--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For the moment, what we attend to is…" description: "\"For the moment, what we attend to is reality.\" — William James" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b2/william-james-228_attend_for-the-moment-what-we-attend-to-is-real_2375477.png" --- # For the moment, what we attend to is reality. ![“For the moment, what we attend to is reality.” quote by William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b2/william-james-228_attend_for-the-moment-what-we-attend-to-is-real_2375477.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b2/william-james-228_attend_for-the-moment-what-we-attend-to-is-real_2375477.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b2/william-james-228_attend_for-the-moment-what-we-attend-to-is-real_2375477.png) > “For the moment, what we attend to is reality.” [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reality is what we focus on; our attention shapes our experience of the world. **In simple terms:** Attention defines reality. Key Takeaway Choose what to focus on. Themes philosophy mindfulness perception Mood thoughtful calm Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - daily planning - meditation - media consumption Key Concepts Phenomenology psychology attention theory Questions to Reflect On - What do you give your attention to today? - How does focus alter your perception? 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Cardozo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-n-cardozo/) Browse all 128 Attend quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For the moment, what we attend to is reality.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William James" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/for-the-moment-what-we-attend-to-is-reality/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attend" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/for-the-moment-what-we-attend-to-is-reality/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b2/william-james-228_attend_for-the-moment-what-we-attend-to-is-real_2375477.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b2/william-james-228_attend_for-the-moment-what-we-attend-to-is-real_2375477.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b2/william-james-228_attend_for-the-moment-what-we-attend-to-is-real_2375477.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For the moment, what we attend to is reality.” — William James", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "William James", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For the moment, what we attend...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/for-the-moment-what-we-attend-to-is-reality/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/for-the-moment-what-we-attend-to-is-reality/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```