Wandering Attention

The faculty of voluntarily bringing back a wandering attention, over and over again, is the very root of judgement, character, and will.

-- William James (1842 - 1910), pioneering American psychologist and philosopher, Principles of Psychology (1890) Chapter XI "Attention" (h/t Neuroscientist Richard Davidson, on the Hidden Brain podcast, episode "Seeking Serenity: Part 1")