"The chains of habit," said one man, "are too small to be felt until they are too strong to be broken" (Samuel Johnson)._______________________
Plato, it is said, once rebuked a person for engaging in a gambling game. When the person protested that he had only played for a trifle, Plato replied, "The habit is not a trifle"
(Home Book of Quotations, Burton Stevenson (ed.) [New York: Dodd, Mead, 1956], p. 845).
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It may not be out of place to say that every man (and [every] woman) is controlled by Habit. When Habits are young they are like lion cubs, easily managed, but later there comes a time when they manage you. Bad Habits may put you on the Avernus Jerkwater, No. 23, with a one way to Nowhere. Good Habits are mentors, guardian angels, and servants that regulate your sleep, your work, your thought.
[Selected Writings of Elbert Hubbard (New York: William H. Wise, 1922), vol. 2., p. 195]
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So you'd better make good ones!
Love these quotes. How true. I love the comparison with chains that can't be felt at first, and the lion cub one. Good to remember when you start to notice habits developing. Catch it EARLY! :)
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