Imagination is not something apart and hermetic, not a way of leaving reality behind; it is a way of engaging reality.
Interpretation
Imagination is a powerful tool that allows us to interact with and enhance our understanding of reality.
In this quote, Irving Howe emphasizes that imagination is not a mere escape from reality, but rather a means of engaging with and enriching our experiences within the real world. It suggests that creativity and imagination play a vital role in how we perceive and navigate reality, allowing us to interact with it more profoundly.
In practice
In a motivational speech about creativity in the workplace, this quote can inspire colleagues to embrace imaginative thinking.
The following of authority is the denial of intelligence. [It] may help us temporarily to cover up our difficulties and problems; but to avoid a problem is only to intensify it, and in the process, self-knowledge and freedom are abandoned.
All abstract sciences are nothing but the study of relations between signs.
Nothing appears more surprising to those, who consider human affairs with a philosophical eye, than the easiness with which the many are governed by the few; and the implicit submission, with which men resign their own sentiments and passions to those of their rulers.
It is time enough, for the rightful purposes of civil government, for its officers to interfere [in the propagation of religious teachings] when principles break out into overt acts against peace and good order.
In nature a repulsive caterpillar turns into a lovely butterfly. But with human beings it is the other way round: a lovely butterfly turns into a repulsive caterpillar.
To go from mortal to Buddha, you have to put an end to karma, nurture your awareness, and accept what life brings.
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