Edward M. Hallowell Quotes

#1. A feeling of loss of control over your own life and a nagging feeling of What am I missing?

Edward M. Hallowell

#2. Russell Barkley similarly describes the primary problem in ADD as a deficit in the motivation system, which makes it impossible to stay on task for any length of time unless there is constant feedback, constant reward.

Edward M. Hallowell

#3. While we all need external structure in our lives - some degree of predictability, routine, organization - those with ADD need it much more than most people. They need external structure so much because they so lack internal structure.

Edward M. Hallowell

#4. To tell a person who has ADD to try harder is about as helpful as telling someone who is nearsighted to squint harder.

Edward M. Hallowell

#5. The enthusiasm that characterizes our time is, unlike current events, hopeful and, like all enthusiasms, playful. The energy that flashes through our electronics has leapt into most of our bloodstreams and brains.

Edward M. Hallowell

#6. Because people develop ADT in an effort to cope with the stresses in their lives, and because the symptoms actually help them in the short term, the symptoms are "sticky" and may solidify into firm habits, even when life slows and becomes less stressful.

Edward M. Hallowell

#7. That's the problem with being an adult: people have already made up their minds about us; we've even made up our minds about ourselves.

Edward M. Hallowell

#8. People with ADD often have a special "feel" for life, a way of seeing right into the heart of matters, while others have to reason their way along methodically.

Edward M. Hallowell

#9. ADD is a neurological syndrome whose classic defining triad of symptoms include impulsivity, distractibility, and hyperactivity or excess energy.

Edward M. Hallowell

#10. When we forgive, the slave we free is ourselves.

Edward M. Hallowell

#11. To let friendship die away by negligence and silence is certainly not wise. It is voluntarily to throw away one of the greatest comforts of this weary pilgrimage." ~Samuel Johnson

Edward M. Hallowell

#12. My thoughts are like butterflies. They are beautiful, but they fly away.

Edward M. Hallowell

#13. Forgiveness takes intelligence, discipline, imagination, and persistence, as well as a special psychological strength, something athletes call mental toughness and warriors call courage.

Edward M. Hallowell

#14. Forgiving yourself means that you give up on your hope that the past will be different.

Edward M. Hallowell

#15. The best reason to take your time is that this time is the only time you'll ever have.

Edward M. Hallowell

#16. Always valuable, your attention has now also become one of your most insecure assets and most-sought-after possessions.

Edward M. Hallowell

#17. Most adults with ADD are struggling to express a part of themselves that often seems unraveled as they strive to join the thought behind unto the thought before.

Edward M. Hallowell

#18. A heightened distractibility and a persistent feeling of being rushed or in a hurry, even when there's no need to be, combined with a mounting feeling of how superficial your life has become: lots to do, but no depth of thought or feeling.

Edward M. Hallowell