I like short phrases to capture complicated but recurring ideas. Very useful. For example, “Better safe than sorry” is taken for granted but really would require some explaining if we didn’t have a short phrase for it.

I want one that captures the rebuttal to “Why diet and exercise when eventually I’ll put the weight back on?” The rebuttal (which I want a phrase for) is: “If you thought having done the diet and exercise was worth it, then the period during which you attended to the good habit was worth it on its own. The alternative is that you just stayed less healthy.” Extrapolate this to any good habit or policy.

Here are my two pitches:

• Better a broken good habit than none at all
• No one looks back with relief that they never tried a good habit
  

I’m not sold on either of them.