--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most of us probably fall several times a…" description: "\"“Most of us probably fall several times a day into a fit somewhat like this: The eyes are fixed on vacancy, the sounds of the world melt into a confuse..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07e/william-james-228_every-moment_most-of-us-probably-fall-several-times-a_831905.jpg" --- # Most of us probably fall several times a day into a fit… ![“Most of us probably fall several times a day into a fit somewhat like this: The eyes are fixed on vacancy, the sounds of the world melt into a confused unity, the attention is dispersed so that the whole body is felt, as it were, at once, and the foreground of consciousness is filled, if by…” quote by William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07e/william-james-228_every-moment_most-of-us-probably-fall-several-times-a_831905.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07e/william-james-228_every-moment_most-of-us-probably-fall-several-times-a_831905.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07e/william-james-228_every-moment_most-of-us-probably-fall-several-times-a_831905.jpg) > ““Most of us probably fall several times a day into a fit somewhat like this: The eyes are fixed on vacancy, the sounds of the world melt into a confused unity, the attention is dispersed so that the whole body is felt, as it were, at once, and the foreground of consciousness is filled, if by anything, by a sort of solemn sense of surrender to the empty passing of time. In the dim background of our mind we know meanwhile what we ought to be doing: getting up, dressing ourselves, answering the person who has spoken to us, trying to make the next step in our reasoning. But somehow we cannot start; the pensée de derrière la tête \[thought at the back of the head\] fails to pierce the shell of lethargy that wraps our state about. Every moment we expect the shell to break, for we know no reason why it should continue. But it does continue, pulse after pulse, and we float with it, until—also without reason that we can discover—an energy is given, something—we know not what—enables us to gather ourselves together, we wink our eyes, we shake our head, the background ideas become effective, and the wheels of life go round again.”” [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. The passage describes moments of mental fog and lethargy where intention exists but action stalls, until a sudden spark of energy breaks the inertia and we resume purposeful activity. **In simple terms:** Mental fog can be broken by a sudden burst of energy, allowing us to act. Key Takeaway Cultivate moments that trigger activation. Themes psychology motivation consciousness laziness Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - creative work - exercise routines - daily planning Key Concepts attention energy flow momentum Questions to Reflect On - What habits can sustain momentum after a brief spark? - How to recognize early signs of mental inertia? A Different Perspective Energy bursts may be fleeting and not sustainable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Background Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/background-mind-368500/) [Consciousness Filled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness-filled-566060/) [Every moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-moment/) [Inertia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inertia/) [Lethargy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lethargy/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Next step](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next-step/) [Passing Of Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passing-of-time/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Tête Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/t-te-thought-566059/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Ur Eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ur-eyes/) [Without reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/without-reason/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [In the dim background of mind we know what we ought to be doing but somehow we cannot start.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/in-the-dim-background-of-mind-we-know-what-we-ought-to-be-doing-but/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [To some of us the thought of God is like a sort of quiet music playing in the background of the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/to-some-of-us-the-thought-of-god-is-like-a-sort-of-quiet-music/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [I make up the characters in my books, but of course my consciousness is filled with every child I've ever known, including my two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-lowry/i-make-up-the-characters-in-my-books-but-of-course-my-consciousness/) [Lois Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-lowry/) > [There are moments when you can't believe something wonderful is happening. 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I would spend every moment of every day with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-monir/are-you-sure-he-asked-in-a-low-voice-because-if-i-had-the-chance-i/) [Alexandra Monir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-monir/) > [I'm getting to a point where everything is becoming streamlined in my life. I'm learning how to stand onstage for two hours and play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayer/i-m-getting-to-a-point-where-everything-is-becoming-streamlined-in-my/) [John Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayer/) > [This moment in which you experience stillness is every moment. Don't let the mind seduce you into the past or future. Stay in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/this-moment-in-which-you-experience-stillness-is-every-moment-don-t/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) > [You'll never see me coming around the corner not smiling... I mean, I enjoy every moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquem-griffin/you-ll-never-see-me-coming-around-the-corner-not-smiling-i-mean-i/) [Shaquem Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquem-griffin/) > [I don't think it's always a sign of respect for persons (inside or outside of fiction) to pretend to be able to represent, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/i-don-t-think-it-s-always-a-sign-of-respect-for-persons-inside-or/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [“You must enjoy and treasure every moment of your journey on earth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/you-must-enjoy-and-treasure-every-moment-of-your-journey-on-earth/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Being a full-time mother is one of the biggest jobs in the world; it's like another career for me. I love every moment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darcey-bussell/being-a-full-time-mother-is-one-of-the-biggest-jobs-in-the-world-it-s/) [Darcey Bussell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darcey-bussell/) > [Let us learn to accept and appreciate things now, and we'll find more happiness in every moment we live. Happiness comes when we stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/let-us-learn-to-accept-and-appreciate-things-now-and-we-ll-find-more/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [You and I are both life. There's just the experience of every moment. We like to call them moments. 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In the dim background of our mind we know meanwhile what we ought to be doing: getting up, dressing ourselves, answering the person who has spoken to us, trying to make the next step in our reasoning. But somehow we cannot start; the pensée de derrière la tête [thought at the back of the head] fails to pierce the shell of lethargy that wraps our state about. Every moment we expect the shell to break, for we know no reason why it should continue. But it does continue, pulse after pulse, and we float with it, until—also without reason that we can discover—an energy is given, something—we know not what—enables us to gather ourselves together, we wink our eyes, we shake our head, the background ideas become effective, and the wheels of life go round again.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William James" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/most-of-us-probably-fall-several-times-a-day-into-a-fit-somewhat-like/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Every moment" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/most-of-us-probably-fall-several-times-a-day-into-a-fit-somewhat-like/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07e/william-james-228_every-moment_most-of-us-probably-fall-several-times-a_831905.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07e/william-james-228_every-moment_most-of-us-probably-fall-several-times-a_831905.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07e/william-james-228_every-moment_most-of-us-probably-fall-several-times-a_831905.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Most of us probably fall several times a day into a fit somewhat like this: The eyes are fixed on vacancy…” — 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": "“Most of us probably fall several...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/most-of-us-probably-fall-several-times-a-day-into-a-fit-somewhat-like/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/most-of-us-probably-fall-several-times-a-day-into-a-fit-somewhat-like/#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 } } ] } ```