---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first of our senses which we should…"
description: "\"The first of our senses which we should take care never to let rust through disuse is that sixth sense, the imagination. I mean the wide-open eye which..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7a/christopher-fry-5392_awake_the-first-of-our-senses-which-we-should_722758.jpg"
---

#  The first of our senses which we should take care never to…

![“The first of our senses which we should take care never to let rust through disuse is that sixth sense, the imagination. I mean the wide-open eye which leads us to see truth more vividly, to apprehend more broadly, to concern ourselves more deeply, to be, all our life long, sensitive and awake to…” quote by Christopher Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7a/christopher-fry-5392_awake_the-first-of-our-senses-which-we-should_722758.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7a/christopher-fry-5392_awake_the-first-of-our-senses-which-we-should_722758.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7a/christopher-fry-5392_awake_the-first-of-our-senses-which-we-should_722758.jpg)

> “The first of our senses which we should take care never to let rust through disuse is that sixth sense, the imagination. I mean the wide-open eye which leads us to see truth more vividly, to apprehend more broadly, to concern ourselves more deeply, to be, all our life long, sensitive and awake to the powers and responsibilities given to us as human beings.”

[Christopher Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-fry/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Imagination is a vital, often neglected sense that sharpens perception, deepens empathy, and guides moral responsibility.

**In simple terms:** Imagination keeps us aware and responsible.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate imagination daily.

Themes

creativity perception ethics responsibility

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- writing
- teaching
- leadership
- personal growth
- artistic practice

Key Concepts

cognitive flexibility empathy visionary thinking

Questions to Reflect On

- How does imagination influence your decisions?
- When have you ignored your intuition?

A Different Perspective

Imagination can be dismissed as frivolous in highly technical fields.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Long life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-life/) [Power and responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power-and-responsibility/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Sixth sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sixth-sense/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/)

## Related quotes

> [Want of imagination makes things unreal enough to be destroyed. By imagination I mean knowledge and love. I mean compassion. People of power kill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/want-of-imagination-makes-things-unreal-enough-to-be-destroyed-by/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [All my life long I have been sensible of the injustice constantly done to women. Since I have had to fight the world single-handed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-my-life-long-i-have-been-sensible-of-the-injustice-constantly/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [One longs for a director with a sense of imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-rickman/one-longs-for-a-director-with-a-sense-of-imagination/)

[Alan Rickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-rickman/)

> [When I was a child, I was reading books filled with people different from me, all French, all foreigners. There was a sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laila-lalami/when-i-was-a-child-i-was-reading-books-filled-with-people-different/)

[Laila Lalami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laila-lalami/)

> [“What they failed to realize is that we all should have a sense of imagination. My failures made me dream harder because I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlena-jackson/what-they-failed-to-realize-is-that-we-all-should-have-a-sense-of/)

[Charlena Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlena-jackson/)

> [Imagination, which is a quality writers must have, does not mean the ability to weave pretty stories out of nothing. In the right sense,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/imagination-which-is-a-quality-writers-must-have-does-not-mean-the/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [When you begin to sense that your imagination is the place where you are most divine, you feel called to clean out of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/when-you-begin-to-sense-that-your-imagination-is-the-place-where-you/)

[John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/)

> [“What is more important... Better yet, essential to man's well-being than his sense of imagination and free-will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/poet-diction/what-is-more-important-better-yet-essential-to-man-s-well-being-than/)

Poet Diction

> [ ...\[T\]here should be a real sense of your imagination and your memories walking and woolgathering, tramping the hills, romping all over the place. Trust… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/t-here-should-be-a-real-sense-of-your-imagination-and-your-memories/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [Clad in metaphor, the world becomes newborn to our senses, like a phoenix. It is the most effective fresh presentation of the elements of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/clad-in-metaphor-the-world-becomes-newborn-to-our-senses-like-a/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [Great American power and responsibility are not unprecedented, and have been used with restraint and great benefit in the past. We have not assumed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/great-american-power-and-responsibility-are-not-unprecedented-and/)

[Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/)

> [Literature for me… tries to heal the harm done by stories. (How much harm? Most of the atrocities of history have been created by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-ryman/literature-for-me-tries-to-heal-the-harm-done-by-stories-how-much/)

