The habit of looking at life as a social relation – an affair of society – did no good. It cultivated a weakness which needed no cultivation. If it had helped to make men of the world, or give the manners and instincts of any profession – such as temper, patience, courtesy, or a faculty of profiting by the social defects of opponents – it would have been education better worth having than mathematics or languages; but so far as it helped to make anything, it helped only to make the college standard permanent through life. Henry Adams
About This Quote

William James is saying that being taught to be a social being had no real value. While it is true that being part of society is crucial to our survival, being a social being does not mean that you are happy. The habits that are learned in the process of being part of society are not necessarily effective traits for building happiness. It is true that being a social being is necessary for survival, but there are other ways to survive besides just being part of society.

Source: The Education Of Henry Adams

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