[Thinking is] what a great many people think they are doing when they are merely rearranging their prejudices. – William James
The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another. – William James
A new position of responsibility will usually show a man to be a far stronger creature than was supposed. – William James
Religion is a monumental chapter in the history of human egotism. – William James
Truth, as any dictionary will tell you, is a property of certain of our ideas. It means their “agreement,” as falsity means their disagreement, with “reality.” – William James
We have grown literally afraid to be poor. We despise anyone who elects to be poor in order to simplify and save his inner life. If he does not join the general scramble and pant with the money-making street, we deem him spiritless and lacking in ambition. – William James
The prevalent fear of poverty among the educated classes is the worst moral disease from which our civilization suffers. – William James
The first thing to learn in intercourse with others is noninterference with their own peculiar ways of being happy, provided those ways do not assume to interfere by violence with ours. – William James
Language is the most imperfect and expensive means yet discovered for communicating thought. – William James
The great use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts it. – 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
As a rule reading fiction is as hard to me as trying to hit a target by hurling feathers at it. I need resistance to celebrate! – William James
Everybody ought to do at least two things each day that he hates to do, just for practice. – William James
Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. – William James
The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated. – William James
The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes. – William James
