“We patch and tinker more than we renew. The novelty soaks in; it stains the ancient mass; but it is also tinged by what absorbs it.”

— William James

Lecture V, Pragmatism and Common Sense
1900s, Pragmatism: A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking (1907)
Context: Our minds thus grow in spots; and like grease-spots, the spots spread. But we let them spread as little as possible: we keep unaltered as much of our old knowledge, as many of our old prejudices and beliefs, as we can. We patch and tinker more than we renew. The novelty soaks in; it stains the ancient mass; but it is also tinged by what absorbs it.

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William James 246

American philosopher, psychologist, and pragmatist 1842–1910

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