William James quotes

William James was an American philosopher and psychologist, considered one of the leading thinkers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Famous for founding pragmatism and developing the psychology of religious experience, his works have had a lasting impact. He pioneered new ways of exploring consciousness and free will. Here are 408 of his quotes:

There is no worse lie than a truth misunderstood by those who hear it. (William James)
The greatest discovery of any generation is that a human can alter his life by altering his attitude. View quote
William James
When you have to make a choice and don't make it, that is in itself a choice. View quote
William James
The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook. View quote
William James
The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated. View quote
William James
I will act as if what I do makes a difference. View quote
William James
There is no more miserable human being than one in whom nothing is habitual but indecision. View quote
William James
These then are my last words to you. Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact. View quote
William James
We don't laugh because we're happy, we're happy because we laugh. View quote
William James
A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices. View quote
William James
Tell him to live by yes and no - yes to everything good, no to everything bad. (William James)
The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another. View quote
William James
If you want a quality, act as if you already had it. View quote
William James
Great emergencies and crises show us how much greater our vital resources are than we had supposed. View quote
William James
Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task. View quote
William James
Genius... means little more than the faculty of perceiving in an unhabitual way. View quote
William James
This life is worth living, we can say, since it is what we make it. View quote
William James
It is only by risking our persons from one hour to another that we live at all. And often enough our faith beforehand in an uncertified result is the only thing that makes the result come true. View quote
William James
We are all ready to be savage in some cause. The difference between a good man and a bad one is the choice of the cause. View quote
William James
An act has no ethical quality whatever unless it be chosen out of several all equally possible. View quote
William James
A man has as many social selves as there are individuals who recognize him. (William James)
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. View quote
William James
The greatest use of a life is to spend it on something that will outlast it. View quote
William James
Truth lives, in fact, for the most part on a credit system. Our thoughts and beliefs pass, so long as nothing challenges them, just as bank-notes pass so long as nobody refuses them. View quote
William James
a man does not cry because he is sad, he is sad because he cries. View quote
William James

William James

William James - Image
Occupation: American Philosopher
Born: January 11, 1842
Died: August 26, 1910
Quotes count: 408
Wikipedia: William James

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