William James Quotes

• Individuality is founded in feeling; and the recesses of feeling, the darker, blinder strata of character, are the only places in the world in which we catch real fact in the making, and directly perceive how events happen, and how work is actually done.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Recesses, Done

• In the dim background of mind we know what we ought to be doing but somehow we cannot start.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Dim, Doing

• If you believe that feeling bad or worrying long enough will change a past or future event, then you are residing on another planet with a different reality system.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Planet, Change

• If the grace of God miraculously operates, it probably operates through the subliminal door.

  William James

  Tags in Miraculously, Subliminal

• If merely ‘feeling good’ could decide, drunkenness would be the supremely valid human experience.

  William James

  Topics in Experience, Religion

  Tags in Supremely, Faith

• If any organism fails to fulfill its potentialities, it becomes sick.

  William James

  Tags in Fulfill, Potentialities

• I will act as if what I do makes a difference.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Act, Difference

• I don’t sing because I’m happy; I’m happy because I sing.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Happy, Sing

• How to gain, how to keep, how to recover happiness is in fact for most men at all times the secret motive of all they do, and of all they are willing to endure.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Recover, Happiness

• Great emergencies and crises show us how much greater our vital resources are than we had supposed.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Resources, Great

• Everybody should do at least two things each day that he hates to do, just for practice.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Least, Hates

• Every man who possibly can should force himself to a holiday of a full month in a year, whether he feels like taking it or not.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Holiday, Every

• Do something everyday for no other reason than you would rather not do it, so that when the hour of dire need draws nigh, it may find you not unnerved and untrained to stand the test.

  William James

  Tags in Untrained, Dire

• Could the young but realize how soon they will become mere walking bundles of habits, they would give more heed to their conduct while in the plastic state.

  William James

  Tags in Heed, Plastic, Habits

• Compared to what we ought to be, we are half awake.

  William James

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Awake, Compared

• Be willing to have it so. Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.

  William James

  Tags in Overcoming, Misfortune

• An idea, to be suggestive, must come to the individual with the force of revelation.

  William James

  Tags in Revelation, Suggestive

• An act has no ethical quality whatever unless it be chosen out of several all equally possible.

  William James

  Tags in Chosen, Ethical

• A man has as many social selves as there are individuals who recognize him.

  William James

  Tags in Recognize, Selves

• Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they’ve got a second.

  William James

  Topics in Sports

  Tags in Second, Wind

William James (125)

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

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