As people strengthened their willpower muscles in one part of their lives—in the gym, or a money management program—that strength spilled over into what they ate or how hard they worked. Once willpower became stronger, it touched everything.

Most of the choices we make each day may feel like the products of well-considered decision making, but they’re not. They’re habits.

The same process that makes AA so effective—the power of a group to teach individuals how to believe—happens whenever people come together to help one another change. Belief is easier when it occurs within a community.

Rather, to change a habit, you must keep the old cue, and deliver the old reward, but insert a new routine.

The problem is that your brain can't tell the difference between bad and good habits, and so if you have a bad one, it's always lurking there, waiting for the right cues and rewards.

Self-discipline has a bigger effect on academic performance than does intellectual talent.

Cravings are what drive habits. And figuring out how to spark a craving makes creating a new habit easier.