William James Quotes

• Our intelligence cannot wall itself up alive, like a pupa in a chrysalis. It must at any cost keep on speaking terms with the universe that engendered it.

  William James

  Topics in Spirituality

• In order to disprove the assertion that all crows are black, one white crow is sufficient.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Science
• 

  The greatest discovery of our generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind. As you think, so shall you be.

  William James

  Topics in Attitude, Inspirational

  Tags in Discovery, Greatest

• Hogamus, higamous Man is polygamous Higamus, hogamous Woman monogamous.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

• Many persons nowadays seem to think that any conclusion must be very scientific if the arguments in favor of it are derived from twitching of frogs’ legs— especially if the frogs are decapitated—and that—on the other hand—any doctrine chiefly vouched for by the feelings of human beings-with heads on their shoulders—must be benighted and superstitious.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

• ‘The true’ to put it very briefly, is only the expedient in the way of our thinking, just as ‘the right’ is only the expedient in the way of our behaving.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

• First, you know, a new theory is attacked as absurd; then it is admitted to be true, but obvious and insignificant; finally it is seen to be so important that its adversaries claim that they themselves discovered it.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

• You must bring out of each word its practical cash-value, set it at work within the stream of your experience.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

• Tender-minded and tough-minded.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

• The philosophy which is so important in each of us is not a technical matter; it is our more or less dumb sense of what life honestly and deeply means… it is our individual way of just seeing and feeling the total push and pressure of the cosmos.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

• Sobriety diminishes, discriminates, and says no; drunkenness expands, unites, and says yes.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

• If this life be not a real fight, in which something is eternally gained for the universe by success, it is no better than a game of private theatricals from which one may withdraw at will.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

• Man is essentially the imitative animal. His whole educability and in fact the whole history of civilization depend on this trait, which his strong tendencies to rivalry, jealousy, and acquisitiveness reinforce.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

• As the art of reading (after a certain stage in one’s education) is the art of skipping, so the art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

• The baby, assailed by eyes, ears, nose, skin, and entrails at once, feels it all as one great blooming, buzzing confusion.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

• The aim of science is always to reduce complexity to simplicity.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

• But facts are facts, and if we only get enough of them they are sure to combine.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

• Man lives by science as well as bread.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

• There is something almost shocking in the notion of so chaste a function carrying this Kantian hurlyburly in her womb.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Philosophy

• Wisdom is seeing something in a non-habitual manner.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Philosophy

William James (125)

Birth:	11th January, 1842
Death:	26th August, 1910
Nationality:	American
Profession:	Philosopher, Psychologist

Related Authors

• Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
• Charles D. Broad
• Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
• Walter Arnold Kaufmann
• Peter Frederick Strawson
• Criss Jami
• G. E. Moore
• Jean Francois Lyotard
• Walker Percy
• Huston Smith

Advertisement

Today's Anniversary - 26th March

Births

• 1957 - Leeza Gibbons
• 1949 - Vicki Lawrence
• 1941 - Richard Dawkins
• 1884 - Wilhelm Backhaus
• 1960 - Marcus Allen

Deaths

• 1838 - William Henry Ashley
• 1892 - Walt Whitman
• 1943 - Ben Lindsey
• 2002 - Randy Castillo
• 1973 - Noël Coward