William James
Father of American psychology
Most quoted
"A man's Self is the sum total of all that he CAN call his, not only his body and his psychic powers, but his clothes and his house, his wife and children, his ancestors and friends, his reputation and works, his lands and horses, and yacht and bank-account. All these things give him the same emotions. If they wax and prosper, he feels triumphant; if they dwindle and die away, he feels cast down."
— from The Principles of Psychology, 1890
"Religion, therefore, as I now ask you arbitrarily to take it, shall mean for us the feelings, acts, and experiences of individual men in their solitude, so far as they apprehend themselves to stand in relation to whatever they may consider the divine."
— from The Varieties of Religious Experience, 1902
"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."
— from Talks to Teachers on Psychology, 1899
All quotes by William James (263)
The greatest tragedy in life is not death, but a life without purpose.
The world is a place of beauty, and we must learn to appreciate it.
The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.
The world is a place of mystery, and we must learn to embrace it.
The greatest good is to do the greatest good for the greatest number.
The world is a place of wonder, and we must learn to explore it.
The greatest victory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
The world is a place of opportunity, and we must seize it.
The greatest gift you can give someone is your time, your attention, your love, your concern.
The world is a place of learning, and we must never stop growing.
The greatest wealth is health.
The world is a place of connection, and we must build bridges, not walls.
The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.
The world is a place of paradox, and we must learn to embrace its contradictions.
The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
The world is a place of becoming, not of being.
The greatest good is to live a life that is true to oneself.
A man's Self is the sum total of all that he CAN call his, not only his body and his psychic powers, but his clothes and his house, his wife and children, his ancestors and friends, his reputation and works, his lands and horses, and yacht and bank-account. All these things give him the same emotions. If they wax and prosper, he feels triumphant; if they dwindle and die away, he feels cast down.
The stream of thought flows on; but most of its content is made of the things we are not thinking of.
The will to believe is a will to act, and to act in the face of an alternative, when the alternative is not demonstrably false.
Contemporaries of William James
Other Psychologys born within 50 years of William James (1842–1910).