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The greatest enemy of any one of our truths may be the rest of our truths.

William James

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William James
Age: 68 †
Born: 1842
Born: January 11
Died: 1910
Died: August 26
Philosopher
Physician
Psychologist
University Teacher
W. James
Rest
Greatest
Enemy
Lying
Truth
May
Coaching
Truths
Philosophical

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Man, whatever else he may be, is primarily a practical being, whose mind is given him to aid in adapting him to this world's life
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Most unhappiness is caused because people listen to themselves... instead of talking to themselves.
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There is no worse lie than a truth misunderstood bu those who hear it.
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The true'to put it very briefly, is only the expedient in the way of our thinking, just as 'the right' is only the expedient in the way of our behaving.
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A man has as many social selves as there are individuals who recognize him.
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Selection is the very keel on which our mental ship is built. And in this case of memory its utility is obvious. If we remembered everything, we should on most occasions be as ill off as if we remembered nothing.
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Pretend what we may, the whole man within us is at work when we form our philosophical opinions. Intellect, will, taste, and passion co-operate just as they do in practical affairs and lucky it is if the passion be not something as petty as a love of personal conquest over the philosopher across the way.
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A new position of responsibility will usually show a man to be a far stronger creature than was supposed.
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All our scientific and philosophic ideals are altars to unknown gods.
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The greatest weapon we have to combat stress is the ability to choose our thoughts.
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If WE claim only reasonable probability, it will be as much as men who love the truth can ever at any given moment hope to have within their grasp.
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To know an object is to lead to it through a context which the world provides
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On pragmatistic principles, if the hypothesis of God works satisfactorily in the widest sense of the word, it is true.
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The perfect stillness of the night was thrilled by a more solemn silence. The darkness held a presence that was all the more felt because it was not seen. I could not any more have doubted that HE was there than that I was. Indeed, I felt myself to be, if possible, the less real of the two.
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Religious awe is the same organic thrill which we feel in a forest at twilight, or in a mountain gorge.
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Truths emerge from facts, but they dip forward into facts again and add to them which facts again create or reveal new truth (the word is indifferent) and so on indefinitely. The 'facts' themselves meanwhile are not true. They simply are. Truth is the function of the beliefs that start and terminate among them.
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True ideas lead us into useful verbal and conceptual quarters as well as directly up to useful sensible termini. They lead to consistency, stability and flowing human intercourse.
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Anything you may hold firmly in your imagination can be yours.
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In the dim background of our mind we know meanwhile what we ought to be doing: getting up, dressing ourselves, answering the person who has spoken to us, trying to make the next step in our reasoning. But somehow we cannot start.
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Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.
William James