Teach your brain the new message by saying it to yourself or out loud over and over again until you believe it. Maybe you’re realizing that you are saying to yourself, “I must have something sweet after dinner or my meal won’t feel complete.”. Werner Erhart described insanity as ‘repeating identical behavior and expecting a different result.’ If we repeatedly have difficulties in an area of life, doesn’t it make sense that our behaviors cause the problems? You’re not alone. Where did you get the idea that a complete meal has to include something sweet? The 1988 book “Raising Self-Reliant Children in a Self-Indulgent World” included an instance: 13. Do you ever find yourself stuck in a prayer loop, asking for the same thing or bringing up the same issue to God over and over again? W ill God forgive you if you keep repeating the same sin over and over again? I have read Max Nordau’s “Degeneration” at your request,—two hundred and sixty thousand mortal words, saying the same thing over and over again. My HP 4520 keeps printing the same document over and over again. 2. Lawrence Kudlow Are you annoyed with your Facebook stream? Step 2: Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. (GenealogyBank), 1981, Narcotics Anonymous Pamphlet, (Basic Text Approval Form, Unpublished Literary Work), Chapter Four: How It Works, Step Two, Page 11, Printed November 1981, Copyright 1981, W.S.C.-Literature Sub-Committee of Narcotics Anonymous], World Service Conference of Narcotics Anonymous. If the thoughts are about the past, they are often about mistakes you think you made, or about feelings of guilt or regret for past decisions. (We should be grateful for this—He knows far better than we do what is best!). Do something different, ask for advice and get out of your own way! If you’re like me, you fall asleep binge-watching the same seasons of The Office (only seasons 1-6) almost every night, can quote The Princess Bride from memory, get into periods where you listen to the same song on a vicious loop for hours at a time until you can’t listen to it anymore, and have read The Da Vinci Code at least six billion times (rough estimate). But another remarks, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”, The second earliest strong match known to QI appeared in a pamphlet printed by the Narcotics Anonymous organization in November 1981: 3. (Newspapers_com), 1983, Worstward Ho by Samuel Beckett, Quote Page 7, Grove Press Inc., New York. One popular formulation presents this point harshly: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. (NewsBank Access World News), 1988 Copyright, Raising Self-Reliant Children in a Self-Indulgent World: Seven Building Blocks for Developing Capable Young People by H. Stephen Glenn and Jane Nelsen, Quote Page 174, Published by Prima Publishing & Communications, Rocklin, California. W hat God teaches us in one area of life we can easily miss in another area. The quote "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results" is popular, being widely attributed to Einstein (probably incorrectly). How true is it that your meal isn’t complete? Fail again. (Reprint in 1970 by Greenwood Reprint Corporation, Westport, Connecticut)(HathiTrust Full View), 1955, The Psychology of Personal Constructs by George A. Kelly, Volume 2: Clinical Diagnosis and Psychotherapy, Quote Page 831, Published by W. W. Norton & Company, New York. (Verified with scans), 1986 January 5, The Sydney Morning Herald, Television with Jacqueline Lee Lewes: From drugs, drink to… Night Court: ‘Confessions of an Emmy Star, Quote Page 31, Column 3, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. If you keep doing the same thing over and over expecting different results - JUST STOP IT! For example, the “Austin American-Statesman” of Austin, Texas published the following remark made by Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle: 14. I keep hitting the cancel button on the printer itself, but the document starts printing again. Insanity is repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results. Below are additional selected citations in chronological order. Flexibility in the face of changing circumstances, by contrast, is a hallmark of mental health. One of the attendees at the meeting hesitated to accept the accuracy of second step. Susan thought that her mere presence was enough. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). The controversial book “Degeneration” by Max Nordau was published in German in 1892 and translated into English by 1895. I hear people say all the time, “I’m just going to do that differently.” If it were just that easy, we all would have stopped eating sweets a long time ago! Do you find that you get the same old posts over and over? It is listed within a section called “Misattributed to Einstein” in the comprehensive reference “The Ultimate Quotable Einstein” from Princeton University Press. Jesus has commanded us to it, and we must follow. Then ask yourself, what am I saying to myself in these situations that leads me to behaving in the same ways that I always have? By repeating the same thing over and over, they want to resolve it and do away with it. (Newspapers_com), Website: xkcd Comic, Comic title: Insanity, Comic author: Randall Munroe, Date on website: March 18, 2016, Website description: A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language. In November 1981 a pamphlet from Narcotics Anonymous contained a close match as noted previously: Insanity is repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results. If you do something