William James was an American philosopher and psychologist who was also trained as a physician. He is considered to be one of the most influential thinkers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and is often referred to as the "Father of American Psychology." He is best known for his work on pragmatism and the philosophy of religion, as well as his writings on the philosophy of consciousness, free will, and the stream of thought.
What is the most famous quote by William James ?
The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.
— William James
What can you learn from William James (Life Lessons)
- William James taught that we should live life with purpose and passion, and strive to make the most of our potential.
- He believed that our beliefs and attitudes shape our lives, and that we should strive to be open-minded and tolerant of different perspectives.
- He also argued that we should take responsibility for our own lives, and strive to make the most of our opportunities.
The most astounding William James quotes that are free to learn and impress others
Following is a list of the best quotes, including various William James inspirational quotes, and other famous sayings by William James.
The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.
A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.
Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.
The greatest use of a life is to spend it on something that will outlast it.
If you care enough for a result, you will most certainly attain it.
When you have to make a choice and don't make it, that in itself is a choice.
Positive images of the future are a powerful and magnetic force.
.. They draw us on and energize us, give us courage and will to take on important initiatives. Negative images of the future also have a magnetism. They pull the spirit downward in the path of despair.
Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.
The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.
Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.
The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.
Pragmatic quotes by William James
If you care enough for a result, you will most certainly attain it.
Age is a very high price to pay for maturity.
The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.
Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.
To change ones life: Start immediately. Do it flamboyantly.
If you can change your mind, you can change your life.
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.
We with our lives are like islands in the sea.
.. The islands also hang together through the ocean's bottom.
Human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.
Quotations by William James that are empirical and psychologist
The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.
To change one's life: a. Start immediately b. B. Do it flamboyantly c. No exceptions Never suffer an exception to occur till the new habit is securely rooted.
Your hopes, dreams and aspirations are legitimate.
They are trying to take you airborne, above the clouds, above the storms, if you only let them.
Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own; sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction
Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing.
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.
The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes.
Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they've got a second.
There is nothing so absurd that it cannot be believed as truth if repeated often enough.
Every individual existence goes out in a lonely spasm of helpless agony.
The function of ignoring, of inattention, is as vital a factor in mental progress as the function of attention itself.
A sense of humor is just common sense dancing.
The self-same atoms which, chaotically dispersed, made the nebula, now, jammed and temporarily caught in peculiar positions, form our brains; and the 'evolution' of brains, if understood, would be simply the account of how the atoms came to be so caught and jammed.
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.
Objective evidence and certitude are doubtless very fine ideals to play with, but where on this moonlit and dream-visited planet are they found?
The lunatic's visions of horror are all drawn from the material of daily fact.
Man can alter his life by altering his thinking.
If you want a trait, act as if you already have the trait.
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.
Our errors are surely not such awfully solemn things. In a world where we are so certain to incur them in spite of all our caution, a certain lightness of heart seems healthier than this excessive nervousness on their behalf.
Formula to live your dream: 1. Be bold. 2. Begin now, 3. No exceptions.
Habit simplifies our movements, makes them accurate, and diminishes fatigue.
We forget that every good that is worth possessing must be paid for in strokes of daily effort.
In contentment and joy are found the height and perfection of all love towards our neighbor.
It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome.
Everybody should do at least two things each day that he hates to do, just for practice.
The sovereign cure for worry is prayer.
We don't laugh because we're happy -- we're happy because we laugh.
Smitten as we are with the vision of social righteousness, a God indifferent to everything but adulation, and full of partiality for his individual favorites, lacks an essential element of largeness.
To study the abnormal is the best way of understanding the normal.
The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it." "This life is worth living, we can say, since it is what we make it." "Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.
Give your dreams all you've got, and you'll be amazed at the energy that comes out of you.
Cramming seeks to stamp things in by intense application immediately before the ordeal. But a thing thus learned can form but few associations.