proverb · Words worth keeping
Use is second nature.
Use is second nature.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Repeated practice can make an action feel natural. The saying describes familiarity becoming habitual rather than establishing that a habit is fixed or right.
What the words are saying
Use is pictured as adding another nature to a person. It can recognise the ease that comes from practising a useful skill or the persistence of a routine repeated without thought. A careful reading asks what the habit serves and whether it should continue. Familiarity does not make harmful conduct acceptable, and habits can be examined and changed with suitable support and effort.
Everyday example
Someone notices that a practised checking routine now happens almost automatically and reviews whether it still fits the task.
When to use it
Use it to reflect on how repetition shapes habits and skill.
What it does not mean
Habit is not destiny or proof that an action is good.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 1692 · Use
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English