“**Conscious self-­denial leaves a man self-­absorbed and vividly aware of what he has sacrificed**; in consequence it fails often of its immediate object and almost always of its ultimate purpose. What is needed is not self-­denial, **but that kind of direction of interest outward** which will lead spontaneously and naturally to the same acts that a person absorbed in the pursuit of his own virtue could only perform by means of conscious self-­denial.” —­[[Bertrand Russell]], The Conquest of Happiness --- **Tags** -- [[quotes]], [[discipline]] , [[habits]] , [[mindfulness]] , [[extrinsic-motivation]], **Source** -- [[20240806084000 - B - Better Than Before]]