Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.
Philosophers
William James
Born in New York in 1842, William James laid the intellectual foundations of both psychology and philosophy in America. He established the country's first psychology course in 1875, earning the title 'father of American psychology,' and co-founded pragmatism with Peirce. His concept of the 'stream of consciousness' influenced literature as well as science, and The Varieties of Religious Experience reframed religion as personal inner experience.
View this figure's profile
William James's Other Quotes
The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind.
The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.
Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact.
The true is the name of whatever proves itself to be good in the way of belief, and good, too, for definite, assignable reasons.
A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.
Related Quotes
It is hard to retain what you learn unless you practice it.
-- Seneca
Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.
-- Marcus Aurelius
The beginning is half of the whole.
-- Aristotle
Courage begins the difficult deed, but fortune governs its outcome.
-- Democritus
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
-- Laozi
Think by becoming the thing; act by becoming the thing.
-- Kitarō Nishida