[Geoff Ryman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-ryman/)

> [Each of us has the power and responsibility to heal ourselves, to be our own medicine man or woman. Awakening our innate powers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-roth/each-of-us-has-the-power-and-responsibility-to-heal-ourselves-to-be/)

[Gabrielle Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-roth/)

> [We in this country, in this generation, areby destiny rather than choicethe watchmen on the walls of world freedom. We ask, therefore, that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-in-this-country-in-this-generation-areby-destiny-rather-than/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [This position is untenable, and there can be no pause in the agitation for full political power and responsibility until these are granted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-kelley/this-position-is-untenable-and-there-can-be-no-pause-in-the-agitation/)

[Florence Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-kelley/)

## More by Christopher Fry

> [In tragedy every moment is eternity; in comedy, eternity is a moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fry/in-tragedy-every-moment-is-eternity-in-comedy-eternity-is-a-moment/)

[Christopher Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-fry/)

> [Has made an honest woman of the supernatural.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fry/has-made-an-honest-woman-of-the-supernatural/)

[Christopher Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-fry/)

> [“Mother, I make it known publicly: I'm tired of my little brother. Will you please Give him to some charity?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fry/mother-i-make-it-known-publicly-i-m-tired-of-my-little-brother-will/)

[Christopher Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-fry/)

> [“THOMAS Can I have your name? RICHARD It's yours. THOMAS Now, look RICHARD It's no earthly Use to me. I travel light; as light,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fry/thomas-can-i-have-your-name-richard-it-s-yours-thomas-now-look/)

[Christopher Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-fry/)

> [The difference between tragedy and comedy is the difference between experience and intuition. In the experience we strive against every condition of our animal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fry/the-difference-between-tragedy-and-comedy-is-the-difference-between/)

[Christopher Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-fry/)

> [“A priest found an infant, about ten inches long, Crammed into the poor-box. The money had all Been taken. Nothing was there except myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fry/a-priest-found-an-infant-about-ten-inches-long-crammed-into-the-poor/)

[Christopher Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-fry/)

> [One day I shall burst my bud of calm and blossom into hysteria.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fry/one-day-i-shall-burst-my-bud-of-calm-and-blossom-into-hysteria/)

[Christopher Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-fry/)

> [“JENNET. Twilight, double, treble, in and out! If I try to find my way I bark my brain On shadows sharp as rocks where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fry/jennet-twilight-double-treble-in-and-out-if-i-try-to-find-my-way-i/)

[Christopher Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-fry/)

> [Life itself is the real and most miraculous miracle of all. If one had never before seen a human hand and were suddenly presented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fry/life-itself-is-the-real-and-most-miraculous-miracle-of-all-if-one-had/)

[Christopher Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-fry/)

> [“Has death Become the fashionable way to live?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fry/has-death-become-the-fashionable-way-to-live/)

[Christopher Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-fry/)

> [“JENNET What can you see Out there? THOMAS Out here? Out here is a sky so gentle Five stars are ventured on it. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fry/jennet-what-can-you-see-out-there-thomas-out-here-out-here-is-a-sky/)

[Christopher Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-fry/)

> [Poetry is a language in which man explores his own amazement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fry/poetry-is-a-language-in-which-man-explores-his-own-amazement/)

[Christopher Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-fry/)

> [“They say that I bring back the past; For instance, Helen comes, Brushing the maggots from her eyes, And, clearing her throat of several…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fry/they-say-that-i-bring-back-the-past-for-instance-helen-comes-brushing/)

[Christopher Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-fry/)

> [“Your innocence is on at such a rakish angle it gives you quite an air of iniquity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fry/your-innocence-is-on-at-such-a-rakish-angle-it-gives-you-quite-an-air/)

[Christopher Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-fry/)

> [“JENNET: They also say that I bring back the past; For instance Helen comes Brushing the maggots from her eyes, And, clearing here throat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fry/jennet-they-also-say-that-i-bring-back-the-past-for-instance-helen/)

[Christopher Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-fry/)

[Explore all 101 Christopher Fry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-fry/)

## More Awake quotes

> [“I am awake. I know what you took. I am coming for you. Vengeance is mine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-burks/i-am-awake-i-know-what-you-took-i-am-coming-for-you-vengeance-is-mine/)