over it means that you are doing something that has been done before. ... She stamped her foot over and over again. #change #self-improvement. There is no clear indication of when the idiom originated or where it was used for the first time. These parts are precisely those most extolled by Maeterlinck’s admirers. It is listed within a section called “Misattributed to Einstein” in the comprehensive reference “The Ultimate … Question: "Will God continue to forgive you if you commit the same sin over and over again?" Don't become a raving fan of the ABC gum club! May 16, 2019 | Happiness Fulfillment & Self Esteem. (Accessed xkcd.com on March 23, 2017). Why God Teaches You the Same Thing Over and Over Again 16 Comments Share Tweet Buffer Print Email. In October 1981 the saying was spoken by an attendee of an Al-Anon meeting as noted previously: Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Try again. The trouble with Susan was that she made the same mistakes repeatedly. Werner Erhard? The issue is unresolved in their mind. (NewsBank Access World News), 2000 July 30, The Indianapolis Star, Get a plan to overcome trouble spots by Tim O’Brien (Knight Ridder News Service), Quote Page J3, Column 1, Indianapolis, Indiana. Flexibility is the ability to bend when we find ourselves in unworkable positions. And how beneficial is that thinking? Replace the “I must have something sweet after dinner “ with some new, empowering language such as, “I am satisfied.” Then repeat, repeat, repeat. The key to long-term behavioral change is to figure out where that behavior came from and what you are getting from that behavior. The website was subsequently reorganized, but the document remains available via the Internet Archive Wayback Machine database. (Verified on paper), 1981 October 24, The Milwaukee Sentinel, Search For Quality Called Key To Life by Tom Ahern, Quote Page 5, Column 5, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Google Books Full View), 1895 July 27, Liberty, Volume 11, Number 6, A Degenerate’s View of Nordau by Bernard Shaw, Quote Page 2, Column 1, Published by Benj. Anxiety and overthinking tend to be evil partners. Fail better. (Great thanks to MJ Redman, Kevin Ashton, Melinda Denson, Linda Sternhill Davis, The Muser, Mededitor, Santanu Vasant, Simon Lancaster, Michael Cochran, David Meadows, J Carson, Guilherme Simões, Ed Darrell, Lee Winkelman, and Fabius Maximus (Ed.) The first is found in the book of Psalms: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12). See also: and, over. Find more ways to say over and over, along with related words, antonyms and example phrases at Thesaurus.com, the world's most trusted free thesaurus. Beyond Treatment: Things You Can Do. It might not be a healthy or functional gain, but it still feels like a gain all the same. Ever failed. So why is it that we gravitate to some of the same things, almost the same, but with a slight variety to them, but well, not really. Unknown Quote Investigator: There is no substantive evidence that Einstein wrote or spoke the statement above. A universal characteristic of insanity is inflexibly doing the same thing over and over while hoping for different results. We continue to do things in the same way because there is some form of gain in doing so. More information about the quotation above is available here. Ever tried. Finally, ask yourself, how can I disrupt these thoughts and bring in more helpful, new thought processes? “If you always do what you’ve always done, you always get what you’ve always gotten.” That was the advice of Jessie Potter, the featured speaker at Friday’s opening of the seventh annual Woman to Woman conference. R Tucker, New York. Persistence in prayer, then, is an obedience issue. George Bernard Shaw? Dear Quote Investigator: It’s foolish to repeat ineffective actions. over and over phrase. The document stated that is was printed in November 1981, and it had a 1981 copyright notice. What more was there to give? (Google News Archive), 1983, Sudden Death by Rita Mae Brown, Chapter 4, Quote Page 68, Published by Bantam Books, New York. The 1955 book “The Psychology of Personal Constructs” by George A. Kelly included a definition that corresponded to the saying under investigation although it employed a different vocabulary: 6. Synonyms for over and over. Responsibility is normally defined as doing a job better than anyone else.” She looks askance at professional tennis and says “Win and become a god. This is an unusual definition, as psychological thinking ordinarily goes. You wonder if he doesn't get tired of it. What do you think? Anonymity is greatly valued in these communities, and no specific author has been identified by the many researchers who have explored the provenance of this adage. Why don’t I learn?” They become very frustrated with themselves and then tell themselves a story that sounds like this, “I shouldn’t ever make any mistakes. In 2016 the webcomic “xkcd” depicted two characters conversing; the first mentioned the now well-known definition of insanity, and the second replied with a remark that implicitly and cleverly applied the logic of the definition to his companion: 17. The linkage to Albert Einstein occurred many years after his death and is unsupported. The anxious brain is hypervigilant, always on the lookout for anything it perceives to be dangerous or worrisome. Emphasis added to excerpts by QI: Not all the women are willing to admit they needed to be “restored to sanity.” In fact, one of them adamantly maintains that she had never reached a point of insanity. It’s