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Man is essentially the imitative animal. His whole educabilityand in fact the whole history of civilization depend on this trait, which his strong tendencies to rivalry, jealousy, and acquisitiveness reinforce.

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
Fact
Jealousy
History
Traits
Strong
Depend
Facts
Essentially
Acquisitiveness
Whole
Tendencies
Imitative
Men
Civilization
Reinforce
Depends
Rivalry
Animal
Trait

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The true is the name of whatever proves itself to be good in the way of belief, and good, too, for definite, assignable reasons.
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Great indeed is Fear but it is not, as our military enthusiasts believe and try to make us believe, the only stimulus known for awakening the higher ranges of men's spiritual energy.
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The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.
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Habit simplifies our movements, makes them accurate, and diminishes fatigue.
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... religious experience, as we have studied it, cannot be cited as unequivocally supporting the infinitist belief. The only thingthat it unequivocally testifies to is that we can experience union with something larger than ourselves and in that union find our greatest peace.
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At bottom, the whole concern of religion is with the manner of our acceptance of the universe.
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The truth remains that, after adolescence has begun, words, words, words, must constitute a large part, and an always larger part as life advances, of what the human being has to learn.
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As there is no worse lie than a truth misunderstood by those who hear it, so reasonable arguments, challenges to magnanimity, and appeals to sympathy or justice, are folly when we are dealing with human crocodiles and boa-constrictors.
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I am only a philosopher, and there is only one thing that a philosopher can be relied on to do, and that is, to contradict other philosophers.
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From all these facts there emerges a very simple abstract program for the teacher to follow in keeping the attention of the child: Begin with the line of his native interests, and offer him objects that have some immediate connection with these.
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If you can change your mind, you can change your life.
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... I am the same personal being who in old times upon the Earth had those experiences.
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To change ones life: Start immediately. Do it flamboyantly.
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The history of philosophy is to a great extent that of a certain clash of human temperaments.
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The soul is stronger than its surroundings.
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I am well aware how odd it must seem to some of you to hear me say that an idea is true so long as to believe it is profitable to our lives
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Every claim creates an obligation.
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The emotions aren't always immediately subject to reason, but they are always immediately subject to action.
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Nature in her unfathomable designs had mixed us of clay and flame, of brain and mind, that the two things hang indubitably together and determine each other's being but how or why, no mortal may ever know.
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Mankind's common instinct for reality has always held the world to be essentially a theatre for heroism.
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