Q0121
“The essential achievement of the will is to attend to a difficult…” — William James (The Principles of Psychology (on will))
Verified English quotation. Primary source: The Principles of Psychology (on will). Theme: attention.
English
The essential achievement of the will is to attend to a difficult object and hold it fast before the mind.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to The Principles of Psychology (on will) 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.
How to read this passage
Across 4 recurring voices here (notably Simone Weil and Iris Murdoch), attention is framed through Religious Existentialism and Platonic Moral Philosophy. Some passages define attention; others warn how it fails; still others relocate it inside habit, community, or language. This passage enters that discussion through attention.
Concepts in this quote
- Attention
- Attention appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat attention as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
How to cite this quotation
APA: William James. (n.d.). The essential achievement of the will is to attend to a difficult object and hold it fast before the mind. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0121
MLA: William James. “The essential achievement of the will is to….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0121.
Chicago: William James. “The essential achievement of the will is to….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0121.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “The essential achievement of the will is to…”?
The passage is attributed to William James, The Principles of Psychology (on will). The archive attributes this English wording to The Principles of Psychology (on will) 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 attention?
Across 4 recurring voices here (notably Simone Weil and Iris Murdoch), attention is framed through Religious Existentialism and Platonic Moral Philosophy. Some passages define attention; others warn how it fails; still others relocate it inside habit, community, or language. This passage enters that discussion through attention.