If the grace of God miraculously operates, it probably operates through the subliminal door. – William James
Whatever universe a professor believes in must at any rate be a universe that lends itself to lengthy discourse. A universe definable in two sentences is something for which the professorial intellect has no use. No faith in anything of that cheap kind! – William James
It is only by risking our persons from one hour to another that we live at all. And often enough our faith beforehand in an uncertified result is the only thing that makes the result come true. – William James
Faith means belief in something concerning which doubt is theoretically possible. – William James
The aim of a college education is to teach you to know a good man when you see one. – 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 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. – William James
To change ones life: Start immediately. Do it flamboyantly. – William James
In business for yourself, not by yourself. – William James
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. – William James
To study the abnormal is the best way of understanding the normal. – William James
The best argument I know for an immortal life is the existence of a man who deserves one. – 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
There must be something solemn, serious, and tender about any attitude which we denominate religious. If glad, it must not grin or snicker if sad, it must not scream or curse. – William James
It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome. – William James
It is well for the world that in most of us, by the age of thirty, the character has set like plaster, and will never soften again. – William James
The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook. – William James
We have to live today by what truth we can get today and be ready tomorrow to call it falsehood. – William James
The greatest enemy of any one of our truths may be the rest of our truths. – William James
Every man who possibly can should force himself to a holiday of a full month in a year, whether he feels like taking it or not. – William James
