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William James Quotes

Philosopher

William James was an American philosopher and psychologist widely regarded as one of the most influential thinkers of the 19th century. His work in pragmatism and his exploration of human consciousness, belief, and experience reshaped the fields of psychology and philosophy. The following quotes reflect his profound insights on the nature of reality, the power of belief, and the importance of living a life rooted in practical experience and meaning.

Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.
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Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact.
From The Will to Believe : and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy
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In order to disprove the assertion that all crows are black, one white crow is sufficient.
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Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.
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Belief creates the actual fact.
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The greatest discovery of any generation is that a human can alter his life by altering his attitude.
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It does not follow, because our ancestors made so many errors of fact and mixed them with their religion, that we should therefore leave off being religious at all. By being religious we establish ourselves in possession of ultimate reality at the only points at which reality is given us to guard. Our responsible concern is with our private destiny, after all.
From The Varieties of Religious Experience
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Wisdom is seeing something in a non-habitual manner.
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Begin to be now what you will be hereafter.
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the exclusive worship of the bitch-goddess sucess is our national disease
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All religions and spiritual traditions begin with the cry "Help!
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A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.
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if you can change your mind, you can change your life.
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Pragmatism asks its usual question. "Grant an idea or belief to be true," it says, "what concrete difference will its being true make in anyone's actual life? How will the truth be realized? What experiences will be different from those which would obtain if the belief were false? What, in short, is the truth's cash-value in experiential terms?
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Metaphysics means nothing but an unusually obstinate effort to think clearly. The fundamental conceptions of psychology are practically very clear to us, but theoretically they are very confused, and one easily makes the obscurest assumptions in this science without realizing, until challenged, what internal difficulties they involve.
From The Principles of Psychology: Volume 1
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Your hopes, dreams and aspirations are legitimate. They are trying to take you airborne, above the clouds, above the storms, if you only let them.
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If merely 'feeling good' could decide, drunkenness would be the supremely valid human experience.
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Philosophy lives in words, but truth and fact well up into our lives in ways that exceed verbal formulation.
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There is something almost shocking in the notion of so chaste a function carrying this Kantian hurlyburly in her womb.
From The Principles of Psychology: Volume 1
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Good-humor is a philosophic state of mind; it seems to say to Nature that we take her no more seriously than she takes us. I maintain that one should always talk of philosophy with a smile.
From The Varieties of Religious Experience
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Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact.
From The Will to Believe : and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
In order to disprove the assertion that all crows are black, one white crow is sufficient.
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
Belief creates the actual fact.
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
The greatest discovery of any generation is that a human can alter his life by altering his attitude.
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
It does not follow, because our ancestors made so many errors of fact and mixed them with their religion, that we should therefore leave off being religious at all. By being religious we establish ourselves in possession of ultimate reality at the only points at which reality is given us to guard. Our responsible concern is with our private destiny, after all.
From The Varieties of Religious Experience
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Wisdom is seeing something in a non-habitual manner.
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
Begin to be now what you will be hereafter.
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
the exclusive worship of the bitch-goddess sucess is our national disease
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
All religions and spiritual traditions begin with the cry "Help!
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
if you can change your mind, you can change your life.
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
Pragmatism asks its usual question. "Grant an idea or belief to be true," it says, "what concrete difference will its being true make in anyone's actual life? How will the truth be realized? What experiences will be different from those which would obtain if the belief were false? What, in short, is the truth's cash-value in experiential terms?
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
Metaphysics means nothing but an unusually obstinate effort to think clearly. The fundamental conceptions of psychology are practically very clear to us, but theoretically they are very confused, and one easily makes the obscurest assumptions in this science without realizing, until challenged, what internal difficulties they involve.
From The Principles of Psychology: Volume 1
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Your hopes, dreams and aspirations are legitimate. They are trying to take you airborne, above the clouds, above the storms, if you only let them.
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
If merely 'feeling good' could decide, drunkenness would be the supremely valid human experience.
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
Philosophy lives in words, but truth and fact well up into our lives in ways that exceed verbal formulation.
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
There is something almost shocking in the notion of so chaste a function carrying this Kantian hurlyburly in her womb.
From The Principles of Psychology: Volume 1
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
Good-humor is a philosophic state of mind; it seems to say to Nature that we take her no more seriously than she takes us. I maintain that one should always talk of philosophy with a smile.
From The Varieties of Religious Experience
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact.
From The Will to Believe : and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
In order to disprove the assertion that all crows are black, one white crow is sufficient.
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
Belief creates the actual fact.
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
The greatest discovery of any generation is that a human can alter his life by altering his attitude.
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
It does not follow, because our ancestors made so many errors of fact and mixed them with their religion, that we should therefore leave off being religious at all. By being religious we establish ourselves in possession of ultimate reality at the only points at which reality is given us to guard. Our responsible concern is with our private destiny, after all.
From The Varieties of Religious Experience
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
Wisdom is seeing something in a non-habitual manner.
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
Begin to be now what you will be hereafter.
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
the exclusive worship of the bitch-goddess sucess is our national disease
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
All religions and spiritual traditions begin with the cry "Help!
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
if you can change your mind, you can change your life.
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
Pragmatism asks its usual question. "Grant an idea or belief to be true," it says, "what concrete difference will its being true make in anyone's actual life? How will the truth be realized? What experiences will be different from those which would obtain if the belief were false? What, in short, is the truth's cash-value in experiential terms?
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
Metaphysics means nothing but an unusually obstinate effort to think clearly. The fundamental conceptions of psychology are practically very clear to us, but theoretically they are very confused, and one easily makes the obscurest assumptions in this science without realizing, until challenged, what internal difficulties they involve.
From The Principles of Psychology: Volume 1
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
Your hopes, dreams and aspirations are legitimate. They are trying to take you airborne, above the clouds, above the storms, if you only let them.
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
If merely 'feeling good' could decide, drunkenness would be the supremely valid human experience.
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
Philosophy lives in words, but truth and fact well up into our lives in ways that exceed verbal formulation.
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
There is something almost shocking in the notion of so chaste a function carrying this Kantian hurlyburly in her womb.
From The Principles of Psychology: Volume 1
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote
Good-humor is a philosophic state of mind; it seems to say to Nature that we take her no more seriously than she takes us. I maintain that one should always talk of philosophy with a smile.
From The Varieties of Religious Experience
Avg Rating: --Rate This Quote