William James Quotes About Habits

Quotes about: Habits

• Could the young but realize how soon they will become mere walking bundles of habits, they would give more heed to their conduct while in the plastic state.

  William James

  Giving, Realizing, Habit

  William James (2012). “The Principles of Psychology”, p.127, Courier Corporation

• Genius... means little more than the faculty of perceiving in an unhabitual way.

  William James

  Creativity, Mean, Science

  William James (2012). “Psychology: The Briefer Course”, p.195, Courier Corporation

• Most people live, whether physically, intellectually or morally, in a very restricted circle of their potential being. They make very small use of their possible consciousness, and of their soul's resources in general, much like a man who, out of his whole bodily organism, should get into a habit of using and moving only his little finger.

  William James

  Inspirational, Life, Moving

  Letter toWincenty Lutoslawski, 6 May 1906

• All our life, so far as it has definite form, is but a mass of habits.

  William James

  Habit, Form, Mass

  William James (2008). “Talks to Teachers on Psychology: And to Students on Some of Life's Ideals”, p.56, Nuvision Pubns

• Habit simplifies our movements, makes them accurate, and diminishes fatigue.

  William James

  Life, Happiness, Movement

  William James, Robert D Richardson (2010). “The Heart of William James”, p.105, Harvard University Press

• So with the man who has daily inured himself to habits of concentrated attention, energetic volition, and self-denial in unnecessary things. He will stand like a tower when everything rocks around him, and when his softer fellow-mortals are winnowed like chaff in the blast.

  William James

  Men, Rocks, Self

  William James, Robert D Richardson (2010). “The Heart of William James”, p.114, Harvard University Press

• Man lives by habits indeed, but what he lives for is thrill and excitements. ... From time immemorial war has been ... the supremely thrilling excitement.

  William James

  War, Men, Thrill

• Do every day or two something for no other reason than its difficulty.

  William James

  Two, Reason, Habit

  William James (1983). “Talks to Teachers on Psychology and to Students on Some of Life's Ideals”, p.52, Harvard University Press

• To change one's life:
  a. Start immediately
  b. B. Do it flamboyantly
  c. No exceptions
  Never suffer an exception to occur till the new habit is securely rooted.

  William James

  Dream, Suffering, Habit

• We must make automatic and habitual, as early as possible, as many useful actions as we can...in the acquisition of a new habit, we must take car to launch ourselves with as strong and decided initiative as possible. Never suffer an exception to occur till the new habit is securely rooted in your life.

  William James

  Life, Success, Strong

• Habit is thus the enormous fly-wheel of society, its most precious conservative agent. It alone is what keeps us all within the bounds of ordinance, and saves the children of fortune from the envious uprisings of the poor. It alone prevents the hardest and most repulsive walks of life from being deserted by those brought up to tread therein.

  William James

  Children, Science, Uprising

  The Principles of Psychology vol. 1, ch. 4 (1890)

• All of our life is but a mass of small habits - practical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual - that bear us irresistibly toward our destiny.

  William James

  Spiritual, Military, Destiny

• Plasticity, then, in the wide sense of the word, means the possession of a structure weak enough to yield to an influence, but strong enough not to yield all at once. Each relatively stable phase of equilibrium in such a structure is marked by what we may call a new set of habits.

  William James

  Strong, Mean, Science

  William James (2012). “The Principles of Psychology”, p.105, Courier Corporation

• Our volitional habits depend, then, first, on what the stock of ideas is which we have; and, second, on the habitual coupling of the several ideas with action or inaction respectively.

  William James

  Philosophy, Educational, Ideas

  William James, Robert D Richardson (2010). “The Heart of William James”, p.124, Harvard University Press

• Habit is a second nature, or rather, it is 'ten times nature'.

  William James

  Inspirational, Educational, Philosophy

  "Talks to Teachers on Psychology: And to Students on Some of Life's Ideals".

• Why should we think upon things that are lovely? Because thinking determines life. It is a common habit to blame life upon the environment. Environment modifies life but does not govern life. The soul is stronger than its surroundings.

  William James

  Love, Life, Gratitude

  "How About a Little Hope?" by Litsa Dremousis, www.esquire.com. July 30, 2007.

• It is very important that teachers should realize the importance of habit.

  William James

  Teacher, Important, Realizing

  William James (2014). “Talks to Teachers on Psychology; And to Students on Some of Life's Ideals”, p.48, BookRix

• The teacher's prime concern should be to ingrain into the pupil that assortment of habits that shall be most useful to him throughout life. Education is for behavior, and habits are the stuff of which behavior consists.

  William James

  Teacher, Stuff, Behavior

  William James (2008). “Talks to Teachers on Psychology: And to Students on Some of Life's Ideals”, p.57, Nuvision Pubns

• In the acquisition of a new habit, or the leaving off of an old one, we must take care to launch ourselves with as strong and decided an initiative as possible.

  William James

  Strong, Leaving, Acquisition

  William James (2008). “Talks to Teachers on Psychology and to Students on Some of Life's Ideals”, p.34, Cosimo, Inc.

• Seize the very first possible opportunity to act on every resolution you make, and on every emotional prompting you may experience in the direction of the habits you aspire to gain.

  William James

  Opportunity, Emotional, May

  William James, Robert D Richardson (2010). “The Heart of William James”, p.112, Harvard University Press

• Don't preach too much to your pupils or abound in good talk in the abstract. Lie in wait rather for the practical opportunities, be prompt to seize those as they pass, and thus at one operation get your pupils both to think, to feel, and to do.

  William James

  Lying, Opportunity, Thinking

  William James (1983). “Talks to Teachers on Psychology and to Students on Some of Life's Ideals”, p.50, Harvard University Press

• Tension is a habit. Relaxing is a habit. Bad habits can be broken, good habits formed.

  William James

  Funny, Broken, Habit

• New habits can be launched.

  William James

  Habit, New Habits

  William James (2008). “Talks to Teachers on Psychology: And to Students on Some of Life's Ideals”, p.65, Nuvision Pubns

• Ninety-nine hundredths or, possibly, nine hundred and ninety-nine thousandths of our activity is purely automatic and habitual, from our rising in the morning to our lying down each night.

  William James

  Morning, Lying, Night

  William James (1983). “Talks to Teachers on Psychology and to Students on Some of Life's Ideals”, p.48, Harvard University Press

• We are mere bundles of habits.

  William James

  Habit, Bundles, Mere

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