Custom is second nature.
Custom is second nature.
Meaning in plain English
Repeated practice can become so familiar that it feels natural. Second nature describes that acquired ease, without proving that a habit is good, unchangeable or shared by everyone.
Example
A volunteer routinely checks the room’s booking calendar before sending invitations, then updates that routine when the group changes to a new scheduling system.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The proverb calls custom a second nature because a repeated way of acting may come to feel ordinary rather than deliberately chosen each time. A routine can make a task easier to remember or perform, but familiarity alone does not establish that it is suitable. The useful reading notices what has become automatic and whether it still serves its purpose. Habits can be reconsidered when circumstances change, and new practices may require time and support. The saying describes the felt familiarity of repetition; it is not a scientific account of learning or proof that someone cannot act differently.
When to use it
Use it when a learned routine has come to feel automatic or ordinary.
Keep in mind
Familiarity is not proof of value or permanence; routines can be revised.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-05. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 372 · Custom
Read the original context ↗ - Attribution confidence
- traditional · historical anthology
Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
- Undated
No reliable date supplied by the collection. - Rights & edition
- Public domain (United States)
Translations and rights may differ elsewhere.
Provenance and licences ↗
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