" "Eventually I learned to reject this advice. Somehow, **I figured out that it was easier for me to resist certain temptations by never giving in to them**. I kept hearing advice from experts that this strategy was bound to backfire, however—­so why did it work? "I came across the answer in a casual remark made by one of my favorite writers, the eighteenth-­century essayist [[Samuel Johnson]]. **When a friend urged him “to take a little wine,” Dr. Johnson explained, “I can’t drink a little, child; therefore I never touch it. Abstinence is as easy to me, as temperance would be difficult**.” "That’s me, I realized, with a sudden thrill of identification. That’s exactly how I am. "Like Dr. Johnson, I’m an Abstainer: **I find it far easier to give up something altogether than to indulge moderately**. And this distinction has profound implications for habits." --- **Tags** -- [[quotes]], [[habits]] , [[routines]] , [[self-control]] , [[discipline]] , [[mindfulness]] , [[self-reflection]] , [[alcohol]], **Source** -- [[20240806084000 - B - Better Than Before]]