William James
American · 1842–1910
Philosopher and psychologist who founded American pragmatism and pioneered the scientific study of consciousness, religious experience, and the will.
Wikipedia ↗“The stream of thinking is not a chain of discrete ideas, but a continuous flow in which every image, feeling, and thought melts into the next. Consciousness does not appear to itself chopped up in bits; it flows.”
English
“The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.”
English
“There is no more miserable human being than one in whom nothing is habitual but indecision, and for whom the lighting of every cigar, the drinking of every cup, the time of rising and going to bed every day, and the beginning of every bit of work, are subjects of express volitional deliberation.”
English
“Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact. The "will to believe" is not a license for wishful thinking — it is a recognition that in matters where evidence is ambiguous, our commitment shapes the outcome.”
English
“The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind.”
English
“A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.”
English
Attribution disputed. The earliest known match was attributed to Bishop William Fitzjames Oldham in 1906. James received credit only from 1946 onward.