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We never fully grasp the import of any true statement until we have a clear notion of what the opposite untrue statement would be.

William James

Man, whatever else he may be, is primarily a practical being, whose mind is given him to aid in adapting him to this world’s life
WILLIAM JAMES

Educational Men Philosophy
Truth is something that happens to an idea.
WILLIAM JAMES

Happen Ideas Truth
Every individual existence goes out in a lonely spasm of helpless agony.
WILLIAM JAMES

Agony Individual Lonely
True ideas are those that we can assimilate, validate, corroborate, and verify. False ideas are those that we cannot
WILLIAM JAMES

Ideas Truth Verify
That which is most personal, is most interesting.
WILLIAM JAMES

Interesting Most Personal
Philosophy lives in words, but truth and fact well up into our lives in ways that exceed verbal formulation.
WILLIAM JAMES

Facts Philosophy Way
What would be better for us to believe!’ This sounds very like a definition of truth
WILLIAM JAMES

Believe Sound Truth
Truth lives, in fact, for the most part on a credit system
WILLIAM JAMES

Credit Facts Truth
Everybody should do at least two things each day that he hates to do, just for practice.
WILLIAM JAMES

Hate Inspirational Life
Impulse without reason is enough, and reason without impulse is a poor makeshift.
WILLIAM JAMES

Enough Poor Reason
The attitude of unhappiness is not only painful, it is mean and ugly.
WILLIAM JAMES

Attitude Mean Ugly
Religion is a monumental chapter in the history of human egotism.
WILLIAM JAMES

Chapters Egotism Religion
A chain is no stronger than its weakest link, and life is after all a chain.
WILLIAM JAMES

Life Stay Strong Ties
All religions begin with the cry Help.
WILLIAM JAMES

Cry Helping Religion
The most peculiar social self which one is apt to have is in the mind of the person one is in love with.
WILLIAM JAMES

Mind Peculiar Self
Our view of the world is truly shaped by what we decide to hear.
WILLIAM JAMES

Decide Shaped Views World
With no attempt there can be no failure; with no failure no humiliation.
WILLIAM JAMES

Attempt Failure Humiliation No
The emotions aren’t always immediately subject to reason, but they are always immediately subject to action.
WILLIAM JAMES

Action Emotional Feelings
Our faith is faith in someone else’s faith, and in the greatest matters this is most the case.
WILLIAM JAMES

Cases Matter Philosophical
Asceticism may be a mere expression of organic hardihood, disgusted with too much ease.
WILLIAM JAMES

Asceticism Ease Expression
To neglect the wise sayings of great thinkers is to deny ourselves the truest education.
WILLIAM JAMES

Deny Neglect Wise
Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.
WILLIAM JAMES

Encouraging Life Positive
It is only by risking our persons from one hour to another that we live at all.
WILLIAM JAMES

Change Life Positive
Give your dreams all you’ve got, and you’ll be amazed at the energy that comes out of you.
WILLIAM JAMES

Basketball Dream Perseverance
… the intellect, everywhere invasive, shows everywhere its shallowing effect.
WILLIAM JAMES

Effects Intellect Shows
True to her inveterate habit, rationalism reverts to ‘principles,’ and thinks that when an abstraction once is named, we own an oracular solution.
WILLIAM JAMES

Habit Principles Thinking
The ideas gained by men before they are twenty-five are practically the only ideas they shall have in their lives.
WILLIAM JAMES

Ideas Men Twenties

We never fully grasp the import of any true statement until we have a clear notion of what the opposite untrue statement would be.

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We never fully grasp the import of any true statement until we have a clear notion of what the opposite untrue statement would be.

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Popular Authors

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