black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.

William James

On pragmatistic principles, if the hypothesis of God works satisfactorily in the widest sense of the word, it is true.
WILLIAM JAMES

God Principles Theism
We forget that every good that is worth possessing must be paid for in strokes of daily effort.
WILLIAM JAMES

Best Effort Forget Hard Work
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

Opposites Statement Truth
Objective evidence and certitude are doubtless very fine ideals to play with, but where on this moonlit and dream-visited planet are they found?
WILLIAM JAMES

Dream Play Science
So our self-feeling in this world depends entirely on what we back ourselves to be and do.
WILLIAM JAMES

Feelings Self World
Everybody should do at least two things each day that he hates to do, just for practice.
WILLIAM JAMES

Hate Inspirational Life
Just for today I will exercise my soul in three ways: I will do somebody a good turn and not get found out. I will do at least two things I don’t want to do
WILLIAM JAMES

Exercise Inspiration Somebody Two
The ‘I think’ which Kant said must be able to accompany all my objects, is the ‘I breathe’ which actually does accompany them.
WILLIAM JAMES

Able Accompanying Thinking
Genius is the capacity for seeing relationships where lesser men see none.
WILLIAM JAMES

Capacity Genius Men
The ultimate test of what a truth means is the conduct it dictates or inspires.
WILLIAM JAMES

Inspire Mean Truth
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
No one sees further into a generalization than his own knowledge of detail extends.
WILLIAM JAMES

Details Generalization Knowledge
All natural happiness thus seems infected with a contradiction. The breath of the sepulchre surrounds it.
WILLIAM JAMES

Contradiction Happiness Natural
The general law is that no mental modification ever occurs which is not accompanied or followed by a bodily change.
WILLIAM JAMES

Law Medicine Philosophy
Great emergencies and crises show us how much greater our vital resources are than we had supposed.
WILLIAM JAMES

Emergencies Encouragement Sith
Our view of the world is truly shaped by what we decide to hear.
WILLIAM JAMES

Decide Shaped Views World

The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More William James Quotes