--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To be willing to live within the…" description: "\"To be willing to live within the imagination is to commit oneself to the gathering together of the pieces that might begin to form a self. To avoid thi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec9/deena-metzger-23629_commit_to-be-willing-to-live-within-the-imagina_2474114.jpg" --- # To be willing to live within the imagination is to commit… ![“To be willing to live within the imagination is to commit oneself to the gathering together of the pieces that might begin to form a self. To avoid this territory is to avoid the encounters that might validate, inform, or enhance one's experience.” quote by Deena Metzger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec9/deena-metzger-23629_commit_to-be-willing-to-live-within-the-imagina_2474114.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec9/deena-metzger-23629_commit_to-be-willing-to-live-within-the-imagina_2474114.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec9/deena-metzger-23629_commit_to-be-willing-to-live-within-the-imagina_2474114.jpg) > “To be willing to live within the imagination is to commit oneself to the gathering together of the pieces that might begin to form a self. To avoid this territory is to avoid the encounters that might validate, inform, or enhance one's experience.” [Deena Metzger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deena-metzger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Engaging imagination builds a cohesive self‑identity through diverse experiences. **In simple terms:** Use imagination to shape self. Key Takeaway Explore imaginative experiences to grow. Themes self‑development imagination identity Mood introspective thoughtful Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - creative writing - therapy - personal growth workshops Key Concepts psychology narrative integration Questions to Reflect On - How do you ground imagination in reality? - What experiences validate your self‑concept? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on imagination may detach from reality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Encounters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encounters/) [Gathering together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gathering-together/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Territory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/territory/) ## Related quotes > [A great barbecue to me is all about abundance and gathering together!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andi-oliver/a-great-barbecue-to-me-is-all-about-abundance-and-gathering-together/) [Andi Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andi-oliver/) > [“The burning off and the gathering together are one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-marshall-stoneking-2/the-burning-off-and-the-gathering-together-are-one/) Billy Marshall-Stoneking > [This truth of the gathering together of God's children is in Scripture seen realised in various localities, and in each central locality the Christians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-nelson-darby/this-truth-of-the-gathering-together-of-god-s-children-is-in/) [John Nelson Darby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-nelson-darby/) > [I'm a great believer in gathering together all your obsessions and seeing if you can make a novel out of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/i-m-a-great-believer-in-gathering-together-all-your-obsessions-and/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [For as the aged, or those whose sight is defective, when any book, however fair, is set before them, though they perceive that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/for-as-the-aged-or-those-whose-sight-is-defective-when-any-book/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [For man, autumn is a time of harvest, of gathering together. For nature, it is a time of sowing, of scattering abroad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-way-teale/for-man-autumn-is-a-time-of-harvest-of-gathering-together-for-nature/) [Edwin Way Teale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-way-teale/) > [I wanted the press to become something of a movement. Not a movement committed to a particular 'ism', but a gathering together of writers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-metcalf/i-wanted-the-press-to-become-something-of-a-movement-not-a-movement/) John Metcalf > [Writing is like getting married. One should never commit oneself until one is amazed at one's luck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/writing-is-like-getting-married-one-should-never-commit-oneself-until/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [“To allow oneself to be carried away By a multitude of conflicting concerns, To surrender to too many demands, ...To commit oneself to too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/to-allow-oneself-to-be-carried-away-by-a-multitude-of-conflicting-2/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [To love means to commit oneself without guarantee, to give oneself completely in the hope that our love will produce love in the loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/to-love-means-to-commit-oneself-without-guarantee-to-give-oneself/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [One has to believe in what one is doing, one has to commit oneself inwardly, in order to do painting. Once obsessed, one ultimately…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/one-has-to-believe-in-what-one-is-doing-one-has-to-commit-oneself/) [Robert Rauschenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rauschenberg/) > [“If you are willing to live like no one else will early in life, then you can live like no one else can later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-dahle/if-you-are-willing-to-live-like-no-one-else-will-early-in-life-then/) James M. Dahle > [You have to be willing to be a live performer, if you want to make money as an independent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rosenfield/you-have-to-be-willing-to-be-a-live-performer-if-you-want-to-make/) Ben Rosenfield > [“would you be willing to live this past year again and again for all eternity?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/would-you-be-willing-to-live-this-past-year-again-and-again-for-all/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [So what if I am negative about life…it's a choice I am willing to live up to …](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aphroditee-74/so-what-if-i-am-negative-about-life-it-s-a-choice-i-am-willing-to/) Aphroditee\_74 ## More by Deena Metzger > [Eighty percent of language lies to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deena-metzger/eighty-percent-of-language-lies-to-us/) [Deena Metzger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deena-metzger/) > [Write against patterns. Go against the devils. Write what you never write. Lie. Validate what you don’t validate. Indulge what you don’t like. Wallow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deena-metzger/write-against-patterns-go-against-the-devils-write-what-you-never/) [Deena Metzger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deena-metzger/) > [We want to be God in all the ways that are not the ways of God, in what we hope is indestructible or unmoving.