William James Quotes about Belief

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There is nothing so absurd that it cannot be believed as truth if repeated often enough.

There is nothing so absurd that it cannot be believed as truth if repeated often enough.

William James

Science, Belief, Enough

As a rule we disbelieve all the facts and theories for which we have no use.

William James

Use, Facts, Belief

"The Will to Believe and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy". Book by William James, 1897.

I myself believe that the evidence for God lies primarily in inner personal experiences.

William James

Lying, Believe, Belief

Pragmatism: A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking Lecture 3 (1907)

Our beliefs are really rules for action.

William James

Belief, Action

William James, John Dewey, John M. Capps, Donald Capps (2005). “James and Dewey on Belief and Experience”, p.134, University of Illinois Press

Belief is desecrated when given to unproved and unquestioned statements for the solace and private pleasure of the believer . . . It is wrong always, everywhere, and for every one, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.

William James

Believe, Belief, Pleasure

William James (1956). “The Will to Believe: And Other Essays in Popular Philosophy, and Human Immortality”, p.8, Courier Corporation

Our beliefs and our attention are the same fact.

William James

Attention, Facts, Belief

A new opinion counts as true just in proportion as it gratifies the individual's desire to assimilate the novel in his experience to his beliefs in stock

William James

Truth, Desire, Belief

William James, John Dewey, John M. Capps, Donald Capps (2005). “James and Dewey on Belief and Experience”, p.140, University of Illinois Press

What the whole community comes to believe in grasps the individual as in a vise.

William James

Believe, Community, Belief

William James (2016). “William James: Essays and Lectures”, p.311, Routledge

... religious experience, as we have studied it, cannot be cited as unequivocally supporting the infinitist belief. The only thingthat it unequivocally testifies to is that we can experience union with something larger than ourselves and in that union find our greatest peace.

William James

Religious, Unions, Belief

William James (1987). “Writings, 1902-1910”, p.468, Library of America

Since belief is measured by action, he who forbids us to believe religion to be true, necessarily also forbids us to act as we should if we did believe it to be true.

William James

Believe, Belief, Action

William James (2015). “Essays in Popular Philosophy: Top Essays”, p.22, 谷月社

The belief in free-will is not in the least incompatible with the belief in Providence, provided you do not restrict the Providence to fulminating nothing but fatal decrees.

William James

Belief, Free Will, Decree

William James (1956). “The Will to Believe: And Other Essays in Popular Philosophy, and Human Immortality”, p.180, Courier Corporation