12 Quotes by William James about Thinking


  • Author William James
  • Quote

    The true'to put it very briefly, is only the expedient in the way of our thinking, just as 'the right' is only the expedient in the way of our behaving.

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  • Author William James
  • Quote

    We are thinking beings, and we cannot exclude the intellect from participating in any of our functions.

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  • Author William James
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    The 'I think' which Kant said must be able to accompany all my objects, is the 'I breathe' which actually does accompany them.

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  • Author William James
  • Quote

    The mind of your own enemy, the pupil, is working away from you, as keenly and eagerly as is the mind of the commander on the other side from the scientific general. Just what the respective enemies want and think, and what they know or do not know, are as hard things for the teachers as for the general to find out.

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  • Author William James
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    A remarkable parallel, which I think has never been noticed, obtains between the facts of social evolution on the one hand, and of zological evolution as expounded by Mr. Darwin on the other.

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  • Author William James
  • Quote

    True to her inveterate habit, rationalism reverts to 'principles,' and thinks that when an abstraction once is named, we own an oracular solution.

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