13 Sep William James: How do I get In touch with the “real me”?
“Seek out that particular mental attribute which makes you feel most deeply and vitally alive. Along with that comes the inner voice which says, ‘This is the real me.’ When you have found that attitude, follow it.” — William James
“It is only by risking our persons from one hour to another that we live at all.” — William James
William James was also one of the first writers to use the term self-esteem, which he described as a self-feeling that depends on what one decides to be and to accomplish.
He is considered by many to be the principal source of the metaphysical foundation of the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. He was also the godson of Ralph Waldo Emerson who was a close friend of the James family.
About William James—
James was an American philosopher who in 1872 joined the Harvard faculty as a lecturer on anatomy and physiology, continuing to teach until 1907, after 1880 in the department of psychology and philosophy. In 1890 he published his brilliant and epoch-making "Principles of Psychology," in which the seeds of his philosophy are already discernible. His fascinating style, broad culture and cosmopolitan outlook made him the most influential American thinker of his day.