It seems to me that a man who can think straight along for forty-seven years without changing a single idea ought to be kept in a cabinet as a curiosity.
Jean WebsterRead
I think that the most necessary quality for any person to have is imagination. It makes people able to put themselves in other people's places. It makes them kind and sympathetic and understanding.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Imagination is essential for empathy and understanding others.
In this quote, Jean Webster emphasizes the importance of imagination as a vital quality for personal development and relationships. It suggests that the ability to envision oneself in the circumstances of others fosters kindness, sympathy, and understanding, which are crucial traits for a harmonious society.
Themes
ImaginationEmpathyKindnessUnderstandingSympathy
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech on empathy in the workplace.
More from Jean Webster
All quotes βIt isn't the great big pleasures that count the most; it's making a great deal out of the little ones--I've discovered the true secret of happiness, Daddy, and that is to live in the now. Not to be for ever regretting the past, or anticipating the future; but to get the most that you can out of this very instant.
Jean WebsterRead
It isn't the big troubles in life that require character. Anybody can rise to a crisis and face a crushing tragedy with courage, but to meet the petty hazards of the day with a laugh - I really think that requires spirit. It's the kind of character that I am going to develop. I am going to pretend that all life is just a game which I must play as skillfully and fairly as I can. If I lose, I am going to shrug my shoulders and laugh - also if I win.
Jean WebsterRead
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