David Levithan Quotes

I don't think I have discipline when it comes to anything.

In the dim background of mind we know what we ought to be doing but somehow we cannot start.

Most of us know perfectly well what we ought to do; our trouble is that we do not want to do it.

You know what, life is full of temptations.

There is an invisible strength within us; when it recognizes two opposing objects of desire, it grows stronger.

It's easier to resist at the beginning than at the end.

January is always a good month for behavioral economics: Few things illustrate self-control as vividly as New Year's resolutions. February is even better, though, because it lets us study why so many of those resolutions are broken.

I've been trying to avoid goal-oriented behavior.

When you try to bring about behavioral change by an effort of will, you actually do violence to yourself, and the chances are very good that you will not succeed. This is so universally true that you can actually make money from it.

I'm probably more persuasive than the next person if I want to be, but do I want to be? In my head, I just don't go there.

I always found it hard to motivate myself.

We often put off doing something for as long as possible, then as we finally make the decision and step into the action, we're surprised by its relative ease. We're left to wonder why we dreaded it until we realize that most of life's actions are within our reach, but decisions take willpower.

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.

I wish I were more disciplined.

I'm the worst ad anyone could possibly be for abstaining from anything.

The secret of success is learning how to use pain and pleasure instead of having pain and pleasure use you. If you do that, you're in control of your life. If you don't, life controls you.

Terrible is the fight put up by the senses. Fight bravely! Conquer them you must.

Indecision may or may not be my problem.

I'm not a machine. I get really motivated, then I fall off the wagon and want to eat Chinese food and sit on my couch and gain five or 10 pounds!

I don't have a lot of discipline.

There is no more miserable human being than one in whom nothing is habitual but indecision.

I have had more trouble with myself than with any other man.

There is no labor in which we engage but that there is a spirit telling us, 'Oh, you do not need to do that; it is a waste of time, and you ought to be engaged in something else.'

I'm pathologically incapable of making decisions. Just ask my wife how long it took me to propose - on second thought, best not to bring it up.

I feel I should be doing stupid stuff, but I'm not going to.