Quote

The old question of whether there is design is idle. The real question is what is the world, whether or not it have a designer--and that can be revealed only by the study of all nature's particulars.

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
Study
Whether
Nature
Particulars
Real
Revealed
World
Idle
Designer
Design
Question

More quotes by William James

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In order to disprove the assertion that all crows are black, one white crow is sufficient.
William James
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One hearty laugh together will bring enemies into a closer communion of heart than hours spent on both sides in inward wrestling with the mental demon of uncharitable feeling.
William James
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Intellectualism' is the belief that our mind comes upon a world complete in itself, and has the duty of ascertaining its contents but has no power of re-determining its character, for that is already given.
William James
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An experience, perceptual or conceptual, must conform to reality in order to be true
William James
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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.
William James
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Religions have approved themselves they have ministered to sundry vital needs which they found reigning. When they violated other needs too strongly, or when other faiths came which served the same needs better, the first religions were supplanted.
William James
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Intelligence is a fixed goal with variable means of achieving it.
William James
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Since belief is measured by action, he who forbids us to believe religion to be true, necessarily also forbids us to act as we should if we did believe it to be true.
William James
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Faith is one of the forces by which men live, and the total absence of it means collapse
William James
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There can be no existence of evil as a force to the healthy-minded individual.
William James
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Language is the most imperfect and expensive means yet discovered for communicating thought.
William James
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There are two lives, the natural and the spiritual, and we must lose the one before we can participate in the other.
William James
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Whenever you're in conflict with someone, there is one factor that can make the difference between damaging your relationship and deepening it. That factor is attitude.
William James
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So it is with children who learn to read fluently and well: They begin to take flight into whole new worlds as effortlessly as young birds take to the sky.
William James
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The discovery of the power of our thoughts will prove to be the most important discovery of our time
William James
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It is as important to cultivate your silence power as your word power.
William James
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It is well for the world that in most of us, by the age of thirty, the character has set like plaster, and will never soften again.
William James
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No living person is sunk so low as not to be imitated by somebody.
William James
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Need and struggle are what excite and inspire us our hour of triumph is what brings the void.
William James
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Our faith is faith in someone else's faith, and in the greatest matters this is most the case.
William James