William James Quotes

Do one thing every day you don't want to do.

I forget who it was that recommended men for their soul's good to do each day two things they disliked: it was a wise man, and it is a precept that I have followed scrupulously; for every day I have got up and I have gone to bed.

At our house we have come to conclude that building and strengthening character will require extreme measures and the intentional pursuit of gritty work experiences.

It's like a muscle - if you stop going to the gym or stop running, you get weak. The military teaches you these great values, but we don't keep up the discipline on our own, and we lose it. So wherever you go, keep that discipline up.

Being a dancer or athlete of any type teaches you the fundamentals of discipline... and the ability to know you can grow.

Do something everyday that you don't want to do.

Do something you hate every day, just for the practice.

Nature creates few men brave, industry and training makes many.

Habits are where our lives and careers and bodies are made.

There's few things that get you over your own crap more than working hard.

The habit of doing more than is necessary can only be earned through practice.

If you sit and feel sorry for yourself, you're wasting your time. You should be in acting class, instead of feeling sorry for yourself. You should be working.

It is easier to prevent bad habits than to break them.

I had a notepad and I wrote down 30 things to make myself better just off the top of my head, and the next day I started to do that.

It is good to be solitary, for solitude is difficult; that something is difficult must be a reason the more for us to do it.

You need to put what you learn into practice and do it over and over again until it's a habit. I always say, 'Seeing is not believing. Doing is believing.' There is a lot to learn about fitness, nutrition and emotions, but once you do, you can master them instead of them mastering you.

If you want to lose 40 pounds, you order salad instead of fries. If you want to be a better friend, you take the phone call instead of screening it. If you want to write a novel, you sit down and write a single paragraph. It's scary to make major changes, but we usually have enough courage to take the next right step.

The discipline you learn and character you build from setting and achieving a goal can be more valuable than the achievement of the goal itself.

I've developed a self-discipline since the time I was a child.

My father was a drill sergeant, and I've always had that mentality drilled into me of 'you've got to do better, you've got to do better.' I just try to listen to the characters. That's what works for me.

The only discipline that lasts is self-discipline.

With few exceptions, one ought always do what one is afraid of.

I'd rather play a tune on a horn, but I've always felt that I didn't want to train myself. Because when you get a train, you've got to have an engine and a caboose. I think it's better to train the caboose. You train yourself, you strain yourself.

The resistance that you fight physically in the gym and the resistance that you fight in life can only build a strong character.

I'm afraid of only two things: being lazy and being cowardly. I get up early in the morning and go to work. I love to write.