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Gretchen Rubin Quotes

Some kind of clutter is difficult - letting go of things with sentimental value, sifting through papers - but some clutter I find very refreshing to clear. I drive my daughters nuts because I’m always wandering into their rooms to clear clutter Picture Quote #1

We need to have intimate, enduring bonds; we need to be able to confide; we need to feel that we belong; we need to be able to get support, and just as important for happiness, to give support. We need many kinds of relationships; for one thing, we need friends Picture Quote #1

Often, if there’s something that I want to do, but somehow can’t get myself to do, it’s because I don’t have clarity. This lack of clarity often arises from a feeling of ambivalence - I want to do something, but I don’t want to do it; or I want one thing, but I also want something else that conflicts with it Picture Quote #1

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, give way under stress, or dismiss the change as insignificant. There’s an excitement and an energy that comes from a big transformation, and that helps to create a habit Picture Quote #1

Nature is impersonal, awe-inspiring, elegant, eternal. It’s geometrically perfect. It’s tiny and gigantic. You can travel far to be in a beautiful natural setting, or you can observe it in your backyard - or, in my case, in the trees lining New York City sidewalks, or in the clouds above skyscrapers Picture Quote #1

In ‘Before and After,’ I identify the sixteen strategies that we can use to make or break our habits. Some are quite familiar, such as ‘Monitoring,’ ‘Scheduling,’ and ‘Convenience.’ Some took me a lot of effort to identify, such as ‘Thinking,’ ‘Identity,’ and ‘Clarity.’ Picture Quote #1

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When we don’t get any treats, we feel depleted, resentful, and angry, and we feel justified in self-indulgence. We start to crave comfort - and grab that comfort wherever we can, even if it means breaking good habits Picture Quote #1

No leader did more for his country than Winston Churchill. Brave, magnanimous, traditional, he was like a king-general from Britain’s heroic past. His gigantic qualities set him apart from ordinary humanity; there seemed no danger he feared, no effort too great for his limitless energies Picture Quote #1

Superstition is the irrational belief that an object or behavior has the power to influence an outcome, when there’s no logical connection between them. Most of us aren’t superstitious - but most of us are a ‘littlestitious.’ Picture Quote #1

Happiness is a critical factor for work, and work is a critical factor for happiness. In one of those life-isn’t-fair results, it turns out that the happy outperform the less happy. Happy people work more hours each week - and they work more in their free time, too Picture Quote #1

I’ve found that I snack less and concentrate better when I chew on a plastic stirrer - the kind that you get to stir your to-go coffee. I picked up this habit from my husband, who loves to chew on things. His favorite chew-toy is a plastic pen top, and gnawed pen tops and little bits of plastic litter our apartment Picture Quote #1

When Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s government fell in May 1940, the nation turned to Churchill. At last, his unique qualities were brought to bear on a supreme challenge, and with his unshakable optimism, his heroic vision, and above all, his splendid speeches, Churchill roused the spirit of the British people Picture Quote #1

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Happiness can seem like an abstract, transcendent notion, but in fact, I found that getting enough sleep (very important!!), getting exercise, not letting myself get too hungry, not letting myself get too cold (I’m a person who is always cold), made a big difference. Partly because I felt happier, partly because feeling physically comfortable makes it easier to keep other difficult happiness-boosting resolutions like biting my tongue Picture Quote #1

Turns out that people who try new things, go new places, learn new skills, etc. are happier. This can be tough, because novelty and challenge also bring frustration and irritation - but if you can push through that, novelty and challenge can bring enormous happiness rewards Picture Quote #1

The absence of feeling bad isn’t enough to make you happy; you must strive to find sources of feeling good Picture Quote #1

I have a passion for children’s literature. Young adult literature. I love it. I’ve always loved it Picture Quote #1

When I thought about why I was sometimes reluctant to push myself, I realized that it was because I was afraid of failure - but in order to have more success, I needed to be willing to accept more failure Picture Quote #1

If I can do something in less than one minute, I don’t let myself procrastinate. I hang up my coat, put newspapers in the recycling, scan and toss a letter. Ever since I wrote about this rule in ‘The Happiness Project,’ I’ve been amazed by how many people have told me that it has made a huge difference in their lives Picture Quote #1

