Skip to content
William James
Quotes by William James
Quotes by William James
“It is wrong always, everywhere, and for everyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.”
William James
“In the dim background of mind we know what we ought to be doing but somehow we cannot start.”
William James
“Our normal waking consciousness, rational consciousness as we call it, is but one special type of consciousness, whilst all about it, parted from it by the filmiest of screens, there lie potential forms of consciousness entirely different.”
William James
“Man can alter his life by altering his thinking.”
William James
“To study the abnormal is the best way of understanding the normal.”
William James
“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
“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
“Let everything you do be done as if it makes a difference.”
William James
“Truth is what works.”
William James
“The greatest use of a life is to spend it on something that will outlast it.”
William James
“If any organism fails to fulfill its potentialities, it becomes sick.”
William James
“We have to live today by what truth we can get today and be ready tomorrow to call it falsehood.”
William James
“Many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.”
William James
“If you care enough for a result, you will most certainly attain it.”
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.”
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.”
William James
“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
“Everybody should do at least two things each day that he hates to do, just for practice.”
William James
“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
“When you have to make a choice and don't make it, that is in itself a choice.”
William James
“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
“If you want a quality, act as if you already had it.”
William James
“The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.”
William James
“The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.”
William James
“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.”
William James
“To change ones life: Start immediately. Do it flamboyantly.”
William James
“Begin to be now what you will be hereafter.”
William James
“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
“Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing.”
William James
“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
