Happier with Gretchen Rubin A Little Happier: Why the Holy Man Didn’t Tell a Boy to Stop Eating Candy
Dec 15, 2025
A thought-provoking parable highlights the importance of leading by example. A holy man waits to correct a boy's candy-eating until he can do the same. This story illustrates a powerful lesson: to encourage change in others, we must first embody that change ourselves. The discussion dives into the challenge of hypocrisy in daily life, emphasizing the need to practice what we preach. This insightful conversation offers reminders that can inspire us to create happier habits.
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Holy Man’s Candy Story
- A mother asked a revered holy man to tell her son to stop eating candy, and he told them to return in one month.
- He waited a month because he wanted to stop eating candy himself before advising the boy to do so.
Modeling The Behavior You Demand
- If we want to enforce a behavior, we should be willing to observe it ourselves first.
- People often exempt themselves from rules they impose on others, which undermines credibility.
Hypocrisy Undermines Authority
- Everyday hypocrisy appears across professions and relationships, from officers to parents.
- Such double standards erode trust and weaken the effectiveness of rules and requests.