William James Quotes

• Those thoughts are truth which guide us to beneficial interaction with sensible particulars as they occur, whether they copy these in advance or not.

  William James

  Tags in Advance, Occur

• There must be something solemn, serious, and tender about any attitude which we denominate religious. If glad, it must not grin or snicker; if sad, it must not scream or curse.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Grin, Curse

• There is only one thing a philosopher can be relied upon to do, and that is to contradict other philosophers.

  William James

  Tags in Philosopher, Contradict

• There is no more miserable human being than one in whom nothing is habitual but indecision.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Indecision, Miserable

• There is but one cause of human failure. And that is man’s lack of faith in his true Self.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Lack, Self

• There is an organic affinity between joyousness and tenderness, and their companionship in the saintly life need in no way occasion surprise.

  William James

  Tags in Organic

• The world we see that seems so insane is the result of a belief system that is not working. To perceive the world differently, we must be willing to change our belief system, let the past slip away, expand our sense of now, and dissolve the fear in our minds.

  William James

  Topics in Fear, Uncategorized

  Tags in Dissolve, See

• The world is all the richer for having a devil in it, so long as we keep our foot upon his neck.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Richer, Devil

• The sway of alcohol over mankind is unquestionably due to its power to stimulate the mystical faculties of human nature, usually crushed to earth by the cold facts and dry criticisms of the sober hour.

  William James

  Tags in Sway, Unquestionably

• The sovereign cure for worry is prayer.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Sovereign, Prayer

• The ideas gained by men before they are twenty-five are practically the only ideas they shall have in their lives.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Twenty-Five, Lives

• The history of philosophy is to a great extent that of a certain clash of human temperaments.

  William James

  Tags in Clash, Temperaments

• The hell to be endured hereafter, of which theology tells, is no worse than the hell we make for ourselves in this world by habitually fashioned our characters in the wrong way.

  William James

  Tags in Endured, Habitually

• The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.

  William James

  Topics in Ability

  Tags in Against, Choose

• The greatest use of a life is to spend it on something that will outlast it.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Weapon, Choose

• The greatest enemy of any one of our truths may be the rest of our truths.

  William James

  Topics in Enemy

  Tags in Greatest

• The god whom science recognizes must be a God of universal laws exclusively, a God who does a wholesale, not a retail business. He cannot accommodate his processes to the convenience of individuals.

  William James

  Tags in Cannot, Wholesale

• The essence of genius is to know what to overlook.

  William James

  Tags in Essence, Overlook

• The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Deepest, Human Nature

• The community stagnates without the impulse of the individual. The impulse dies away without the sympathy of the community.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Away, Dies

William James (125)

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

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