Q0401
“The true is the name of whatever proves itself to be good…” — William James (Pragmatism)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Pragmatism. Theme: truth.
English
The true is the name of whatever proves itself to be good in the way of belief.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Pragmatism 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
Correspondence, coherence, pragmatist, and deflationary theories compete. Ethics and politics ask who gets to define truth in public life. This passage enters that discussion through truth, knowledge.
Concepts in this quote
- Truth
- Truth is among philosophy’s oldest problems: what it is for a claim to be true, and how truth relates to belief, language, and power.
- Knowledge
- Knowledge is the philosophical study of what we can justifiably claim to know—and where certainty ends.
How to cite this quotation
APA: William James. (n.d.). The true is the name of whatever proves itself to be good in the way of belief. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0401
MLA: William James. “The true is the name of whatever proves….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0401.
Chicago: William James. “The true is the name of whatever proves….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0401.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “The true is the name of whatever proves…”?
The passage is attributed to William James, Pragmatism. The archive attributes this English wording to Pragmatism 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 truth?
Correspondence, coherence, pragmatist, and deflationary theories compete. Ethics and politics ask who gets to define truth in public life. This passage enters that discussion through truth, knowledge.