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The desire to gain wealth and the fear to lose it are our chief breeders of cowardice and propagators of corruption.

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
Gain
Gains
Wealth
Lose
Breeders
Loses
Cowardice
Desire
Chief
Fear
Chiefs
Corruption

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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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Could the young but realize how soon they will become mere walking bundles of habits, they would give more heed to their conduct while in the plastic state.
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Better risk loss of truth than chance of error--that is your faith-vetoer's exact position. He is actively playing his stake as much as the believer is he is backing the field against the religious hypothesis, just as the believer is backing the religious hypothesis against the field.
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An act has no ethical quality whatever unless it be chosen out of several all equally possible.
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How pleasant is the day when we give up striving to be young-or slender.
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The man whose acquisitions stick is the man who is always achieving and advancing whilst his neighbors, spending most of their time in relearning what they once knew but have forgotten, simply hold their own.
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Once a decision is reached, stop worrying and start working.
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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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Evil is a disease and worry over disease is itself an additional form of disease, which only adds to the original complaint.
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If you give appreciation to people, you win their goodwill. But more important than that, practicing this philosophy has made a different person of me.
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Every sort of energy and endurance, of courage and capacity for handling life's evils, is set free in those who have religious faith.
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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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When once a decision is reached and execution is the order of the day, dismiss absolutely all responsibility and care about the outcome.
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A good hypothesis in science must have other properties than those of the phenomenon it is immediately invoked to explain, otherwise it is not prolific enough.
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You do not sing because you're happy, you're happy because you sing.
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It is as important to cultivate your silence power as your word power.
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Volition . . . takes place only when there are a number of conflicting systems of ideas, and depends on our having a complex field of consciousness.
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Most men's friendships are too inarticulate.
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Strength is a facade for the proud, weakness is a mask for the lazy.
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I am no lover of disorder and doubt as such. Rather do I fear to lose truth by this pretension to possess it already wholly.
William James