Q0346
“The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook” — William James
Verified English quotation. Primary source: The Principles of Psychology XXII. Theme: wisdom.
English
The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to The Principles of Psychology XXII 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 making a claim about the economy of attention. In the Principles he describes consciousness as selecting from a field far larger than it can hold, so judgement is not mainly about adding considerations but about excluding them. Wisdom on this account is a skill of selection rather than accumulation. The formulation is pragmatist: an idea's value shows up in what it lets you disregard, not only in what it asserts.
Why it matters
Most advice about thinking concerns gathering more information. James's point is that the bottleneck is usually the opposite — deciding what does not matter, then accepting the cost of that decision.
Concepts in this quote
- Wisdom
- Wisdom is practical insight under uncertainty: knowing what matters, what one does not know, and how to act without false certainty.
- Choice
- Choice is the hinge of agency: selecting among options under reasons, constraints, and uncertainty.
- 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 art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0346
MLA: William James. “The art of being wise is the art….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0346.
Chicago: William James. “The art of being wise is the art….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0346.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “The art of being wise is the art…”?
The passage is attributed to William James, The Principles of Psychology XXII. The archive attributes this English wording to The Principles of Psychology XXII 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 wisdom?
Unlike mere information, wisdom concerns judgment. Ancient schools linked it to virtue, moderation, and the right relation to desire. This passage enters that discussion through wisdom, choice, attention.