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Don’t let yourself fall into ‘empty.’ Keep cash in the house. Keep gas in your tank. Keep an extra roll of toilet paper squirreled away. Keep your phone charged Picture Quote #1

Feelings follow actions. If I’m feeling low, I deliberately act cheery, and I find myself actually feeling happier. If I’m feeling angry at someone, I do something thoughtful for her and my feelings toward her soften. This strategy is uncannily effective Picture Quote #1

People are powerfully moved by imagination, belief, and knowledge. They can consider the past and future. They can make changes in their behavior out of reason in a way that animals can’t do Picture Quote #1

You can love someone but not want to keep a gift from that person. It’s okay to pass an item along to someone who will appreciate it more Picture Quote #1

I embrace treats, but I’m also very wary of treats. Treats help us feel energized, appreciated, and enthusiastic - but very often, the things we choose as ‘treats’ aren’t good for us. The pleasure lasts a minute, but then feelings of guilt, loss of control, and other negative consequences just deepen the lousiness of the day Picture Quote #1

It was my interest in happiness that led me to the subject of habits, and of course, the study of habits is really the study of happiness. Habits are the invisible architecture of everyday life, and a significant element of happiness Picture Quote #1

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Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Lower the bar. Actually spending ten minutes clearing off one shelf is better than fantasizing about spending a weekend cleaning out the basement Picture Quote #1

I’m much calmer when there’s no TV or music playing in the background Picture Quote #1

The First Splendid Truth: To be happy, I need to think about feeling good, feeling bad, and feeling right, in an atmosphere of growth Picture Quote #1

Experts say that denying bad feelings intensifies them, acknowledging bad feelings allows good feelings to return Picture Quote #1

You really have to begin by figuring out what kind of person you are. The tip is to really take a look at yourself Picture Quote #1

Like most people, I have several pet subjects - that may or may not be interesting to other people. Don’t get me started on happiness, or habits, or children’s literature, or Winston Churchill, unless you really want to talk about it Picture Quote #1

