--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The imagination acquires by custom a…" description: "\"The imagination acquires by custom a certain involuntary, unconscious power of observation and comparison, correcting its own mistakes, and arriving at..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron_acquire_the-imagination-acquires-by-custom-a-cer_1315977.jpg" --- # The imagination acquires by custom a certain involuntary… ![“The imagination acquires by custom a certain involuntary, unconscious power of observation and comparison, correcting its own mistakes, and arriving at precision of judgment, just as the outward eye is disciplined to compare, adjust, estimate, measure, the objects reflected on the back of its…” quote by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron_acquire_the-imagination-acquires-by-custom-a-cer_1315977.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron_acquire_the-imagination-acquires-by-custom-a-cer_1315977.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron_acquire_the-imagination-acquires-by-custom-a-cer_1315977.jpg) > “The imagination acquires by custom a certain involuntary, unconscious power of observation and comparison, correcting its own mistakes, and arriving at precision of judgment, just as the outward eye is disciplined to compare, adjust, estimate, measure, the objects reflected on the back of its retina.” [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Custom shapes the imagination, turning it into a disciplined observer that refines judgment through comparison and correction. **In simple terms:** Practice trains imagination like the eye. Key Takeaway Cultivate habits that sharpen perception. Themes learning perception creativity Mood reflective inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - writing - visual arts - problem solving - scientific research Key Concepts cognitive bias skill acquisition Questions to Reflect On - How can you break unhelpful patterns? - What practices sharpen your observational skill? A Different Perspective Overreliance on habit can stifle novelty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comparison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comparison/) [Customs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customs/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Judgment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgment/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Observation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/observation/) [Precision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/precision/) ## Related quotes > [The eyelids confess, and reject, and refuse to reject. They have expressed all things ever since man was man. And they express so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-meynell/the-eyelids-confess-and-reject-and-refuse-to-reject-they-have/) [Alice Meynell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-meynell/) > [When a man is not amused, he feels an involuntary contempt for those who are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/when-a-man-is-not-amused-he-feels-an-involuntary-contempt-for-those/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [The text moves like a small crustacean with compound eye and complex nervous system; throbbing, involuted, it becomes a parasite on a different body,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-brossard/the-text-moves-like-a-small-crustacean-with-compound-eye-and-complex/) [Nicole Brossard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-brossard/) > [“Fortunately, most of our vital physiological functions are involuntary, as some amongst us would forget them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-stafford/fortunately-most-of-our-vital-physiological-functions-are-involuntary/) [Stewart Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-stafford/) > [Human beings are compelled to live within a lie, but they can be compelled to do so only because they are in fact capable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/human-beings-are-compelled-to-live-within-a-lie-but-they-can-be/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [Desire and force between them are responsible for all our actions; desire causes our voluntary acts, force our involuntary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/desire-and-force-between-them-are-responsible-for-all-our-actions/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [Tears may be considered as the natural and involuntary resource of the mind overcome by some sudden and violent emotion, before ithas had time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/tears-may-be-considered-as-the-natural-and-involuntary-resource-of/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [INTENTION, n. The mind's sense of the prevalence of one set of influences over another set; an effect whose cause is the imminence, immediate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/intention-n-the-mind-s-sense-of-the-prevalence-of-one-set-of/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [One can promise actions, but not feelings, for the latter are involuntary. He who promises to love forever or hate forever or be forever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/one-can-promise-actions-but-not-feelings-for-the-latter-are/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [The theatre is the involuntary reflex of the ideas of the crowd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bernhardt/the-theatre-is-the-involuntary-reflex-of-the-ideas-of-the-crowd/) [Sarah Bernhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bernhardt/) > [A scene should be selected by the writer for haunted-ness-of-mind interest. If you're not haunted by something, as by a dream, a vision, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/a-scene-should-be-selected-by-the-writer-for-haunted-ness-of-mind/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [Illness reduces man to his basic state: a cloaca in which the chemical processes continue. The meaningless hegemony of the involuntary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bowles/illness-reduces-man-to-his-basic-state-a-cloaca-in-which-the-chemical/) [Paul Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bowles/) > [“Joy is a practice, not an involuntary state.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/joy-is-a-practice-not-an-involuntary-state/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [Verbs allow you to communicate a story in a much more converged or involuntary way for a reader. The verbs allow you to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/verbs-allow-you-to-communicate-a-story-in-a-much-more-converged-or/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Laughter is one of the great beacons in life because we don't refract it by gunning it through our intellectual prism. What makes us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-miller/laughter-is-one-of-the-great-beacons-in-life-because-we-don-t-refract/) [Dennis Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-miller/) ## More by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton > [Only by the candle, held in the skeleton hand of Poverty, can man read his own dark heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/only-by-the-candle-held-in-the-skeleton-hand-of-poverty-can-man-read/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [Law dies, books never.