--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: our experience is what we attend to" description: "\"“our experience is what we attend to”\" — William James" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/190/william-james-228_attend_our-experience-is-what-we-attend-to-2742_2742802.png" --- # our experience is what we attend to ![“our experience is what we attend to” quote by William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/190/william-james-228_attend_our-experience-is-what-we-attend-to-2742_2742802.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/190/william-james-228_attend_our-experience-is-what-we-attend-to-2742_2742802.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/190/william-james-228_attend_our-experience-is-what-we-attend-to-2742_2742802.png) > ““our experience is what we attend to”” [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. Our experience is shaped by what we choose to focus on, implying attention determines reality. **In simple terms:** Attention shapes experience. Key Takeaway Direct attention to what matters. Themes psychology attention experience Mood thoughtful inspirational analytical Type philosophical psychological motivational When to use this quote - studying - meditation - creative work - problem solving - relationship building Key Concepts focus perception mindfulness choice Questions to Reflect On - What do you choose to attend to daily? - How can you shift attention to improve life? A Different Perspective The view may underestimate external constraints on attention. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attend/) [Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience/) [Experience Attend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience-attend-3039979/) ## Related quotes > [For the moment, what we attend to is reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/for-the-moment-what-we-attend-to-is-reality/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [My experience is what I agree to attend to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/my-experience-is-what-i-agree-to-attend-to/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [In my whole career, in fact, I can remember only two first nights when a show was at its peak on the first night.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-mccabe/in-my-whole-career-in-fact-i-can-remember-only-two-first-nights-when/) [Richard McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-mccabe/) > [I was hoping to attend the School of Visual Arts and had a portfolio built up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-dillon/i-was-hoping-to-attend-the-school-of-visual-arts-and-had-a-portfolio/) [Kevin Dillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-dillon/) > [The roughest make-up I ever wore was for 'Phantom of the Opera' because the phantom's face was all disfigured, and he's trying to pass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-englund/the-roughest-make-up-i-ever-wore-was-for-phantom-of-the-opera-because/) [Robert Englund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-englund/) > [Sitting on the airplane seat today, I was thinking - I have been in different cities every week. Most of the time, it's because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yani-tseng/sitting-on-the-airplane-seat-today-i-was-thinking-i-have-been-in/) [Yani Tseng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yani-tseng/) > [A student who has excelled in the classroom should have the opportunity to attend college and become a productive, taxpaying member of society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bennet/a-student-who-has-excelled-in-the-classroom-should-have-the/) [Michael Bennet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bennet/) > [My mother attended the local church, Saint Nicolas, and consequently, I attended that church and its Sunday School. My only prizes from the Sunday…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-smith/my-mother-attended-the-local-church-saint-nicolas-and-consequently-i/) [Michael Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-smith/) > [Tell Mr. Rajecki that I plan to attend all the games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mckay/tell-mr-rajecki-that-i-plan-to-attend-all-the-games/) [John Mckay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mckay/) > [“You have business and pleasure to attend to. As an expert in both, allow me to advise you to put them aside for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-s-jennsen/you-have-business-and-pleasure-to-attend-to-as-an-expert-in-both/) [G.S. Jennsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-s-jennsen/) > [My 94-year-old grandmother has always been so inspiring to me. She is kind, smart, brave, and independent. 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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. 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I'm kind of shy and don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/i-don-t-have-a-whole-bunch-of-literary-connections-i-don-t-write/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second... if there is one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/cannot-possibly-attend-first-night-will-attend-second-if-there-is-one/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [My 94-year-old grandmother has always been so inspiring to me. She is kind, smart, brave, and independent. After graduating number one in her medical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelsey-chow/my-94-year-old-grandmother-has-always-been-so-inspiring-to-me-she-is/) [Kelsey Chow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelsey-chow/) > [“You have business and pleasure to attend to. As an expert in both, allow me to advise you to put them aside for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-s-jennsen/you-have-business-and-pleasure-to-attend-to-as-an-expert-in-both/) [G.S. Jennsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-s-jennsen/) > [Tell Mr. Rajecki that I plan to attend all the games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mckay/tell-mr-rajecki-that-i-plan-to-attend-all-the-games/) [John Mckay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mckay/) > [My mother attended the local church, Saint Nicolas, and consequently, I attended that church and its Sunday School. My only prizes from the Sunday…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-smith/my-mother-attended-the-local-church-saint-nicolas-and-consequently-i/) [Michael Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-smith/) > [A student who has excelled in the classroom should have the opportunity to attend college and become a productive, taxpaying member of society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bennet/a-student-who-has-excelled-in-the-classroom-should-have-the/) [Michael Bennet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bennet/) > [Sitting on the airplane seat today, I was thinking - I have been in different cities every week. Most of the time, it's because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yani-tseng/sitting-on-the-airplane-seat-today-i-was-thinking-i-have-been-in/) [Yani Tseng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yani-tseng/) > [The roughest make-up I ever wore was for 'Phantom of the Opera' because the phantom's face was all disfigured, and he's trying to pass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-englund/the-roughest-make-up-i-ever-wore-was-for-phantom-of-the-opera-because/) [Robert Englund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-englund/) > [I was hoping to attend the School of Visual Arts and had a portfolio built up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-dillon/i-was-hoping-to-attend-the-school-of-visual-arts-and-had-a-portfolio/) [Kevin Dillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-dillon/) > [In my whole career, in fact, I can remember only two first nights when a show was at its peak on the first night.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-mccabe/in-my-whole-career-in-fact-i-can-remember-only-two-first-nights-when/) [Richard McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-mccabe/) > [I grew up and I kind of took the road of becoming a pilot, which was another dream I had of flying, and once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luca-parmitano/i-grew-up-and-i-kind-of-took-the-road-of-becoming-a-pilot-which-was/) [Luca Parmitano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luca-parmitano/) > [There comes not seldom a crisis in the life of men, of nations, and of worlds, when the old forms seem ready to decay,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-n-cardozo/there-comes-not-seldom-a-crisis-in-the-life-of-men-of-nations-and-of/) [Benjamin N. Cardozo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-n-cardozo/) [Browse all 128 Attend quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attend/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“our experience is what we attend to”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William James" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/our-experience-is-what-we-attend-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attend" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/our-experience-is-what-we-attend-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/190/william-james-228_attend_our-experience-is-what-we-attend-to-2742_2742802.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/190/william-james-228_attend_our-experience-is-what-we-attend-to-2742_2742802.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/190/william-james-228_attend_our-experience-is-what-we-attend-to-2742_2742802.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“our experience is what we attend to” — 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": "“our experience is what we attend...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/our-experience-is-what-we-attend-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/our-experience-is-what-we-attend-to/#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 } } ] } ```