Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.
Letter to Helen Keller (1908)
WJ
William James quotes
1842-1910 ยท Philosophers and ancient wisdom
American philosopher and psychologist, author of The Principles of Psychology.
9 quotes, 9 traced to where James said or wrote them.
The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.
The Principles of Psychology (1890), Ch. 22
There is no more miserable human being than one in whom nothing is habitual but indecision.
The Principles of Psychology (1890), Ch. 4
Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.
Letter to Carl Stumpf (1886)
Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact.
'Is Life Worth Living?', The Will to Believe (1897)
Wherever you are it is your own friends who make your world.
Quoted in Ralph Barton Perry, The Thought and Character of William James (1935)
My thinking is first and last and always for the sake of my doing.
The Principles of Psychology (1890), Ch. 22
Genius, in truth, means little more than the faculty of perceiving in an unhabitual way.
The Principles of Psychology (1890)
Keep the faculty of effort alive in you by a little gratuitous exercise every day.
The Principles of Psychology (1890), Ch. 4