Q0080
“Habit is the enormous fly-wheel of society, its most precious conservative agent.” — William James (The Principles of Psychology (on habit))
Verified English quotation. Primary source: The Principles of Psychology (on habit). Theme: society.
English
Habit is the enormous fly-wheel of society, its most precious conservative agent.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to The Principles of Psychology (on habit) and files it under Pragmatism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About William James
William James (1842–1910) was the Harvard psychologist-philosopher who popularized pragmatism and pioneered scientific psychology in America. Brother of novelist Henry James, he trained in medicine and wrote The Principles of Psychology and The Varieties of Religious Experience.
Interpretation
James is describing habit as a social mechanism rather than a personal failing. His claim in the Principles is that habit reduces the effort required for repeated action, which is what makes complex societies possible — most people most of the time are running on acquired routines. He calls it conservative because that is its function: it holds behaviour steady. The point is descriptive, and it cuts both ways, since the same stability makes change expensive.
Why it matters
It explains why change is hard without invoking weakness: the routine is doing real work, and removing it costs more than the effort of an isolated decision.
Concepts in this quote
- Society
- Society is the web of institutions, customs, and mutual expectations in which individual freedom takes shape.
- Character
- Character appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat character as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
How to cite this quotation
APA: William James. (n.d.). Habit is the enormous fly-wheel of society, its most precious conservative agent. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0080
MLA: William James. “Habit is the enormous fly-wheel of society, its….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0080.
Chicago: William James. “Habit is the enormous fly-wheel of society, its….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0080.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “Habit is the enormous fly-wheel of society, its…”?
The passage is attributed to William James, The Principles of Psychology (on habit). The archive attributes this English wording to The Principles of Psychology (on habit) and files it under Pragmatism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does William James mean by society?
Social philosophy asks how individuals and collectives constitute each other, and what justice requires of shared life. This passage enters that discussion through society, character.