Q0110
William James
A verified English rendering from the curated archive.
English
Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact.
Source context
This English passage is associated with The Will to Believe, within the tradition of Pragmatism. The wording below is a verified rendering prepared for careful reading rather than a claim of unique translation authority.
A short reading
Read in the register of knowledge, the sentence asks the reader to test an assumption rather than to collect a slogan. In William James's wider work, similar claims are usually offered as prompts for judgment: what would have to be true for the sentence to hold, and what would follow if it did?
How to cite this quotation
APA: William James. (n.d.). Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0110
MLA: William James. “Believe that life is worth living, and your….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0110.
Chicago: William James. “Believe that life is worth living, and your….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0110.