Quotes About Control

Lack of Control Loophole: Weirdly, we often have an illusion of control over things we can't control—"If I spend a lot of time worrying, the plane is less likely to crash," "If I play my lucky numbers, I'll win the lottery eventually"—but deny control over things we can control ("If my cell phone buzzes, I have to check it"). We argue that circumstances force us to break a habit, but often, we have more control than we admit.

A University of Exeter study showed that people who have control over their workspace design are happier at work, more motivated, healthier, and up to 32 percent more productive.

A feeling of control is a very important aspect of happiness. People who feel in control of their lives, which is powerfully bolstered by feeling in control of time, are more likely to feel happy.

So while [Upholds] live by the motto, 'Discipline brings freedom,' [Rebels] live by the motto: 'Freedom is my discipline.

This is one of the many paradoxes of happiness: we seek to control our lives, but the unfamiliar and the unexpected are important sources of happiness. What's more, because novelty requires more work from the brain, dealing with novel situations evokes more intense emotional responses and makes the passage of time seem slower and richer.

Money. It's a good servant but a bad master.

Research suggests that people feel more in control and less anxious when engaged in habit behavior.

Happiness experts point out that merely making and sticking to a decision is a source of happiness, because it gives you a feeling of control, of efficacy, of responsibility. At times of

Perhaps, the feeling of control is an essential element of happiness - a better predictor of happiness than, say, income. Having a feeling of autonomy, of being able to choose what happens in your life or how you spend your time, is crucial.

As the weeks wore on, along with keeping a food journal, I added a new monitoring habit: No seconds. When people preplate their food and eat just one helping, they eat about 14 percent less than when they take smaller servings and return for more helpings.

Habit is a good servant but a bad master.

We manage what we monitor.

People take less food when using tongs, instead of spoons, to serve themselves.

I realized that one way to deprive myself without creating a feeling of deprivation is to deprive myself totally.

Outer order contributes to inner calm." Why is this true? Perhaps it's the tangible sense of control, or the relief from visual noise, or the release from guilt. In the span of a happy life, having a messy desk or an overflowing closet is clearly trivial, and yet creating order gives a disproportionate boost of energy and cheer.

By helping us to feel energetic and happy, healthy treats can play a key role in fostering good habits, but we must guard against the temptations of unhealthy treats. The pleasure lasts a minute, but then feelings of guilt, regret, loss of control, and other negative consequences kick in.

Crush the rich, take food from the poor, keep them barefoot, hungry, uninformed, uneducated, and moneyless. That's how a dictator rises to power.

He wondered if he'd be better off staying at the bum shelter with his false bum and forgetting about his real bum. But he couldn't. His bum was trying to take over the world.

It is a wonderful thing, how no one will allow anyone to live as he likes.

Self-possession depends on its environment.

Donc, il fut résolu que l'on empêcherait Emma de lire des romans. L'entreprise ne semblait point facile. La bonne dame s'en chargea : elle devait quand elle passerait par Rouen, aller en personne chez le loueur de livres et lui représenter qu'Emma cessait ses abonnements. N'aurait-on pas le droit d'avertir la police, si le libraire persistait quand même dans son métier d'empoisonneur?

I am lost! Someone has taken over my mind and is controlling it! Someone is in command of all my actions, movements, and thoughts. I am nothing inside, merely a spectator enslaved and terrified by everything I do.

Military men are the scourges of the world.

Le peuple est un troupeau imbécile, tantôt stupidement patient et tantôt férocement révolté. On lui dit : «Amuse-toi.» Il s'amuse. On lui dit : «Va te battre avec le voisin.» Il va se battre. On lui dit : «Vote pour l'Empereur.» Il vote pour l'Empereur. Puis, on lui dit : «Vote pour la République.» Et il vote pour la République.