--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People have to free their imaginations…" description: "\"People have to free their imaginations and realize everyone can do something, on a large or a small scale, depending on their ability. Those who can do..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/140/douglas-tompkins-14040_ability_people-have-to-free-their-imaginations-a_1954205.jpg" --- # People have to free their imaginations and realize… ![“People have to free their imaginations and realize everyone can do something, on a large or a small scale, depending on their ability. Those who can do a lot because of their position and potential should jump right in there.” quote by Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/140/douglas-tompkins-14040_ability_people-have-to-free-their-imaginations-a_1954205.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/140/douglas-tompkins-14040_ability_people-have-to-free-their-imaginations-a_1954205.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/140/douglas-tompkins-14040_ability_people-have-to-free-their-imaginations-a_1954205.jpg) > “People have to free their imaginations and realize everyone can do something, on a large or a small scale, depending on their ability. Those who can do a lot because of their position and potential should jump right in there.” [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He urges freeing imagination and encouraging people to act according to their abilities, especially those with influence. **In simple terms:** Everyone can contribute, big or small, using their talents. Key Takeaway Empower imagination, act within your capacity. Themes creativity empowerment social impact leadership Mood optimistic inspirational Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - community projects - entrepreneurship - artistic endeavors - volunteering Key Concepts psychology social responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How can you inspire others to act? - What limits your imagination? A Different Perspective Large influence can dominate smaller voices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [Freedom is not something that anybody can be given. 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People should be free to imprison themselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/it-may-be-bad-for-you-but-government-has-no-role-in-dictating-our/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“They think the government shows people everything —how to work, study, eat, sleep and that’s it. They are afraid of change. They do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-krotov/they-think-the-government-shows-people-everything-how-to-work-study/) Anton Krotov > [I love being free enough that I can be so intimate with people, and that people are free enough that we can all be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-katie/i-love-being-free-enough-that-i-can-be-so-intimate-with-people-and/) [Byron Katie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-katie/) > [I see the psychedelic experience as a birthright, and we can't have a free society until people are free to explore their own mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/i-see-the-psychedelic-experience-as-a-birthright-and-we-can-t-have-a/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [The Israeli people must be free to live in peace and security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/the-israeli-people-must-be-free-to-live-in-peace-and-security/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [There's no limit to what free men and free women in a free market with free enterprise can accomplish when people are free to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kemp/there-s-no-limit-to-what-free-men-and-free-women-in-a-free-market/) [Jack Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kemp/) > [No country and no people can be free and ignorant at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/no-country-and-no-people-can-be-free-and-ignorant-at-the-same-time/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [These ballot initiatives against same sex marriage remind us that America is the land where people are free to dream whatever they want, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/these-ballot-initiatives-against-same-sex-marriage-remind-us-that/) [Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) > [The American people are free to do exactly what they are told.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-churchill/the-american-people-are-free-to-do-exactly-what-they-are-told/) [Ward Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/) > [“All your solutions are in people, and you can only be free when you love them”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/all-your-solutions-are-in-people-and-you-can-only-be-free-when-you/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) ## More by Douglas Tompkins > [It doesn't seem to be worth wasting a lot of energy on attempting to rewrite the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/it-doesn-t-seem-to-be-worth-wasting-a-lot-of-energy-on-attempting-to/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) > [Every single national park had some component of private philanthropy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/every-single-national-park-had-some-component-of-private-philanthropy/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) > [The byproduct of the main thrust to protect the biodiversity of a given place is that you get especially young people out to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/the-byproduct-of-the-main-thrust-to-protect-the-biodiversity-of-a/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) > [I tell myself to hurry up, that I have to do everything before death catches me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/i-tell-myself-to-hurry-up-that-i-have-to-do-everything-before-death/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) > [If you're not willing to take the political heat, then you shouldn't get into the game of land conservation, especially on a large scale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/if-you-re-not-willing-to-take-the-political-heat-then-you-shouldn-t/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) > [I don't think capitalism can survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/i-don-t-think-capitalism-can-survive/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) > [I don't have a cell phone because I know how horrible it is. Using your cell phone is like putting your head in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/i-don-t-have-a-cell-phone-because-i-know-how-horrible-it-is-using/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) > [Resource efficiency is the wrong metric. We should use nature as the measure, using nature's wisdom as a template for our economic systems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/resource-efficiency-is-the-wrong-metric-we-should-use-nature-as-the/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) > [Despite my great disappointment in American foreign policy, I am very proud of the American tradition of wild land conservation. It is the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/despite-my-great-disappointment-in-american-foreign-policy-i-am-very/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) > [For those of us (those that have the desire to explore the world unknown) that grew up going out into the wilds of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/for-those-of-us-those-that-have-the-desire-to-explore-the-world/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) > [Fashion is one of the most intellectually vacuous industries. We had to manufacture desires to get people to buy our products. We were selling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/fashion-is-one-of-the-most-intellectually-vacuous-industries-we-had/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) > [Once we establish an architectural style in each park, we stick with it religiously and comprehensively so that it comes out as a gestalt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/once-we-establish-an-architectural-style-in-each-park-we-stick-with/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) > [I just realized at least what I was doing was making a lot of stuff that nobody needed and pushing a consumerist society. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/i-just-realized-at-least-what-i-was-doing-was-making-a-lot-of-stuff/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) > [As we get sucked more and more into the technosphere, we become less and less capable of understanding it because it becomes a technological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/as-we-get-sucked-more-and-more-into-the-technosphere-we-become-less/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) > [There's no doubt whatsoever that there's no future in capitalism. It's probably no more than 500 years old, and it's demonstrating over and over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/there-s-no-doubt-whatsoever-that-there-s-no-future-in-capitalism-it-s/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) [Explore all 48 Douglas Tompkins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/) [Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/) [Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People have to free their imaginations and realize everyone can do something, on a large or a small scale, depending on their ability. 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