---
title: "16 Objects Quotes By William James"
description: "16 Objects quotes by William James. Plus more from William James and more Objects sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/william-james-228_all-time_the-instant-field-of-the-present-is-at-a_2310777.png"
---

> [The instant field of the present is at all times what I call the 'pure' experience. It is only virtually or potentially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-instant-field-of-the-present-is-at-all-times-what-i-call-the-pure/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/william-james-228_all-time_the-instant-field-of-the-present-is-at-a_2310777.png)

> [To know an object is to lead to it through a context which the world provides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/to-know-an-object-is-to-lead-to-it-through-a-context-which-the-world/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/william-james-228_knows_to-know-an-object-is-to-lead-to-it-throu_2148920.png)

> [The first thing that intellect does with an object is to class it with something else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-first-thing-that-intellect-does-with-an-object-is-to-class-it/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71a/william-james-228_class_the-first-thing-that-intellect-does-with_643709.png)

> [The 'I think' which Kant said must be able to accompany all my objects, is the 'I breathe' which actually does accompany…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-i-think-which-kant-said-must-be-able-to-accompany-all-my-objects/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/553/william-james-228_able_the-i-think-which-kant-said-must-be-able_1246255.jpg)

> [Any object not interesting in itself may become interesting through becoming associated with an object in which an interest already exists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/any-object-not-interesting-in-itself-may-become-interesting-through-2/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd3/william-james-228_becoming_any-object-not-interesting-in-itself-may_2740079.png)

> [From all these facts there emerges a very simple abstract program for the teacher to follow in keeping the attention of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/from-all-these-facts-there-emerges-a-very-simple-abstract-program-for/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f90/william-james-228_abstract_from-all-these-facts-there-emerges-a-ver_768797.png)

> [The last peculiarity of consciousness to which attention is to be drawn in this first rough description of its stream is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-last-peculiarity-of-consciousness-to-which-attention-is-to-be/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b43/william-james-228_attention_the-last-peculiarity-of-consciousness-to_2349690.png)

> [The most natively interesting object to a man is his own personal self and its fortunes. We accordingly see that the moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-most-natively-interesting-object-to-a-man-is-his-own-personal/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/688/william-james-228_connected_the-most-natively-interesting-object-to_746900.jpg)

> [If the topic be highly abstract, show its nature by concrete examples. If it be unfamiliar, trace some point of analogy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/if-the-topic-be-highly-abstract-show-its-nature-by-concrete-examples-2/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/william-james-228_abstract_if-the-topic-be-highly-abstract-show-its_3143380.jpg)

> [If, then, you wish to insure the interest of your pupils, there is only one way to do it; and that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/if-then-you-wish-to-insure-the-interest-of-your-pupils-there-is-only/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87b/william-james-228_books_if-then-you-wish-to-insure-the-interest_1329435.png)

> [Modern transcendental idealism, Emersonianism, for instance, also seems to let God evaporate into abstract Ideality. Not a deity in concreto, not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/modern-transcendental-idealism-emersonianism-for-instance-also-seems/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/567/william-james-228_abstract_modern-transcendental-idealism-emersonia_1671008.jpg)

> [The entire routine of our memorized acquisitions, for example, is a consequence of nothing but the Law of Contiguity. The words of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-entire-routine-of-our-memorized-acquisitions-for-example-is-a/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/william-james-228_acquisition_the-entire-routine-of-our-memorized-acqu_560764.jpg)

> [The gist of the matter is this: Every impression that comes in from without, be it a sentence which we hear, an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-gist-of-the-matter-is-this-every-impression-that-comes-in-from/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e38/william-james-228_association_the-gist-of-the-matter-is-this-every-imp_1937156.jpg)

> [In teaching, you must simply work your pupil into such a state of interest in what you are going to teach him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/in-teaching-you-must-simply-work-your-pupil-into-such-a-state-of/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f7/william-james-228_art_in-teaching-you-must-simply-work-your-pu_2288475.png)

> [Any object not interesting in itself may become interesting through becoming associated with an object in which an interest already exists. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/any-object-not-interesting-in-itself-may-become-interesting-through/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1e/william-james-228_becoming_any-object-not-interesting-in-itself-may_1643938.png)

> [Compared with men, it is probable that brutes neither attend to abstract characters, nor have associations by similarity. Their thoughts probably pass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/compared-with-men-it-is-probable-that-brutes-neither-attend-to/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6e/william-james-228_abstract_compared-with-men-it-is-probable-that-br_945833.png)