often because we’ve come up with a superficial response to change that pattern and haven’t dug down to the root of the issue. Many thanks to Bill Mullins who located the important October 11, 1981 citation.). John Larroquette? Now challenge that thought. Throughout the day, they might be assigned to work on the same stage across many applications or on different stages, depending on the system dynamics. Doing The Same Thing Over And Over Again And Expecting Different Results. So the first thing to do in order to make long term change is to become aware of when you fall into old habits. His message to the world is that all our characteristically modern works of art are symptoms of disease in the artists, and that these diseased artists are themselves symptoms of the nervous exhaustion of the race by overwork. But sometimes the connection isn’t so easy for us to make. These words are usually credited to the acclaimed genius Albert Einstein. What other habits or patterns have you adopted that aren’t benefiting you in some way? It is NEVER different.”, In April 1986 an opinion piece by Baltazar A. Acevedo Jr in “The Dallas Morning News” of Texas included the saying: 12. Image Notes: Two arrows pointing at one another from OpenClipart-Vectors at Pixabay. The journalist described the “Twelve Steps” of Al-Anon which are based on similar steps employed in Alcoholics Anonymous. Jessie Potter? Definition of over and over in the Idioms Dictionary. Make regular exercise a part of your routine. Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results when, in fact, the results never change, is one definition of insanity. Al-Anon? Definitions by the largest Idiom Dictionary. 4. In January 1986 the Emmy-winning actor John Larroquette who was a star in the television comedy series “Night Court” shared the definition during a newspaper interview: 11, He pops in a definition of insanity – “It’s the repetition of the same action expecting different results. There is a simple way to remedy this. The newspaper began with these two steps: 2. Create a consistent sleep schedule. What does over and over expression mean? Another word for over and over. There are several important things you can do to manage stress and anxiety associated with OCD. I’m such an idiot for having the same issues come up in my life.” Based on that story, my clients are then, understandably, miserable. The Apostle Paul once faced the same dilemma! Once you understand your old mindset, you can choose to adopt a new mindset or thought process. She’d fall in love with a woman and consume her. Eat a healthy, balanced diet. Narcotics Anonymous? Albert Einstein Quote: “Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.” Like jumping out of a 40-storey building, breaking every bone, spending six months in hospital, going back to the same building, up to the 39th floor, jumping and expecting it to be different. The document does not appear in the print queue so I cannot simply delete it. Though the Matthew effect may be operating here, it is undeniably the sort of clever, memorable one-liner that Einstein often tossed off. Why do we buy the same things over and over? What do you think? A neighbor of ours has been complaining about his kitchen sink drain that keeps smelling up, for a … Unfortunately, Susan didn’t remember what Jane Fulton once said. Step 1: We admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable. These words are usually credited to the acclaimed genius Albert Einstein. Jane Fulton is the critical sports writer who contends “Modern professional sports rewards players for function instead of character. We continue to do things in the same way because there is some form of gain in doing so. 1, The earliest strong match known to QI appeared in October 1981 within a Knoxville, Tennessee newspaper article describing a meeting of Al-Anon, an organization designed to help the families of alcoholics. For example, he criticized Maurice Maeterlinck’s “La Princesse Maleine”: 4. But some things are not so easily resolved and leave deep impressions on us. Quit doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. We seem to have this repeat pattern. Do not look for the next best book for your problem. … Rita Mae Brown? That goes for economics, too. You’ve been quoting that cliché for years. When George Bernard Shaw reviewed Nordau’s opus he turned the criticism of repetition back upon the author and suggested that Nordau might diagnose himself as mentally unsound: 5. Keep track of what’s going on in your environment when you keep doing the same things over and over and you will soon see a pattern. The church, historically, has never needed the “next best book.” If you carefully apply God’s Word to your life, while authentically living in the context of like-minded believers, sin … I should learn something and then do it perfectly. Quote Investigator: There is no substantive evidence that Einstein wrote or spoke the statement above. I once heard insanity defined as a process by which an individual or a system does something over and over again in the same way while yet expecting different results. Bill whistled the same song over and over. Also, thanks to the valuable research conducted by Barry Popik, Ben Zimmer, and Daniel Gackle. Tags: ruminating, repetitive thoughts, thinking the same thing over and over Ruminating is a fancy word for having the same negative thoughts going round and round in your head like a broken record. Answer: To best answer this question, we’re going to look at two powerful passages of Scripture. Where else can you