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 world is all the richer for having a devil in it, if only because we can then be sure we are not ourselves devils.
Man is born to believe. And if he cannot believe in God, he believes in idols.
Common sense is the measure of the possible. It is composed of experience and prevision; it is calculation applied to life.
The only reason for living is to have a good time.
No matter how full a reservoir of truth is, it will always be a ‘little’ short of the truth.
The world is not a place to be saved, but a place to be enjoyed.
The more we are able to see the world as it is, the more we are able to change it.
The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude.
The only way to be happy is to be yourself.
The world is a place of constant change, and we must adapt to it.
The world is a place of constant struggle, and we must fight for what we believe in.
The world is a place of constant wonder, and we must never stop exploring it.
The world is a place of constant learning, and we must never stop growing.
The world is a place of constant beauty, and we must never stop appreciating it.
The world is a place of constant joy, and we must never stop celebrating it.
The world is a place of constant love, and we must never stop sharing it.
The world is a place of constant peace, and we must never stop seeking it.
The world is a place of constant hope, and we must never stop believing in it.
The world is a place of constant truth, and we must never stop searching for it.
The world is a place of constant wisdom, and we must never stop acquiring it.
Contemporaries of William James
Other Psychologys born within 50 years of William James (1842–1910).