“I believe in effort, I do not want to bind myself with vows' is the mentality of weakness, and betrays a subtle desire for the thing to be avoided.”
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Source: The Story of My Experiments with Truth (Autobiography), Part III, 'Brahmacharya—I' (1927).
About this quote
Leaving a rule as a mere intention keeps a back door open, and part of you knows it. Naming a firm line ends the daily negotiation where temptation always wins the close calls; keeping things loose usually means you're still half-planning to give in.
When to use it
- A man quitting cigarettes commits to zero rather than 'cutting down,' since the vaguer goal always left him one more excuse.
- A writer pledges 500 words before breakfast every day instead of writing 'when inspired,' and the pages finally accumulate.
- A shopper sets a flat no-spend rule on payday rather than a soft 'I'll be careful,' and the account stops leaking.