"Every individual soul, in short, like every individual machine or organism, has its own best conditions of efficiency. A given machine will run best under a certain steam-pressure, a certain amperage; an organism under a certain diet, weight, or exercise."
— James, William (1842-1910)
Author
Place of Publication
New York
Publisher
Longman, Green, and Co
Date
1901-2, 1902
Metaphor
"Every individual soul, in short, like every individual machine or organism, has its own best conditions of efficiency. A given machine will run best under a certain steam-pressure, a certain amperage; an organism under a certain diet, weight, or exercise."
Metaphor in Context
Every individual soul, in short, like every individual machine or organism, has its own best conditions of efficiency. A given machine will run best under a certain steam-pressure, a certain amperage; an organism under a certain diet, weight, or exercise. You seem to do best, I heard a doctor say to a patient, at about 140 millimeters of arterial tension. And it is just so with our sundry souls: some are happiest in calm weather; some need the sense of tension, of strong volition, to make them feel alive and well. For these latter souls, whatever is gained from day to day must be paid for by sacrifice and inhibition, or else it comes too cheap and has no zest.
(p. 299)
(p. 299)
Provenance
Searching in Google Books
Citation
Text from William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature, 11th Impression (New York and Bombay: Longman, Green, and Co., 1905). <Link to Google Books>
Date of Entry
01/03/2012
