Quote#Wisdom
Our minds thus grow in spots; and like grease-spots, the spots…
Quote byWilliam James · 1842–1910
Commonly attributed — not confirmed in an authoritative edition. Cited on Wikiquote to: Pragmatism: A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking (1907), Lecture V, Pragmatism and Common Sense.
English (original)
Our minds thus grow in spots; and like grease-spots, the spots spread. But we let them spread as little as possible: we keep unaltered as much of our old knowledge, as many of our old prejudices and beliefs, as we can. We patch and tinker more than we renew. The novelty soaks in; it stains the ancient mass; but it is also tinged by what absorbs it.
— William James
More from William James
"What is meant by saying that my choice of which way to walk home after the lecture is ambiguous and matter of chance?...It means that both Divinity Avenue and Oxford Street are called but only one, and that one either one, shall be chosen.
The stronghold of the determinist argument is the antipathy to the idea of chance...This notion of alternative possibility, this admission that any one of several things may come to pass is, after all, only a roundabout name for chance.
Freedom is only necessity understood.
All our scientific and philosophic ideals are altars to unknown gods.
The most any one can do is to confess as candidly as he can the grounds for the faith that is in him, and leave his example to work on others as it may.
We have nothing to do but to receive, resting absolutely upon the merit, power, and love of our Redeemer.