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The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind.

William James (widely attributed)

MindPhilosophy

Why it matters

The idea in context

Endlessly quoted from William James, the “father of American psychology”, yet researchers have never found this exact wording in his published work — treat it as a popular summary rather than a verified quotation. It does fairly compress his practical psychology: James argued that habit, attention and chosen attitude genuinely reshape experience, and modern cognitive therapy largely agrees.

Türkçe

Aynı kart, başka bir dilde.

Benim kuşağımın en büyük keşfi, insanın zihinsel tutumlarını değiştirerek hayatını değiştirebilmesidir.
William James (yaygın olarak atfedilir)

“Amerikan psikolojisinin babası” William James'ten diye durmadan alıntılanır; ancak araştırmacılar bu ifadeyi yayımlanmış eserlerinde hiç bulamamıştır — onu doğrulanmış bir alıntı değil, yaygın bir özet saymak gerekir. Yine de pratik psikolojisini hakkıyla sıkıştırır: James alışkanlığın, dikkatin ve seçilmiş tutumun deneyimi sahiden yeniden biçimlendirdiğini savunuyordu; modern bilişsel terapi de büyük ölçüde aynı fikirdedir.

Source trail

Read beyond the card.

Widely attributed to William James; Quote Investigator traces firm public attributions to mid-20th-century secondary sources, not James's own published writing.

Background reading: William JamesAttribution and context are revised when stronger evidence appears. Corrections are welcome through the editorial page.
Open in the iPhone appEditorial method

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