Patterns Of Life Quotes
There are patterns everywhere in life.
Patterns can be seen in nature, in science and mathematics, in history, in cultures and communities and down to the individual level in how we live our lives.
Patterns can be helpful in making decisions and can provide a sense of order and predictability in our lives. But they can also be constricting, causing us to repeat the same behaviors over and over again.
Are patterns and habits the same thing?
Patterns and habits are similar in that they are both ways of doing things that we do regularly. However, there are some key differences between them.
Habits are usually unconscious behaviors that we do without thinking about them. For example, brushing our teeth or making our beds are habits that we typically do not think about before doing them.
Patterns, on the other hand, are usually behaviors that we do with the intention of achieving a specific goal and are in line with a belief that we hold. For example, we may believe that we are an organized person, and therefore we conduct a series of behaviors (a ‘pattern’) that reinforces this belief.
The following collection of quotes about the patterns of life are intriguing and quite deep. They touch on the patterns found in life, and the impact that individual patterns can have on us, both positive and negative.
Patterns Of Life Quotes
“Our character is basically a composite of our habits. Because they are consistent, often unconscious patterns, they constantly, daily, express our character.” Stephen Covey
“Humans are pattern-seeking story-telling animals, and we are quite adept at telling stories about patterns, whether they exist or not.” Michael Shermer
“Human beings are pattern-seeking animals who will prefer even a bad theory or a conspiracy theory to no theory at all.” Christopher Hitchens
“Finding patterns is the essence of wisdom.” Dennis Prager
“I’m a student of patterns. At heart, I’m a physicist. I look at everything in my life as trying to find the single equation, the theory of everything.” Will Smith
“When you are paying attention to your thoughts, words, actions, feelings, food habits, reactions, decisions, secrets, patterns, and physique, you start tuning in consciously.” Dr Prem Jagyasi
“The way is long if one follows precepts, but short… if one follows patterns.” Seneca
“I believe we create our own lives. And we create it by our thinking, feeling patterns in our belief system. I think we’re all born with this huge canvas in front of us and the paintbrushes and the paint, and we choose what to put on this canvas.” Louise L. Hay
“Self-destructive patterns cause as much suffering as outer catastrophes.” Anais Nin
“The habit patterns of the human mind are very strong and make it seem that the hard way is easy and the easy way is hard.” Eckhart Tolle
“The mark of our time is its revulsion against imposed patterns.” Marshall McLuhan
“The patterns we perceive are determined by the stories we want to believe.” John Verndon
“To understand is to perceive patterns.” Isaiah Berlin
“When patterns are broken, new worlds emerge.” Tuli Kupferberg
“All fixed set patterns are incapable of adaptability or pliability. The truth is outside of all fixed patterns.” Bruce Lee
“Negative thinking patterns can be immensely deceptive and persuasive, and change is rarely easy. But with patience and persistence, I believe that nearly all individuals suffering from depression can improve and experience a sense of joy and self-esteem once again.” David D. Burns
“Patterns of repetition govern each day, week, year, and lifetime. ‘Personal habits’ is one term we use to describe the most common of these repeated patterns. But I say these habits are sacred because they give deliberate structure to our lives. Structure gives us a sense of security. And that sense of security is the ground of meaning.” Robert Fulghum
“I think journaling is a key to success. You can set clear goals for yourself. You can start noticing repetitive behavior patterns and see the type of things that keep bothering you, and then you can have a bird’s eye view of it.” Eric Andre
“All of imagination – everything that we think, we feel, we sense – comes through the human brain. And once we create new patterns in this brain, once we shape the brain in a new way, it never returns to its original shape.” Jay S. Walker
“Success is following the pattern of life one enjoys most.” Al Capp
“You look at where you’re going and where you are and it never makes sense, but then you look back at where you’ve been and a pattern seems to emerge. And if you project forward from that pattern, then sometimes you can come up with something.” Robert M. Pirsig
“A pattern is a guide or a model. Patterns are used in sewing and knitting, in wood and metalworking, and in a wide variety of other productive pursuits, activities, and jobs. Patterns help to avoid waste and unwanted deviations and facilitate uniformity that is appropriate and beneficial.” David A. Bednar