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deena-metzger/we-want-to-be-god-in-all-the-ways-that-are-not-the-ways-of-god-in/) [Deena Metzger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deena-metzger/) > [It's what we do for each other that heals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deena-metzger/it-s-what-we-do-for-each-other-that-heals/) [Deena Metzger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deena-metzger/) > [Some people fear seeing or feeling anything about which there is no general agreement. For others, it is thrilling to be aware of innuendo,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deena-metzger/some-people-fear-seeing-or-feeling-anything-about-which-there-is-no/) [Deena Metzger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deena-metzger/) > [“There are those who try to set Fire to the world We are in danger There is only time to move slowly There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deena-metzger/there-are-those-who-try-to-set-fire-to-the-world-we-are-in-danger/) [Deena Metzger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deena-metzger/) > [The world of public discourse - political, social, diplomatic, commercial - has so corrupted language that we are rightly more suspicious of the meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deena-metzger/the-world-of-public-discourse-political-social-diplomatic-commercial/) [Deena Metzger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deena-metzger/) > [Stories heal us because we become whole through them. In the process of writing, of discovering our story, we restore those parts of ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deena-metzger/stories-heal-us-because-we-become-whole-through-them-in-the-process/) [Deena Metzger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deena-metzger/) > [“What must I say? What must I say? What must I say? What must I say? And finally, What must I say to you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deena-metzger/what-must-i-say-what-must-i-say-what-must-i-say-what-must-i-say-and/) [Deena Metzger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deena-metzger/) > [The gods come to us in the forms we recognize.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deena-metzger/the-gods-come-to-us-in-the-forms-we-recognize/) [Deena Metzger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deena-metzger/) > [Creating art and creating ourselves are the same act; art, world, ourselves - these are continuous with one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deena-metzger/creating-art-and-creating-ourselves-are-the-same-act-art-world/) [Deena Metzger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deena-metzger/) > [A sacred illness is one that educates us and alters us from the inside out, provides experiences and therefore knowledge that we could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deena-metzger/a-sacred-illness-is-one-that-educates-us-and-alters-us-from-the/) [Deena Metzger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deena-metzger/) > [Stories move in circle. They don’t move in straight lines. So it helps if you listen in circles. There are stories inside stories and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deena-metzger/stories-move-in-circle-they-don-t-move-in-straight-lines-so-it-helps/) [Deena Metzger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deena-metzger/) > [I'll tell you how to get up in the morning…watch for the dawn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deena-metzger/i-ll-tell-you-how-to-get-up-in-the-morning-watch-for-the-dawn/) [Deena Metzger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deena-metzger/) > [One cannot really know an other without intimacy. Detached, objective observations alone leave a surface upon which it is too easy to project one's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deena-metzger/one-cannot-really-know-an-other-without-intimacy-detached-objective/) [Deena Metzger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deena-metzger/) [Explore all 25 Deena Metzger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deena-metzger/) ## More Commit quotes > [I'm Catholic and I can't commit suicide, but I plan to drink myself to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-m-catholic-and-i-can-t-commit-suicide-but-i-plan-to-drink-myself-to/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [Although under particular circumstances, the violence method - any method - can be justified, nevertheless once you commit violence, then counterviolence will be returned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/although-under-particular-circumstances-the-violence-method-any/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [Progress is the injustice each generation commits with regard to its predecessors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-m-cioran/progress-is-the-injustice-each-generation-commits-with-regard-to-its/) [Emile M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-m-cioran/) > [Don't commit to being a columnist unless you're willing to do it right. Report your behind off, so you have something original and useful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-sloan/don-t-commit-to-being-a-columnist-unless-you-re-willing-to-do-it/) [Allan Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-sloan/) > [Every sensible man, every honorable man, must hold the Christian sect in horror." "Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/every-sensible-man-every-honorable-man-must-hold-the-christian-sect/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [I like to always wash the slate clean, and reinvigorate my spirit to be connected to the characters that I am doing. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giancarlo-esposito/i-like-to-always-wash-the-slate-clean-and-reinvigorate-my-spirit-to/) [Giancarlo Esposito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giancarlo-esposito/) > [He who believes in God is not careful for the morrow, but labors joyfully and with a great heart. "For He giveth His beloved,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/he-who-believes-in-god-is-not-careful-for-the-morrow-but-labors/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [You get a script and you love it. You find a director that you trust, and it becomes all about how do I commit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-van-der-beek/you-get-a-script-and-you-love-it-you-find-a-director-that-you-trust/) [James Van Der Beek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-van-der-beek/) > [Ok, look. I'm honest. Girl I can't lie I miss you. You and the music were the only things that I'd commit to](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/ok-look-i-m-honest-girl-i-can-t-lie-i-miss-you-you-and-the-music-were/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [One should not withdraw from individuals and commit to the community what they can accomplish by their own enterprise and industry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-pius-xi/one-should-not-withdraw-from-individuals-and-commit-to-the-community/) [Pope Pius XI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-pius-xi/) > [A man must commit a crime at least once in his life-time. Only then will his virtue be recognized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/girish-karnad/a-man-must-commit-a-crime-at-least-once-in-his-life-time-only-then/) Girish Karnad > [“A man, who does not commit an evil act either, has no opportunity or the stomach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/a-man-who-does-not-commit-an-evil-act-either-has-no-opportunity-or/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [One day I may commit to a city and settle down and do the restaurant thing - when I'm ready and however and whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-kish/one-day-i-may-commit-to-a-city-and-settle-down-and-do-the-restaurant/) Kristen Kish > [Love and commit. Not hit and quit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhecky/love-and-commit-not-hit-and-quit/) [Jhecky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhecky/) Browse all 1,824 Commit quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To be willing to live within the imagination is to commit oneself to the gathering together of the pieces that might begin to form a self. 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