[Robin Burks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-burks/)

> [Reagan was sitting up at Cath's desk when Cath woke up. "Are you awake?" "Have you been watching me sleep?" "Yes, Bella. Are you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/reagan-was-sitting-up-at-cath-s-desk-when-cath-woke-up-are-you-awake/)

[Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/)

> [“Are you awake?” “Have you been watching me sleep?” “Yes, Bella. Are you awake?” “No.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/are-you-awake-have-you-been-watching-me-sleep-yes-bella-are-you-awake/)

[Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/)

> [“Have courage for the great sorrows of life, and patience for the small ones. And when you have finished your daily task, go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/have-courage-for-the-great-sorrows-of-life-and-patience-for-the-small/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [One of his students asked Buddha, "Are you the Messiah?" "No," answered Buddha. "Then are you a healer?" "No," Buddha replied. "Then are you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/one-of-his-students-asked-buddha-are-you-the-messiah-no-answered/)

[Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/)

> [“I had a chat with May and I had a sweet talk with April but the lovely conversation that left me to ponder was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/i-had-a-chat-with-may-and-i-had-a-sweet-talk-with-april-but-the/)

[Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/)

> [Hopes are dreams of those who are awake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/hopes-are-dreams-of-those-who-are-awake/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If your heart isn't yet illumined Be awake always, be a seeker of the heart, Be at war continually with your carnal soul. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/if-your-heart-isn-t-yet-illumined-be-awake-always-be-a-seeker-of-the/)

[Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/)

> [Wherever I went I felt like the last person awake in a room full of sleepers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-winton/wherever-i-went-i-felt-like-the-last-person-awake-in-a-room-full-of/)

[Tim Winton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-winton/)

> [I'd just like to see athletes awake. And aware. There's so much going on and so much to know... We stay in our little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-teter/i-d-just-like-to-see-athletes-awake-and-aware-there-s-so-much-going/)

[Hannah Teter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-teter/)

> [As your awareness of the riches available to you in your everyday life grows, you are on the way to becoming the laughing Buddha.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/as-your-awareness-of-the-riches-available-to-you-in-your-everyday/)

[Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/)

> [“Think of it this way, Mara. We don’t have the power to make the sun rise, but we can choose to be awake when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-garlough-brown/think-of-it-this-way-mara-we-don-t-have-the-power-to-make-the-sun/)

[Sharon Garlough Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-garlough-brown/)

> [“The owl,” he was saying, “is one of the most curious creatures. A bird that stays awake when the rest of the world sleeps.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-j-rose/the-owl-he-was-saying-is-one-of-the-most-curious-creatures-a-bird/)

[M.J. Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-j-rose/)

> [The shadows in the early morning don't tell much. The shadows rest at that time. So it's useless to gaze very early in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/the-shadows-in-the-early-morning-don-t-tell-much-the-shadows-rest-at/)

[Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/)

> [Shall we keep men in a fool's paradise? Shall we lull them into soft slumbers from which they will awake in hell? Are we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/shall-we-keep-men-in-a-fool-s-paradise-shall-we-lull-them-into-soft/)

[Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/)

Browse all 1,663 Awake quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The first of our senses which we should take care never to let rust through disuse is that sixth sense, the imagination. I mean the wide-open eye which leads us to see truth more vividly, to apprehend more broadly, to concern ourselves more deeply, to be, all our life long, sensitive and awake to the powers and responsibilities given to us as human beings.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Christopher Fry"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fry/the-first-of-our-senses-which-we-should-take-care-never-to-let-rust/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Awake"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fry/the-first-of-our-senses-which-we-should-take-care-never-to-let-rust/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7a/christopher-fry-5392_awake_the-first-of-our-senses-which-we-should_722758.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7a/christopher-fry-5392_awake_the-first-of-our-senses-which-we-should_722758.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7a/christopher-fry-5392_awake_the-first-of-our-senses-which-we-should_722758.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The first of our senses which we should take care never to let rust through disuse is that sixth sense, the…” — Christopher Fry",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Christopher Fry",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-fry/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The first of our senses which...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fry/the-first-of-our-senses-which-we-should-take-care-never-to-let-rust/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fry/the-first-of-our-senses-which-we-should-take-care-never-to-let-rust/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