“Our humanity rests upon a series of learned behaviors, woven together into patterns that are infinitely fragile and never directly inherited.” Margaret Mead
“Successful people follow successful patterns.” Sterling W Sill
“If what the heart approves conforms to proper patterns, then even if one’s desires are many, what harm would they be to good order?” Xun Kuang
“When we can’t see a pattern, we fit pieces together until one takes shape, because we have to.” Tana French
“There are only patterns, patterns on top of patterns, patterns that affect other patterns. Patterns hidden by patterns. Patterns within patterns. If you watch close, history does nothing but repeat itself. What we call chaos is just patterns we haven’t recognized. What we call random is just patterns we can’t decipher. what we can’t understand we call nonsense. What we can’t read we call gibberish. There is no free will. There are no variables.” Chuck Palahniuk
“From where we stand the rain seems random. If we could stand somewhere else, we would see the order in it.” Tony Hillerman
“Great leaders know that under the turmoil of chaos and change, there is a beauty of patterns and designs.” Amit Ray
“Pay attention to the intricate patterns of your existence that you take for granted.” Doug Dillon
“Patterning your life around other’s opinions is nothing more than slavery.” Lawana Blackwell
“A myth is a way of making sense in a senseless world. Myths are narrative patterns that give significance to our existence.” Rollo May
“There are patterns which emerge in one’s life, circling and returning anew, an endless variation of a theme.” Jacqueline Care
“To live on a day-to-day basis is insufficient for human beings; we need to transcend, transport, escape; we need meaning, understanding, and explanation; we need to see over-all patterns in our lives. We need hope, the sense of a future. And we need freedom (or, at least, the illusion of freedom) to get beyond ourselves, whether with telescopes and microscopes and our ever-burgeoning technology, or in states of mind that allow us to travel to other worlds, to rise above our immediate surroundings. We may seek, too, a relaxing of inhibitions that makes it easier to bond with each other, or transports that make our consciousness of time and mortality easier to bear. We seek a holiday from our inner and outer restrictions, a more intense sense of the here and now, the beauty and value of the world we live in.” Oliver Sacks
“Patterns repeat themselves in history.” Rick Riordan
“Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way.” Edward De Bono
“Patterns exist in our seemingly pattern-less lives, and the most common pattern is the circle.” Dean Koontz
Why do people form patterns?
People form patterns for a variety of reasons.
Some patterns, like exercising or studying, are formed in an effort to achieve a specific goal. Other patterns, like smoking or overeating, may be a way of coping with stress or negative emotions.
Still other patterns, like always being on time or dressing a certain way, may be attempts to conform to social norms or to present ourselves in a certain light to others.
Ultimately, it’s thought that these patterns are the result of our own beliefs and emotions.
What are the benefits of patterns?
There are many benefits of patterns. Patterns can help us to be more efficient and productive. They can also help us to make better decisions.
When we have a pattern, we know what to expect. This can provide a sense of order and predictability in our lives. Patterns can also help us to save time and energy because we do not have to put as much thought into our actions.
In addition, patterns can help us to reach our goals. For instance, if our goal is to lose weight, we may develop a pattern of eating healthy foods and exercising regularly.
What are some disadvantages of patterns?
While patterns can be helpful, they can also be constricting. When we get into a pattern, we may find it difficult to break out of it. This can lead to us repeating the same behaviors over and over again, even if they are no longer helpful or desirable. I’m sure we can all think of a time we’ve asked ourselves ‘why do I keep doing this?’!
In addition, patterns can sometimes be inflexible. We may find that we are unable to deviate from a pattern even when it would be beneficial to do so.
Therefore, it’s important to be aware of both our patterns and our habits and make sure that these are serving us, not hampering us.
For more inspiring life quotes, be sure to check out:
- 50 Interesting Quotes About Habits (Good & Bad)
- 32 Quotes That Inspire Healthy Habits
- Motivational Quotes for Self Confidence
- What Are The Best Inspirational Quotes?
- Joseph Campbell Quotes On Life & Following Your Bliss
- 26 Powerful Quotes About Words and Actions
