How to Read “習慣は第二の天性なり”
Shūkan wa daini no tensei nari
Meaning of “習慣は第二の天性なり”
This proverb means that daily repeated actions and thought patterns become as solid and unchangeable as one’s innate characteristics.
In other words, habits that are continued every day eventually become part of that person’s natural character and abilities, allowing them to be performed automatically without conscious thought. It encompasses both sides: if you develop good habits, they become second nature and enrich your life, while conversely, bad habits become difficult to overcome.
This proverb is mainly used in educational and self-improvement contexts. It is employed when learning new skills, wanting to change one’s character, or in children’s education to explain the importance of continuous effort. Once habits are established, they are expressed at an unconscious level, allowing desirable actions to be taken without relying on willpower. In modern times, this principle is applied in various fields such as basic training for athletes, establishing study habits, and building healthy lifestyle habits.
Origin and Etymology
“Habit is second nature” is said to originate from the words of the ancient Roman philosopher Cicero: “Consuetudo est altera natura (habit is second nature).” This maxim is deeply rooted in European educational thought and has been continuously quoted by many educators and thinkers from medieval to early modern times.
It is believed to have been introduced to Japan along with the introduction of Western civilization during the Meiji era. Japan at that time was undergoing rapid modernization and actively adopting Western educational principles and moral concepts, and this maxim also spread through educational settings and enlightenment books. It was particularly positioned as an important teaching for character formation in “moral cultivation” classes and moral education.
The word “nature” is used to express the meaning of becoming as solid and unchangeable as one’s innate characteristics. Since ancient times, people have intuitively understood that daily accumulation shapes the essential parts of human beings, and this maxim expresses this in concise and impressive words. The fact that it is still frequently quoted in education and self-development fields today is proof of its universal truth.
Usage Examples
- Thanks to continuing my morning jog for three years, as they say “Habit is second nature,” I now feel uncomfortable if I don’t run
- If you develop the habit of reading books from childhood, as “Habit is second nature” suggests, you’ll naturally continue absorbing knowledge even as an adult
Modern Interpretation
In modern society, the meaning of this proverb has become more complex and multifaceted. In today’s digital age, we unconsciously develop many new habits. The action of picking up a smartphone, the frequency of checking social media, patterns of online information gathering – all of these have become modern versions of “second nature.”
Particularly noteworthy is that the speed of habit formation has dramatically increased. App notification systems and algorithms learn our behavioral patterns and create stronger habits in shorter periods. This has positive aspects but also risks creating dependent behavioral patterns.
On the other hand, the modern era has also given birth to the concept of “designing habits.” Methodologies for intentionally designing good habits and breaking bad ones are being established using insights from behavioral science and psychology. There are active movements to scientifically control habits through app-based habit management, behavioral change through environmental design, and “micro-habits” that start with small changes.
However, in today’s rapidly changing world, once-established habits also need to be updated to match the times. Work habits from an era when lifetime employment was the norm may not work today. In other words, modern people are required to balance the fixity of habits as “second nature” with flexibility to adapt to the times.
When AI Hears This
The saying “Habit is second nature” perfectly captures the neuroscientific phenomenon of “neuroplasticity.” When we repeat the same actions, our brains literally form new neural pathways physically, while old circuits weaken. This isn’t a metaphor—it’s actual structural change that can be observed through MRI scans.
For example, research examining London taxi drivers’ brains revealed that their posterior hippocampus had developed larger than normal to memorize complex road networks. Musicians show expanded motor cortex regions that control finger movement. In other words, habitual behaviors are literally rewriting the physical “blueprint” of our brains.
Even more fascinating is the timeframe for new habits to take hold. According to neuroscientists, simple habits stabilize their neural circuits in about 21 days, while complex ones take around 66 days. At this point, these behaviors become “second nature”—executing automatically without conscious effort.
The ancients’ expression “second nature” likely stemmed from their intuitive understanding of this birth of a “different self” through new neural circuits. Habits aren’t merely behavioral patterns—they’re “another version of ourselves” built upon the physical foundation of our brains.
Lessons for Today
What this proverb teaches us today is that the accumulation of small daily actions has the power to fundamentally change our lives. Rather than trying to work hard all at once seeking big changes, finding something you can continue even a little bit each day and making it a habit leads to more reliable and sustainable growth.
In modern society, where information overflows and there are countless choices, the choice of what to make into habits becomes more important. The habit of mindlessly looking at smartphones and the habit of reading both become “second nature” in the same way. That’s why we need to consciously choose and nurture good habits.
This proverb is also a message of hope. Even if you’re not satisfied with your current self, small habits you start today will surely change your future self. Don’t seek perfection; value continuation. The potential sleeping within you will surely bloom through the daily accumulation called habits.
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