## Other authors on Objects

## More by William James

> [Effort is the one strictly undervalued and original contribution we make to this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/effort-is-the-one-strictly-undervalued-and-original-contribution-we/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [We are all potentially such sick men. The sanest and best of us are of one clay with lunatics and prison-inmates. And whenever we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/we-are-all-potentially-such-sick-men-the-sanest-and-best-of-us-are-of/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [In the dim background of our mind we know meanwhile what we ought to be doing: getting up, dressing ourselves, answering the person who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/in-the-dim-background-of-our-mind-we-know-meanwhile-what-we-ought-to/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [“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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/our-minds-thus-grow-in-spots-and-like-grease-spots-the-spots-spread/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [Circumstance does not make me, it reveals me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/circumstance-does-not-make-me-it-reveals-me/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> ['Facts' are the bounds of human knowledge, set for it, not by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/facts-are-the-bounds-of-human-knowledge-set-for-it-not-by-it/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [Woe to him whose beliefs play fast and loose with the order which realities follow in his experience; they will lead him nowhere or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/woe-to-him-whose-beliefs-play-fast-and-loose-with-the-order-which/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [We never fully grasp the import of any true statement until we have a clear notion of what the opposite untrue statement would be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/we-never-fully-grasp-the-import-of-any-true-statement-until-we-have-a/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [It is your friends who make your world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/it-is-your-friends-who-make-your-world/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [Human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/human-beings-can-alter-their-lives-by-altering-their-attitudes-of-mind/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [Most people, probably, are in doubt about certain matters ascribed to their past. They may have seen them, may have said them, done them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/most-people-probably-are-in-doubt-about-certain-matters-ascribed-to/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [“How soon, indeed, are human things forgotten! As we meet here this morning, the Southern sun is shining on their place of burial, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/how-soon-indeed-are-human-things-forgotten-as-we-meet-here-this/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [There can be no difference anywhere that does not make a difference somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/there-can-be-no-difference-anywhere-that-does-not-make-a-difference/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [It is wrong always, everywhere, and for everyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/it-is-wrong-always-everywhere-and-for-everyone-to-believe-anything/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [The pragmatist turns away from abstraction and insufficiency, from verbal solutions, from bad a priori reasons, from fixed principles, closed systems, and pretended absolutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-pragmatist-turns-away-from-abstraction-and-insufficiency-from/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

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                        "text": "If the topic be highly abstract, show its nature by concrete examples. If it be unfamiliar, trace some point of analogy in it with the known. If it be inhuman, make it figure as part of a story. If it be difficult, couple its acquisition with some prospect of personal gain. Above all things, make sure that it shall run through certain inner changes, since no unvarying object can possibly hold the mental field for long.",
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                        "text": "If, then, you wish to insure the interest of your pupils, there is only one way to do it; and that is to make certain that they have something in their minds to attend with, when you begin to talk. That something can consist in nothing but a previous lot of ideas already interesting in themselves, and of such a nature that the incoming novel objects which you present can dovetail into them and form with them some kind of a logically associated or systematic whole.",
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                        "text": "Modern transcendental idealism, Emersonianism, for instance, also seems to let God evaporate into abstract Ideality. Not a deity in concreto, not a superhuman person, but the immanent divinity in things, the essentially spiritual structure of the universe, is the object of the transcendentalist cult. In that address of the graduating class at Divinity College in 1838 which made Emerson famous, the frank expression of this worship of mere abstract laws was what made the scandal of the performance.",
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                        "text": "The entire routine of our memorized acquisitions, for example, is a consequence of nothing but the Law of Contiguity. The words of a poem, the formulas of trigonometry, the facts of history, the properties of material things, are all known to us as definite systems or groups of objects which cohere in an order fixed by innumerable iterations, and of which any one part reminds us of the others.",
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                        "text": "The gist of the matter is this: Every impression that comes in from without, be it a sentence which we hear, an object of vision, or an effluvium which assails our nose, no sooner enters our consciousness than it is drafted off in some determinate direction or other, making connection with the other materials already there, and finally producing what we call our reaction. The particular connections it strikes into are determined by our past experiences and the 'associations' of the present sort of impression with them.",
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                        "text": "In teaching, you must simply work your pupil into such a state of interest in what you are going to teach him that every other object of attention is banished from his mind; then reveal it to him so impressively that he will remember the occasion to his dying day; and finally fill him with devouring curiosity to know what the next steps in connection with the subject are.",
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                        "text": "Any object not interesting in itself may become interesting through becoming associated with an object in which an interest already exists. The two associated objects grow, as it were, together; the interesting portion sheds its quality over the whole; and thus things not interesting in their own right borrow an interest which becomes as real and as strong as that of any natively interesting thing.",
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                        "text": "Compared with men, it is probable that brutes neither attend to abstract characters, nor have associations by similarity. Their thoughts probably pass from one concrete object to its habitual concrete successor far more uniformly than is the case with us. In other words, their associations of ideas are almost exclusively by contiguity. So far, however, as any brute might think by abstract characters instead of by association of con cretes, he would have to be admitted to be a reasoner in the true human sense. How far this may take place is quite uncertain.",
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