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/law-dies-books-never/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [It is a very high mind to which gratitude is not a painful sensation. If you wish to please, you will find it wiser…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/it-is-a-very-high-mind-to-which-gratitude-is-not-a-painful-sensation/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [The same refinement which brings us new pleasures exposes us to new pains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/the-same-refinement-which-brings-us-new-pleasures-exposes-us-to-new/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [In science, address the few, in literature the many. In science, the few must dictate opinion to the many; in literature, the many, sooner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/in-science-address-the-few-in-literature-the-many-in-science-the-few/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [Earnest men never think in vain, though their thoughts may be errors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/earnest-men-never-think-in-vain-though-their-thoughts-may-be-errors/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [Philosophers have done wisely when they have told us to cultivate our reason rather than our feelings, for reason reconciles us to the daily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/philosophers-have-done-wisely-when-they-have-told-us-to-cultivate-our/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [He that fancies himself very enlightened, because he sees the deficiencies of others, may be very ignorant, because he has not studied his own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/he-that-fancies-himself-very-enlightened-because-he-sees-the/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [I did not fall into love - I rose into love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/i-did-not-fall-into-love-i-rose-into-love/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [Nothing ages like laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/nothing-ages-like-laziness/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [Each man forms his duty according to his predominant characteristic; the stern require an avenging judge; the gentle, a forgiving father. Just so the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/each-man-forms-his-duty-according-to-his-predominant-characteristic/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [What's money without happiness?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/what-s-money-without-happiness/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [The more a man desirous to pass at a value above his worth can contrast, by dignified silence, the garrulity of trivial minds, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/the-more-a-man-desirous-to-pass-at-a-value-above-his-worth-can/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [He who esteems trifles for themselves is a trifler; he who esteems them for the conclusions to be drawn from them, or the advantage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/he-who-esteems-trifles-for-themselves-is-a-trifler-he-who-esteems/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [The strong and virtuous admit no destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/the-strong-and-virtuous-admit-no-destiny/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) [Explore all 337 Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) ## More Acquire quotes > [Most people seek after what they do not possess and are enslaved by the very things they want to acquire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anwar-sadat/most-people-seek-after-what-they-do-not-possess-and-are-enslaved-by/) [Anwar Sadat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anwar-sadat/) > [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Humility is an elusive virtue. The more we pursue it - and the more we seem to acquire it - the more we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-aquilina/humility-is-an-elusive-virtue-the-more-we-pursue-it-and-the-more-we/) [Mike Aquilina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-aquilina/) > [Acquire worldly wisdom and adjust your behavior accordingly. If your new behavior gives you a little temporary unpopularity with your peer group then to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/acquire-worldly-wisdom-and-adjust-your-behavior-accordingly-if-your/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [This was Shakespeare's form ; Who walk'd in every path of human life, Felt every passion ; and to all mankind Doth now, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-akenside/this-was-shakespeare-s-form-who-walk-d-in-every-path-of-human-life/) [Mark Akenside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-akenside/) > [Wasn't Saddam destroyed? Wasn't Gaddafi liquidated? Didn't Milosevic go to the Hague? All true. But Stalin survived. Kim Jong-un isn't doing too badly, either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fisk/wasn-t-saddam-destroyed-wasn-t-gaddafi-liquidated-didn-t-milosevic-go/) [Robert Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fisk/) > [The best way for women to acquire knowledge is from conversation with a father, a brother, or a friend, in the way of family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-letitia-barbauld/the-best-way-for-women-to-acquire-knowledge-is-from-conversation-with/) [Anna Letitia Barbauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-letitia-barbauld/) > [Have you ever wanted something so badly that you would do anything, believe anything in order to acquire it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-heath/have-you-ever-wanted-something-so-badly-that-you-would-do-anything/) [Lorraine Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-heath/) > [Ballet is pure and demands that you serve something larger than yourself, whether it be beauty or art, or a combination of both. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-martins/ballet-is-pure-and-demands-that-you-serve-something-larger-than/) Peter Martins > [You can't know it all. No matter how smart you are, no matter how comprehensive your education, no matter how wide ranging your experience,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/you-can-t-know-it-all-no-matter-how-smart-you-are-no-matter-how/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [A better distribution of incomes would increase that efficiency by diverting a great fund of wealth from the useless to the useful members of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/a-better-distribution-of-incomes-would-increase-that-efficiency-by/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [I know well, Monsieur, how much you have to endure in your present duty, and I ask Our Lord to strengthen you in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-de-paul/i-know-well-monsieur-how-much-you-have-to-endure-in-your-present-duty/) [Vincent de Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-de-paul/) > [The enemy's spies who have come to spy on us must be sought out, tempted with bribes, led away and comfortably housed. Thus they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/the-enemy-s-spies-who-have-come-to-spy-on-us-must-be-sought-out/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [In the late 1950s a major topic under discussion was whether Canada should acquire nuclear weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-polanyi/in-the-late-1950s-a-major-topic-under-discussion-was-whether-canada/) [John Charles Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-charles-polanyi/) > [Shamanism is a path of knowledge, not of faith, and that knowledge cannot come from me or anyone else in this reality. To acquire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-harner/shamanism-is-a-path-of-knowledge-not-of-faith-and-that-knowledge/) [Michael Harner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-harner/) Browse all 1,020 Acquire quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The imagination acquires by custom a certain involuntary, unconscious power of observation and comparison, correcting its own mistakes, and arriving at precision of judgment, just as the outward eye is disciplined to compare, adjust, estimate, measure, the objects reflected on the back of its retina.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/the-imagination-acquires-by-custom-a-certain-involuntary-unconscious/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Acquire" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/the-imagination-acquires-by-custom-a-certain-involuntary-unconscious/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron_acquire_the-imagination-acquires-by-custom-a-cer_1315977.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron_acquire_the-imagination-acquires-by-custom-a-cer_1315977.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron_acquire_the-imagination-acquires-by-custom-a-cer_1315977.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The imagination acquires by custom a certain involuntary, unconscious power of observation and comparison…” — Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton", "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": "Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The imagination acquires by custom a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/the-imagination-acquires-by-custom-a-certain-involuntary-unconscious/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/the-imagination-acquires-by-custom-a-certain-involuntary-unconscious/#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 } } ] } ```