William James Quotes

Our age is before all things a practical one. It demands of us all clear and tangible results of our work.

A think may look specious in theory, and yet be ruinous in practice; a thing may look evil in theory, and yet be in practice excellent.

The ideologue says “whatever is right works.” The pragmatist says “whatever works is right.”

Pragmatism asks its usual question. "Grant an idea or belief to be true," it says, "what concrete difference will its being true make in anyone's actual life? How will the truth be realized? What experiences will be different from those which would obtain if the belief were false? What, in short, is the truth's cash-value in experiential terms?

A 'truth' detached and purified of pleasures of ordinary life is not worth a damn in my view. Every grand theory and noble sentiment ought to be first tested in the kitchen-and then in bed, of course.

One of the worst muddles of this age is its confusing of the ideas behind combative and cognitive activity. Cognition is not fighting, but once someone knows a lot, he will have much to fight for.

The quality of debate is pretty high—and it is, I think, good evidence of life after death.

If you find a disputant while he is hot, do not despise him because you are not of the same opinion. Be not angry against him when he is wrong; away with such a thing.

To convince someone of the truth, it is not enough to state it, but rather one must find the path from error to truth.

As men are killed by fighting, the truth is lost in disputing.

The wisest man preaches no doctrines.

An ideologue believes that what is right will work. A pragmatist believes that what works is right.

One clings to principles for only as long as they are not put to the test. When that happens one throws them away as the peasant does his slippers.

What man needs is not just the persistent posing of ultimate questions, but the sense of what is feasible, what is possible, what is correct, here and now.

On Pragmatism: It's all very well in theory but it doesn't work in practice

We need the self-confidence to admit that at best we possess only a partial understanding of the truth, which can be enlarged by refining our views in light of new arguments, new circumstances and new insights. But this requires us to listen to others, to weigh their arguments with care, and maybe even to learn from them.

My philosophy is that you do what you have to do.

That era of designers being away with the fairies is gone... You've got to live in the real world.

You know what's better than building things up in your imagination? Building things up in real life.

Why is it that common sense is seldom common practice?

Pragmatism and romance are sort of opposites.

Well, it may be all right in practice, but it will never work in theory

Success is achieved by people who deeply understand reality and know how to use it to get what they want. The converse is also true: idealists who are not well-grounded in reality create problems, not progress.

The definition of definition is at bottom just what the maxim of pragmatism expresses.

Idealism leads to realism if it is strictly thought out.