William James

"The deepest craving of the human spirit is to be understood by another person."

"The ability to think systematically and clearly is the foundation of all personal and professional success."

"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind and still function."

"Mystery is the most beautiful emotion; it is the source of all true art, science, and spirituality."

"A person who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new; therefore, embrace your failures as learning."

"The only real failure in life is the failure to become who you are truly capable of becoming."

"Life is not about finding yourself; it is about creating yourself through the choices you make every day."

"The key to productivity is not doing more, but choosing to do the right things with excellence and focus."

"Every act of kindness creates a ripple effect that touches countless lives in ways we may never fully understand."

"The pursuit of happiness is less important than the pursuit of meaning, purpose, and contribution to others."

"Truth is not always what we want to hear, but it is always what we need to hear if we wish to grow."

"The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes."

"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does."

"The deepest principle of human nature is the craving to be appreciated."

"Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact."

"The only way out is through."

"Human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives."

"We are made up largely of pathways worn into our brains by repeated thought and habit."

"Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one."

"The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook."

"Pessimism and optimism are slated by the patient's stock of faith or want of faith."

"The greatest use of a life is to spend it on something that will outlast it."

"Attention is the teacher of all virtue and the mother of all strength."

"Consciousness is never found in a state of rest—it is always flowing."

"The exclusive worship of the bitch-goddess success is our national disease."

"What the mind attends to, it considers real."

"Individuals differ as to which conditions make them feel the satisfaction of life."

"In each of us is a stream of consciousness which only individual experience makes us aware of."

"The true index of civilization is not the census or the size of cities, but the conscience of the people."

"Progress in the world requires giving up comfortable beliefs and habits."