Self-control is not a problem in the future. It's only a problem now when the chocolate is next to us.

Shlomo Benartzi, a behavioral economist known for research on self-control, present bias, and “Save More Tomorrow,” often illustrates how people make sensible plans for the future yet struggle in the moment of temptation. This line is typically used in talks and popular explanations of behavioral finance to contrast our “future self” (who intends to diet, save, or exercise) with our “present self” (who faces immediate cues and rewards). The chocolate example functions as a concrete, everyday scenario showing that the difficulty is not forming intentions but executing them when temptation is physically and psychologically salient.

The quote highlights present bias: we systematically overweight immediate gratification relative to long-term goals. In the abstract future, self-control seems easy because the costs of resisting temptation are not yet felt; we can promise restraint without paying for it. When temptation is “next to us,” however, the immediate reward becomes vivid and the willpower cost becomes real, so our preferences shift. The implication is practical: lasting self-control often depends less on moral resolve and more on designing environments and commitments—removing cues, creating friction, or pre-committing—so that the “now” moment is easier to navigate.