Habits

HABITS. A. WOOTTON. The tendency of habits of action as well as of thought to repeat themselves uncounsciously should teach the necessity of forming only such habits as we would be willing to have repeated anywhere, in any company and in the broad light of day. No habit of speech or action should be indulged in at home that would bring chagrin if repeated abroad; and that which is done in the dark should be of such a character that unconscious repetition in the daylight or before the world would not bring a blush of shame to the cheek. Building habits is virtually character building, and character is something as lasting as eternity, so that negligence in the smaller details will seriously mar the beautiful whole, as the slightest daub on a masterpiece of art would seriously detract from its beauty and reduce its market value to a minimum. A blemish on a beautiful picture tends to mar its beauty in direct proportion to the artistic perfection displayed in the picture as a whole; so also the slightest deformity appears more conspicuous as the character approaches the highest ideal.