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Experience, as we know, has a way of boiling over, and making us correct our present formulas.

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
Way
Boiling
Formulas
Correct
Present
Making
Experience

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Any object not interesting in itself may become interesting through becoming associated with an object in which an interest already exists.
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Need and struggle are what excite and inspire us our hour of triumph is what brings the void.
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Men habitually use only a small part of the power which they actually possess.
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...By far the most usual way of handling phenomena so novel that they would make for a serious rearrangement of our preconceptions is to ignore them altogether, or to abuse those who bear witness for them.
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To be radical, an empiricism must neither admit into its constructions any element that is not directly experienced, nor exclude from them any element that is directly experienced.
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I wished by treating Psychology like a natural science, to help her become one.
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But facts are facts, and if we only get enough of them theyare sure to combine.
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New habits can be launched.
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Pessimism leads to weakness. Optimism leads to power.
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Footnotes -- little dogs yapping at the heels of the text
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It seems the natural thing for us to listen whilst the Europeans talk.
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Individuality is founded in feeling
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In all primary school work the principle of multiple impressions is well recognized.
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Pragmatism asks its usual question. Grant an idea or belief to be true, it says, what concrete difference will its being true make in anyone's actual life? How will the truth be realized? What experiences will be different from those which would obtain if the belief were false? What, in short, is the truth's cash-value in experiential terms?
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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.
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Happiness comes of the capacity to feel deeply, to enjoy simply, to think freely, to risk life, to be needed. which give happiness. Thomas Jefferson We never enjoy perfect happiness our most fortunate successes are mingled with sadness some anxieties always perplex the reality of our satisfaction.
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Belief creates the actual fact.
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The states of consciousness are all that psychology needs to do her work with. Metaphysics or theology may prove the Soul to exist but for psychology the hypothesis of such a substantial principle of unity is superfluous.
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There's nothing so absurd that if you repeat it often enough, people will believe it.
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Our life is always deeper than we know, is always more divine than it seems, and hence we are able to survive degradations and despairs which otherwise must engulf us.
William James