About this quote

Strong feeling can make you act against your usual judgment. When your heart is moved, choices that seem right in the moment can look reckless in daylight. Ask yourself a quick question: do I want this because of the feeling, or because it really fits my life? Take a short pause, name the feeling, and avoid big commitments on impulse.

When to use it

• After a whirlwind weekend with someone at a conference, I think of that line and tell myself not to sign a lease until I sleep on it.
• When a grieving friend asks me to make an emotional loan, I remember the quote and check my budget before saying yes.
• After a heated argument made me promise something at work I can't fulfill, I recall Poe's line and ask for a day to consider it.
• At my sister's wedding, when I felt swept up and wanted to storm the dance floor with a rash declaration, I muttered the line and breathed instead.