“Writers who get written about become self-conscious. They develop a regrettable habit of looking at themselves through the eyes of other people. They are no longer alone, they have an investment in critical praise, and they think they must protect it. This leads to a diffusion of effort. The writer watches himself as he works. He grows more subtle and he pays for it by loss of organic dash.” PeopleThinkingWritingSelfEyeGrowsLossEffortPayWatchesWrittenHabitProtectConsciousPraiseInvestmentCriticalSubtleSelf ConsciousThrough The EyesDiffusion Book:Selected Letters of Raymond Chandler Source: Selected Letters of Raymond Chandler
“[Smoking] was a comfort, an occupation, a drug, a casual habit, a distraction, a way to not eat, a way to not pay attention, a way to not feel.” WayFeelsPayAttentionHabitComfortDrugPay AttentionSmokingOccupationDistractionCasual Author:Margaret Cho
“You have to have really wide reading habits and pay attention to the news and just everything that's going on in the world: you need to. If you get this right, then the writing is a piece of cake.” IfsWorldNeedsWritingReadingPayAttentionPiecesHabitNewsWidePay AttentionCakeReading Habits Author:Terry Pratchett
“It is better to pay court to a queen ... than to worship, as we too often do, some unworthy person whose wealth is his sole passport into society. I believe that a habit of respect is good for the human race.” BelieveHumansPersonsI BelieveWealthPayRaceHabitWorshipRespectCourtQueensHuman RaceSoleUnworthyPassports Author:M. E. W. Sherwood
“Highly competitive athletes like Ginny Gilder have a gift for tolerating pain and ignoring adversity. They accept these things as the price they pay for greatness. These habits of mind and body serve us well in many aspects of our lives, but not in all aspects of our lives. Course Correction is about taking time to heal and exploring the joy that lies beyond adversity.” MindWellsBodyPainJoyLyingCoursesPayAcceptingOur LivesGreatnessHabitAspectAdversityAthleteHealTake TimeExploringMind And BodyCorrectionsTime HealsHabits Of MindCourse Correction Author:Tori Murden
“We can't suddenly quit a job and then race to find a form of art that will pay off before the next mortgage payment is due. Creating art is a habit, one that we practice daily or hourly until we get good at it … Art isn’t about the rush of victory that comes from being picked. Nor does it involve compliance. Art in the post-industrial age is a lifelong habit, a stepwise process that incrementally allows us to create more art.” LifeDoeArtAgeJobsFormNextProcessWorkPayRacePracticeHabitVictoryCreatingArt IsDuesQuittingPostsPaymentLifelongMortgageComplianceCreating Art Author:Seth
“When I left the theatre and turned to writing, one of the big pulls was that, unlike the theatre, I didn't have to wait to be hired before I could do my art. That was huge. But you still have to figure out how to support your habit; it's rare and lucky when art pays the bills.” WritingArtStillsBigsLeftWaitingPaySupportFiguresHugeHabitLuckyBillsTheatre Author:Debra Dean
“Here are a few ways to face a habit and say "no" to it: Go outside your fixed routine; turn off the computer and the television; find a new outlet for your down time; talk to someone who holds a viewpoint contrary to yours and pay respectful attention, really listening.” WayFacesTurnsPayAttentionTelevisionListeningHabitComputerContraryFixedRoutineOutletsRespectfulViewpointsTurn OffDown Time Author:Deepak Chopra
“For a while there, I was a stringer. The expression comes from the old habit of stringing together the column inches that you had written. They'd measure it and pay you 10 cents an inch for your printed copy.” TogetherPayWrittenExpressionHabitCopiesInchesCentsPrintedColumnsOld Habits Author:Charles Kuralt
“It's funny how strangers can pass in front of you every day and all you see is a flat shadow, a vague outline, not noticing any of the details. They move in a gray crowd, always looking the same and acting the same, simple caricatures of who they really are, but once you get to know them, you notice the specific, tiniest things, you pay attention to the intricacies of their personalities, their habits and particular ways of walking and talking, the subtle changes in their appearance and dress.” KnowsWayMovingSimplePayActingAttentionTalkingFrontsParticularPersonalityHabitWalkingShadowDressesDetailsCrowdsAppearanceStrangerPay AttentionSubtleFlatsGrayVagueOutlinesNoticingCaricaturesIntricacy Book:As Simple as Snow Source: As Simple as Snow
“How high a price we pay for the burden of habit! I am fitted for life here where I do not want to be, I want to live there but am unfit for it, and on both counts I am miserable.” WantPayHabitBurdenMiserable Book:The Confessions Source: The Confessions