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Quote by William James

Work

Writings, 1902-1910

This volume encompasses a selection of writings, including essays and other literary pieces, spanning the years 1902 to 1910. The content reflects the author's perspectives and creative expressions during that period. more

Author

William James
William James

William James, born on January 11, 1842, and died on August 26, 1910, was an influential American philosopher, psychologist, and writer. He is considered one of the founders of functionalism in psychology and has had a profound impact on the fields of psychology, philosophy, and religion. more

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“I do indeed disbelieve that we or any other mortal men can attain on a given day to absolutely incorrigible and unimprovable truth about such matters of fact as those with which religions deal. But I reject this dogmatic ideal not out of a perverse delight in intellectual instability. 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.”

MenMatterFactsGivenLosesDealsDoubtLoversIntellectualIdealsDelightMortalsRejectsDisorderRationalityMatter Of FactPretensionInstabilityDogmaticIncorrigible
Book:The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature
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“Our minds thus grow in spots; and like grease-spots, the spots spread. But we let them spread as little as possible: we keep unaltered as much of our old knowledge, as many of our old prejudices and beliefs, as we can. We patch and tinker more than we renew. The novelty soaks in; it stains the ancient mass; but it is also tinged by what absorbs it.”

MindLittlesBeliefGrowsHistoryMassPrejudiceAncientSpreadSpotsNoveltyPatchesStainsGrease
Book:Pragmatism and the Conception of Thruth
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“The "through-and-through" universe seems to suffocate me with its infallible impeccable all-pervasiveness. Its necessity , with no possibilities; its relations, with no subjects, make me feel as if I had entered into a contract with no reserved rights ... It seems too buttoned-up and white-chokered and clean-shaven a thing to speak for the vast slow-breathing unconscious Kosmos with its dread abysses and its unknown tides.”

IfsFeelsSeemsUniverseSpeakWhiteRightsSubjectsPossibilityRelationCleanBreathingUnconsciousContractsTidesDreadAbyssReservedInfallibleImpeccableClean Shaven
Author:William James
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“An unlearned carpenter of my acquaintance once said in my hearing: "There is very little difference between one man and another; but what little there is, is very important." This distinction seems to me to go to the root of the matter.”

MenLittlesSaidImportantMatterSeemsDifferencesRootsHearingDistinctionOne ManAcquaintanceCarpenter
Book:The Will to Believe: And Other Essays in Popular Philosophy
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