use this model? (NewsBank Access World News), 1991 July 4, The Seattle Times, Section: Editorial, Getting Out of the Freedom Business by Don Williamson, Quote Page A8, Seattle, Washington. Let’s say you always grab some chocolate after you eat dinner. The 1983 novel “Sudden Death” by Rita Mae Brown included an instance credited to Jane Fulton who was a character within the book: 8. Many things that we encounter on a daily basis get easily resolved (I fell because I slipped, he laughed because I said something funny, etc.). Go to the top of your Facebook profile page. Einstein once said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. QI acquired a PDF of the document with the quotation above on the website amonymifoundation.org back in February 2011. (Are you sensing a chocolate theme here?) That, as you know, is the way to drive a thing into the mind of the world, though Nordau considers it a symptom of insane “obsession” on the part of writers who do not share his own opinions. So, it is easy to surmise that if something is done over and over again it means that an action is repeated the whole time. You’ve just retrained your brain and broke a habit that wasn’t serving you. Special thanks to the volunteer researchers Quora and Wikiquote who mentioned the Narcotics Anonymous citation. “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.”, A June 1983 book review of “Sudden Death” in “The Clarion-Ledger” of Jackson, Mississippi reprinted the saying: 9, Women’s tennis gets a thorough dissecting in this story. So God has to repeat Himself. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. No matter. It is a Middle English word meaning to do something again. You can retrain your brain to respond differently. Portrait of Albert Einstein circa 1921 by Ferdinand Schmutzer accessed via Wikimedia Commons. Unfortunately it's often used to support a common and dangerous fallacy: that if you're trying something and it's not working, you must not be using the best … No, the Bible says to persist in prayer and to pray about everything. Friends. (Verified on paper), 1990 November 19, Austin American-Statesman, Section: News, Prison Puzzle – Threat of cost explosion poses difficult choices by Mike Ward, Quote Page A1, Austin, Texas. To continue to evaluate and address issues in our community strictly along ethnic, instead of human, considerations is insane if only for one reason: It will lead to the polarization that is the standard of paranoid societies. Has anyone anywhere in the poetry of the two worlds ever seen such complete idiocy? Beyond the issue of obedience, we must keep praying the same thing again and again because, over time, our prayers will actually change. This is a great question because, as I mentioned on our previous Little Lesson, none of us have reached perfection yet. Update History: On July 31, 2019 the October 11, 1981 citation was added to the article. Images have been retouched, cropped and resized. These ‘Ahs’ and ‘Ohs,’ this want of comprehension of the simplest remarks, this repetition four or five times of the same imbecile expressions, gives the truest conceivable clinical picture of incurable cretinism. Albert Einstein said that insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result. Samuel Beckett? (Newspapers_com), 1986 April 25, The Dallas Morning News, Leadership Beyond Ethnicity Should Be Goal of Dallasites by Baltazar A. Acevedo Jr., Dallas, Texas. The key to long-term change is to figure out where that behavior came from and what you are getting from that behavior. Want to change a negative behavior? Another word for over and over (again): repeatedly, frequently, again and again, often, many times | Collins English Thesaurus Lose and be forgotten.” Finally after following the lives and careers of the players, and the game itself, she concludes, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and over again, but expecting different results.”, Also in 1983 Samuel Beckett, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, offered a counterpoint perspective in his work “Worstward Ho”: 10. Because your prayers will change. It takes some repetition, but it will work. If you and your partner keep having the same fight over and over, you're suffering from one of the most common relationship issues.We've all been there. All of old. In conclusion, based on current evidence the saying originated in one of the twelve-step communities. I've been accused of … In October 1981 an educator and counselor on family relationships delivered a speech containing a thematically related adage: 7. In 1991 “The Seattle Times” printed the thoughts of an Indiana judge who ascribed another version of the saying to Einstein: 15, The jurist from the Hoosier State subscribes to Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity: “doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome.”, In 2000 a columnist working for the Knight Ridder News Service ascribed a version of the saying to the influential lecturer and trainer Werner Erhard although the name was misspelled as “Erhart”: 16. By Samuel Beckett, quote page 7, Grove Press Inc., new York appear in the print queue I! Years after his death and is unsupported my HP 4520 keeps printing the same thing and expecting different... On the website amonymifoundation.org back in February 2011 do away with it (. Hoping for different results 2019 the October 11, 1981 citation. ) a woman consume! It still feels like a gain all the same things over and over again 16 Comments Tweet. 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