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Friendship Quotes

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Text Quotes

Some kind of clutter is difficult - letting go of things with sentimental value, sifting through papers - but some clutter I find very refreshing to clear. I drive my daughters nuts because I’m always wandering into their rooms to clear clutter (Gretchen Rubin Quotes) We need to have intimate, enduring bonds; we need to be able to confide; we need to feel that we belong; we need to be able to get support, and just as important for happiness, to give support. We need many kinds of relationships; for one thing, we need friends (Gretchen Rubin Quotes) Often, if there’s something that I want to do, but somehow can’t get myself to do, it’s because I don’t have clarity. This lack of clarity often arises from a feeling of ambivalence - I want to do something, but I don’t want to do it; or I want one thing, but I also want something else that conflicts with it (Gretchen Rubin Quotes) 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, give way under stress, or dismiss the change as insignificant. There’s an excitement and an energy that comes from a big transformation, and that helps to create a habit (Gretchen Rubin Quotes) Nature is impersonal, awe-inspiring, elegant, eternal. It’s geometrically perfect. It’s tiny and gigantic. You can travel far to be in a beautiful natural setting, or you can observe it in your backyard - or, in my case, in the trees lining New York City sidewalks, or in the clouds above skyscrapers (Gretchen Rubin Quotes) In ‘Before and After,’ I identify the sixteen strategies that we can use to make or break our habits. Some are quite familiar, such as ‘Monitoring,’ ‘Scheduling,’ and ‘Convenience.’ Some took me a lot of effort to identify, such as ‘Thinking,’ ‘Identity,’ and ‘Clarity.’ (Gretchen Rubin Quotes) When we don’t get any treats, we feel depleted, resentful, and angry, and we feel justified in self-indulgence. We start to crave comfort - and grab that comfort wherever we can, even if it means breaking good habits (Gretchen Rubin Quotes) No leader did more for his country than Winston Churchill. Brave, magnanimous, traditional, he was like a king-general from Britain’s heroic past. His gigantic qualities set him apart from ordinary humanity; there seemed no danger he feared, no effort too great for his limitless energies (Gretchen Rubin Quotes) Superstition is the irrational belief that an object or behavior has the power to influence an outcome, when there’s no logical connection between them. Most of us aren’t superstitious - but most of us are a ‘littlestitious.’ (Gretchen Rubin Quotes) Happiness is a critical factor for work, and work is a critical factor for happiness. In one of those life-isn’t-fair results, it turns out that the happy outperform the less happy. Happy people work more hours each week - and they work more in their free time, too (Gretchen Rubin Quotes) I’ve found that I snack less and concentrate better when I chew on a plastic stirrer - the kind that you get to stir your to-go coffee. I picked up this habit from my husband, who loves to chew on things. His favorite chew-toy is a plastic pen top, and gnawed pen tops and little bits of plastic litter our apartment (Gretchen Rubin Quotes) When Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s government fell in May 1940, the nation turned to Churchill. At last, his unique qualities were brought to bear on a supreme challenge, and with his unshakable optimism, his heroic vision, and above all, his splendid speeches, Churchill roused the spirit of the British people (Gretchen Rubin Quotes) Happiness can seem like an abstract, transcendent notion, but in fact, I found that getting enough sleep (very important!!), getting exercise, not letting myself get too hungry, not letting myself get too cold (I’m a person who is always cold), made a big difference. Partly because I felt happier, partly because feeling physically comfortable makes it easier to keep other difficult happiness-boosting resolutions like biting my tongue (Gretchen Rubin Quotes) Turns out that people who try new things, go new places, learn new skills, etc. are happier. This can be tough, because novelty and challenge also bring frustration and irritation - but if you can push through that, novelty and challenge can bring enormous happiness rewards (Gretchen Rubin Quotes) The absence of feeling bad isn’t enough to make you happy; you must strive to find sources of feeling good (Gretchen Rubin Quotes) I have a passion for children’s literature. Young adult literature. I love it. I’ve always loved it. (Gretchen Rubin Quotes) When I thought about why I was sometimes reluctant to push myself, I realized that it was because I was afraid of failure - but in order to have more success, I needed to be willing to accept more failure. (Gretchen Rubin Quotes) If I can do something in less than one minute, I don’t let myself procrastinate. I hang up my coat, put newspapers in the recycling, scan and toss a letter. Ever since I wrote about this rule in ‘The Happiness Project,’ I’ve been amazed by how many people have told me that it has made a huge difference in their lives. (Gretchen Rubin Quotes) Don’t let yourself fall into ‘empty.’ Keep cash in the house. Keep gas in your tank. Keep an extra roll of toilet paper squirreled away. Keep your phone charged. (Gretchen Rubin Quotes) Feelings follow actions. If I’m feeling low, I deliberately act cheery, and I find myself actually feeling happier. If I’m feeling angry at someone, I do something thoughtful for her and my feelings toward her soften. This strategy is uncannily effective. (Gretchen Rubin Quotes) People are powerfully moved by imagination, belief, and knowledge. They can consider the past and future. They can make changes in their behavior out of reason in a way that animals can’t do. (Gretchen Rubin Quotes) You can love someone but not want to keep a gift from that person. It’s okay to pass an item along to someone who will appreciate it more. (Gretchen Rubin Quotes) I embrace treats, but I’m also very wary of treats. Treats help us feel energized, appreciated, and enthusiastic - but very often, the things we choose as ‘treats’ aren’t good for us. The pleasure lasts a minute, but then feelings of guilt, loss of control, and other negative consequences just deepen the lousiness of the day. (Gretchen Rubin Quotes) It was my interest in happiness that led me to the subject of habits, and of course, the study of habits is really the study of happiness. Habits are the invisible architecture of everyday life, and a significant element of happiness. (Gretchen Rubin Quotes) Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Lower the bar. Actually spending ten minutes clearing off one shelf is better than fantasizing about spending a weekend cleaning out the basement. (Gretchen Rubin Quotes) I’m much calmer when there’s no TV or music playing in the background (Gretchen Rubin Quotes) The First Splendid Truth: To be happy, I need to think about feeling good, feeling bad, and feeling right, in an atmosphere of growth. (Gretchen Rubin Quotes) Experts say that denying bad feelings intensifies them, acknowledging bad feelings allows good feelings to return. (Gretchen Rubin Quotes) You really have to begin by figuring out what kind of person you are. The tip is to really take a look at yourself. (Gretchen Rubin Quotes) Like most people, I have several pet subjects - that may or may not be interesting to other people. Don’t get me started on happiness, or habits, or children’s literature, or Winston Churchill, unless you really want to talk about it. (Gretchen Rubin Quotes)

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