticity Questions to Reflect On - What habit would you like to change? - How can you make new habits stick? A Different Perspective Habits can be resistant despite strong intention to change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) ## Related quotes > [What we know from lab studies is that it's never too late to break a habit. Habits are malleable throughout your entire life. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/what-we-know-from-lab-studies-is-that-it-s-never-too-late-to-break-a/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [When most individuals or most companies are talking about trying to create healthy habits, the key is to identify which habit or habits seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/when-most-individuals-or-most-companies-are-talking-about-trying-to/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [I hate repetition. Even when I am home and have to buy milk, I go a different way each time to avoid having a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/i-hate-repetition-even-when-i-am-home-and-have-to-buy-milk-i-go-a/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [Virtually everything we do in life is a matter of habit. Habits make us who we are. Why not change your habits to better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-lalanne/virtually-everything-we-do-in-life-is-a-matter-of-habit-habits-make/) [Jack LaLanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-lalanne/) > [Old habits are hard to let go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/effy-stonem/old-habits-are-hard-to-let-go/) [Effy Stonem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/effy-stonem/) > [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 > [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/) > [Change, not habit, is what gets most of us down; habit is the stabilizer of human society, change accounts for its progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/change-not-habit-is-what-gets-most-of-us-down-habit-is-the-stabilizer/) [William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [Once a person turns cold it's hard to change back into who they used to be. They have to let go of the past,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/once-a-person-turns-cold-it-s-hard-to-change-back-into-who-they-used/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [It's hard to change adults, and it's hard to change it from a political position or a perceived political position.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/it-s-hard-to-change-adults-and-it-s-hard-to-change-it-from-a/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) ## More by Yann Martel > [“It’s a big ocean crossed by busy ships. I went slowly, observing much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/it-s-a-big-ocean-crossed-by-busy-ships-i-went-slowly-observing-much/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“The word isn't just the way it is. It is how we understand it, no? And in understanding something, we bring something to it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/the-word-isn-t-just-the-way-it-is-it-is-how-we-understand-it-no-and/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“Remember that your days on this earth are counted and you might as well make the best of those you have left.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/remember-that-your-days-on-this-earth-are-counted-and-you-might-as/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“I must say a word about fear. It's is life's only true opponent. Only fear can defeat life. It is a clever, treacherous adversary,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-must-say-a-word-about-fear-it-s-is-life-s-only-true-opponent-only/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [I was not wounded in any part of my body, but I had never experienced such intense pain, such a ripping of the nerves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-was-not-wounded-in-any-part-of-my-body-but-i-had-never-experienced/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [High calls low and low calls high. I tell you, if you were in such dire straits as I was, you too would elevate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/high-calls-low-and-low-calls-high-i-tell-you-if-you-were-in-such-dire/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“Or rather, since Christians are so fond of capital letters, a Story.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/or-rather-since-christians-are-so-fond-of-capital-letters-a-story/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“Progress is unstoppable. It is a drumbeat to which we must all march. Technology helps and good ideas spread - these are two laws…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/progress-is-unstoppable-it-is-a-drumbeat-to-which-we-must-all-march/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“There are always those who take it upon themselves to defend God, as if Ultimate Reality, as if the sustaining frame of existence were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/there-are-always-those-who-take-it-upon-themselves-to-defend-god-as/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“I never had problems with my fellow scientists. Scientists are a friendly, atheistic, hard-working, beer-drinking lot whose minds are preoccupied with sex, chess and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-never-had-problems-with-my-fellow-scientists-scientists-are-a/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“For evil in the open is but evil from within that has been let out. The main battlefield for good is not the open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/for-evil-in-the-open-is-but-evil-from-within-that-has-been-let-out/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [Books are something social - a writer speaking to a reader - so I think making the reading of a book the center of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/books-are-something-social-a-writer-speaking-to-a-reader-so-i-think/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [Nothing beats reason for keeping tigers away. But be excessively reasonable and you risk throwing out the universe with the bathwater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/nothing-beats-reason-for-keeping-tigers-away-but-be-excessively/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“Uvek ima onih koji uzmu za pravo da brane Boga, kao da je Poslednja stvarnost, kao da je temeljni ram postojanja nešto slabašno i…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/uvek-ima-onih-koji-uzmu-za-pravo-da-brane-boga-kao-da-je-poslednja/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“The reason death sticks so closely to life isn't biological necessity- its envy. Life is so beautiful that death has fallen in love with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/the-reason-death-sticks-so-closely-to-life-isn-t-biological-necessity/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) [Explore all 570 Yann Martel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) Phil Hogan > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Change becomes a habit and habits are hard to change .”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Yann Martel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/change-becomes-a-habit-and-habits-are-hard-to-change/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Change" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/change-becomes-a-habit-and-habits-are-hard-to-change/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/899/yann-martel-395_change_change-becomes-a-habit-and-habits-are-ha_2928569.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/899/yann-martel-395_change_change-becomes-a-habit-and-habits-are-ha_2928569.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/899/yann-martel-395_change_change-becomes-a-habit-and-habits-are-ha_2928569.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Change becomes a habit and habits are hard to change .” — Yann Martel", "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": "Yann Martel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Change becomes a habit and habits...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/change-becomes-a-habit-and-habits-are-hard-to-change/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/change-becomes-a-habit-and-habits-are-hard-to-change/#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 } } ] } ```