William James Sayings and Quotes

Below you will find our collection of inspirational, wise, and humorous old William James quotes, William James sayings, and William James proverbs, collected over the years from a variety of sources.'

It would probably astound each of us beyond measure to be let into his neighbors mind and to find how different the scenery was there from that of his own. William James
Our view of the world is truly shaped by what we decide to hear. William James
Pessimism leads to weakness. Optimism leads to power. William James
The question of free will is insoluble on strictly psychological grounds. William James
There is nothing so absurd that it cannot be believed as truth if repeated often enough. William James
There's nothing so absurd that if you repeat it often enough, people will believe it. William James
The total possible consciousness may be split into parts which co-exist but mutually ignore each other. William James
In the practical use of our intellect, forgetting is as important as remembering. William James
The path to cheerfulness is to sit cheerfully and to act and speak as if cheerfulness were already there. William James
The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated. William James
The sovereign cure for worry is prayer. William James
In any project, the most important factor is the belief in success. Without faith, success is impossible. William James
The union of the mathematician with the poet, fervor with measure, passion with correctness, this surely is the ideal. William James
We are like islands in the sea, separate on the surface but connected in the deep. William James
Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact. William James
A chain is no stronger than its weakest link, and life is after all a chain. William James
Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task. William James
The lunatic's visions of horror are all drawn from the material of daily fact. William James
The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another. William James
No particular results then, so far, but only an attitude of orientation, is what the pragmatic method means. The attitude of looking away from first things, principles, 'categories,' supposed necessities; and of looking towards last things, fruits, consequences, facts. William James
The real ground for supposing free-will is indeed pragmatic, but it has nothing to do with this contemptible right to punish. William James
From a pragmatic point of view, the difference between living against a background of foreigness (an indifferent Universe) and one of intimacy (a benevolent Universe) means the difference between a general habit of wariness and one of trust. William James
The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated. William James
It is evident that our organism has stored-up reserves of energy that are ordinarily not called upon, but that may be called upon: deeper and deeper strata of combustible or explosible material, discontinuously arranged, but ready for use by anyone who probes so deep, and repairing themselves by rest as well as do the superficial strata. William James
Do not be afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living and your belief will create the fact. William James
Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. William James
When you have to make a choice and you don't make it, that is in itself a choice. William James
Neither threats nor pleadings can move a man unless they touch some one of his potential or actual selves. William James
The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another. 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. Sobriety' diminishes, discriminates, and says no; drunkenness expands, unites and says yes. William James