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William James

55 quotes

William James (1842–1910) was an American philosopher, psychologist, and the first educator to offer a course in psychology in the United States. Often called the "Father of American Psychology," James was a leading thinker in pragmatism and functionalism whose ideas about consciousness, habit, and belief continue to influence philosophy and psychology.

“We have to live today by what truth we can get today and be ready tomorrow to call it falsehood.”

— William James

Truth

All Quotes by William James

“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

Work

“To study the abnormal is the best way of understanding the normal.”

— William James

Best

“Truth is what works.”

— William James

Truth

“Whenever you're in conflict with someone, there is one factor that can make the difference between damaging your relationship and deepening it. That factor is attitude.”

— William James

Attitude

“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”

— William James

Motivational

“Knowledge about life is one thing effective occupation of a place in life, with its dynamic currents passing through your being, is another.”

— William James

Knowledge

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

— William James

Great

“Action may not bring happiness but there is no happiness without action.”

— William James

Happiness

“It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome.”

— William James

Attitude

“In business for yourself, not by yourself.”

— William James

Business

“Time itself comes in drops.”

— William James

Time

“Faith means belief in something concerning which doubt is theoretically possible.”

— William James

Faith

“The best argument I know for an immortal life is the existence of a man who deserves one.”

— William James

Best

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

— William James

Men

“Begin to be now what you will be hereafter.”

— William James

Motivational

“Success or failure depends more upon attitude than upon capacity successful men act as though they have accomplished or are enjoying something. Soon it becomes a reality. Act, look, feel successful, conduct yourself accordingly, and you will be amazed at the positive results.”

— William James

Attitude

“No matter how full a reservoir of maxims one may possess, and no matter how good one's sentiments may be, if one has not taken advantage of every concrete opportunity to act, one's character may remain entirely unaffected for the better.”

— William James

Good

“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

Truth

“The aim of a college education is to teach you to know a good man when you see one.”

— William James

Education

“Belief creates the actual fact.”

— William James

Inspirational