Our faith is faith in someone else's faith, and in the greatest matters this is most the case. William James on faith
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 on faith
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 on faith
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 on fear
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 on future
If the grace of God miraculously operates, it probably operates through the subliminal door. William James on god
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 on god
We are all ready to be savage in some cause. The difference between a good man and a bad one is the choice of the cause. William James on good
If merely 'feeling good' could decide, drunkenness would be the supremely valid human experience. William James on good
The aim of a college education is to teach you to know a good man when you see one. William James on good
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. William James on good
A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices. William James on great
The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it. William James on great
Great emergencies and crises show us how much greater our vital resources are than we had supposed. William James on great
The history of philosophy is to a great extent that of a certain clash of human temperaments. William James on great
Action may not bring happiness but there is no happiness without action. William James on happiness
How to gain, how to keep, how to recover happiness is in fact for most men at all times the secret motive of all they do, and of all they are willing to endure. William James on happiness
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 on history
The history of philosophy is to a great extent that of a certain clash of human temperaments. William James on history
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 on humor