Quotes About Pragmatism

No particular results then, so far, but only an attitude of orientation, is what the pragmatic method means. The attitude of looking away from first things, principles, "categories," supposed necessities; and of looking toward last things, fruits, consequences, facts.

If nothing is so useless as an "ivory tower" academic theory that goes unused, nothing is so very practical as the theory that works. At

This was especially relevant in Korea, a new kind of limited war, which demanded all sorts of political decisions and a certain pragmatism that was alien to MacArthur's sense of duty. Eisenhower thought a younger commander would have been far more appropriate than, as he phrased it, "an untouchable." There was also the danger with MacArthur that he had begun to see his mission in Asia in a quasi-religious light, as the leader of a holy crusade against a godless enemy.

Pierce is referring to the collapse of collective narrative, which is what we are experiencing as a culture: left and right relying on their own news sources, Raw Story and the Daily Caller, MSNBC and Fox News. Not only that, but even the factions are factionalized, and have been since at least the 1960s. Purity, the rabid fervor of the true believer (the same for all extremists, left and right), versus pragmatism, competence.

On pragmatistic principles, if the hypothesis of God works satisfactorily in the widest sense of the word, it is true.

God save me from idealists.

Do not adopt the best system of government, but the one most likely to succeed.

There are always great dangers in letting the best be the enemy of the good.

The Soviet government is the most realistic regime in the world - no ideals.

Mix idealism with realism and add hard work. This will often bring much more than you could ever hope for.

When Emily Dickinson writes, "Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul," she reminds us, as the birds do, of the liberation and pragmatism of belief.

The law is simply expediency wearing a long white dress.

As soon as anyone starts telling you to be "realistic," cross that person off your invitation list.

Poverty, Frost, Famine, Rain, Disease, are the beadles and guardsmen that hold us to Common Sense.

Here's the list of opposing ideas that successful reinventors say you need in your head: Hold on tight and freely let go. Be hard-nosed and soft hearted. Focus on a clear destination and search for new horizons. Take big risks and make small bets. Be frugal and still splurge. Think big and act small. Be highly creative and obsessively down-to-earth. Thoughtfully work your plan and improvise without thinking too much.

We have to deal with the world as it is, not as it should be," he would gently point out.

If something is irrational, that means it won't work. It's usually unrealistic.

you have to make decisions with the information at your disposal, rather than what you wish you might have. I never had a problem reaching a decision based on imperfect information. That's just the way the world works.

I come from - I came from Wales, and it's a strong, butch society. We were in the war and all that. People didn't waste time feeling sorry for themselves. You had to get on with it. So my credo is get on with it. I don't waste time being soft. I'm not cold, but I don't like being, wasting my time with - life's too short.

At the end of the day, if it looks like you're not going to get paid, you might be willing to compromise to make sure that budget actually comes out. It's not all about your extreme point of view.

It's a survival thing. I don't do anything to be artistic or just because I like it.

There is no reason why pragmatists steeped in Darwinism should not be reactionary or conservative, and so it is no surprise that some have been.

Narrowness and pragmatism are characteristic of the dominant ways of thought under capitalism, where the individualism of economic man is a model for the autonomy and isolation of all phenomena, and where a knowledge industry turns scientific ideas into marketable commodities—precisely the magic bullets that the pharmaceutical industry sells people.

You can't get by on hope. It doesn't pay the bills and it doesn't save lives.