---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It has to do with an intuition about the…"
description: "\"“It has to do with an intuition about the past. By linking research and imagination, sometimes I can think myself into the heads of the people who made..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/geraldine-brooks-1324_book_it-has-to-do-with-an-intuition-about-the_289436.png"
---

#  It has to do with an intuition about the past. By linking…

![“It has to do with an intuition about the past. By linking research and imagination, sometimes I can think myself into the heads of the people who made the book. I can figure out who they were, or how they worked.” quote by Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/geraldine-brooks-1324_book_it-has-to-do-with-an-intuition-about-the_289436.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/geraldine-brooks-1324_book_it-has-to-do-with-an-intuition-about-the_289436.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/geraldine-brooks-1324_book_it-has-to-do-with-an-intuition-about-the_289436.png)

> ““It has to do with an intuition about the past. By linking research and imagination, sometimes I can think myself into the heads of the people who made the book. I can figure out who they were, or how they worked.””

[Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/)

## About This Quote

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

The author describes using intuition and imagination to empathize with historical authors, reconstructing their mindset and context.

**In simple terms:** Imagining past authors’ thoughts.

Key Takeaway

Use intuition to connect with historical creators.

Themes

creativity history empathy research imagination

Mood

analytical curious

Type

introspective inspirational

When to use this quote

- writing historical fiction
- academic analysis
- museum curation
- educational storytelling

Key Concepts

historical empathy authorial perspective creative research

Questions to Reflect On

- How reliable is intuition in historical reconstruction?
- What balance between fact and imagination is appropriate?

A Different Perspective

Relying on intuition may lead to speculative conclusions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Imagination Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination-think-275262/) [Intuition Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intuition-past-2788059/) [Linking Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/linking-research-2788060/) [Research Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research-imagination-2788058/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [I went to Europe three times, I read dozens and dozens of books, I studied thousands of photos. But I always supplemented that research…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/i-went-to-europe-three-times-i-read-dozens-and-dozens-of-books-i/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

> [Running! If there's any activity happier, more exhilarating, more nourishing to the imagination, I can't think of what it might be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/running-if-there-s-any-activity-happier-more-exhilarating-more/)

[Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/)

> [It's certainly not a shock to find that the industry has no imagination. I think people don't know what it is I do. Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lane/it-s-certainly-not-a-shock-to-find-that-the-industry-has-no/)

[Nathan Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lane/)

> [I have a huge, active imagination, and I think I'm really scared of being alone; because if I'm left to my own devices, I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-danes/i-have-a-huge-active-imagination-and-i-think-i-m-really-scared-of-2/)

[Claire Danes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-danes/)

> [I don't feel there's any reason to apologise for having a wicked imagination. I think it's important as a maker of fantasy and of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-don-t-feel-there-s-any-reason-to-apologise-for-having-a-wicked/)

[Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/)

> [I'm not so naive that I didn't know or didn't suspect that, at some point, someone was going to say "You're writing about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-m-not-so-naive-that-i-didn-t-know-or-didn-t-suspect-that-at-some/)

[J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/)

> [I'm a big fan of imagination. I think it's the strongest tool we have, and there are some things that you just can't practice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-friend/i-m-a-big-fan-of-imagination-i-think-it-s-the-strongest-tool-we-have/)

[Rupert Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-friend/)

> [Growing up, I didn't have a lot of toys, and personal entertainment depended on individual ingenuity and imagination - think up a story and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/growing-up-i-didn-t-have-a-lot-of-toys-and-personal-entertainment/)

[Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/)

> [The power of a dream is that it frees up your imagination to think about the best possible scenario for your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silken-laumann/the-power-of-a-dream-is-that-it-frees-up-your-imagination-to-think/)

[Silken Laumann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silken-laumann/)

> [If I feel like I haven't really tapped into the essence of the story when I do an assignment, I may revisit it on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilton-als/if-i-feel-like-i-haven-t-really-tapped-into-the-essence-of-the-story/)

[Hilton Als](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilton-als/)

> [“And not the sort of thing you have imagination enough to think up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jordan/and-not-the-sort-of-thing-you-have-imagination-enough-to-think-up/)

[Robert Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jordan/)

> [The great successful men of the world have used their imagination. They think ahead and create their mental picture in all its details, filling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-collier/the-great-successful-men-of-the-world-have-used-their-imagination/)

[Robert Collier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-collier/)

> [All of us, writers and non-writers alike, have incredible well-springs of personal experience and history. And we also have imagination - which I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayana-mathis/all-of-us-writers-and-non-writers-alike-have-incredible-well-springs/)

[Ayana Mathis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayana-mathis/)

> [I have a huge, active imagination, and I think I'm really scared of being alone; because if I'm left to my own devices, I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-danes/i-have-a-huge-active-imagination-and-i-think-i-m-really-scared-of/)

[Claire Danes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-danes/)

> [“Common sense, indeed!” said the Rocket indignantly; “you forget that I am very uncommon, and very remarkable. Why, anybody can have common sense, provided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/common-sense-indeed-said-the-rocket-indignantly-you-forget-that-i-am/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

## More by Geraldine Brooks

> [“The word for mother, umm, is the root of the words for “source, nation, mercy, first principle, rich harvest; stupid, illiterate, parasite, weak of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/the-word-for-mother-umm-is-the-root-of-the-words-for-source-nation/)

[Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/)

> [“The lieutenant colonel wondered if the high scores reflected a defect in the newly built shooting range at the women’s academy. To find out,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/the-lieutenant-colonel-wondered-if-the-high-scores-reflected-a-defect/)

[Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/)

> [“No wonder simple men have always had their gods dwell in the high places. For as soon as a man lets his eye drop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/no-wonder-simple-men-have-always-had-their-gods-dwell-in-the-high/)

[Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/)

> [I was really interested in how marriages work, how you can, you know, be in love with somebody and spend many years with your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/i-was-really-interested-in-how-marriages-work-how-you-can-you-know-be/)

[Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/)

> [Writing is like bricklaying; you put down one word after another. Sometimes the wall goes up straight and true and sometimes it doesn't and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/writing-is-like-bricklaying-you-put-down-one-word-after-another/)

[Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/)

> [“... So this was how it was to be, now: I would do my best to live in the quick world, but the ghosts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/so-this-was-how-it-was-to-be-now-i-would-do-my-best-to-live-in-the/)

[Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/)

> [“They threw rotten fruit at me and told me next time it would be acid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/they-threw-rotten-fruit-at-me-and-told-me-next-time-it-would-be-acid/)

[Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/)

> [“You," he continued, grabbing my wrist. "All of you, from the safe world, with your air bags and your tamper-proof packaging and your fat-free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/you-he-continued-grabbing-my-wrist-all-of-you-from-the-safe-world/)

[Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/)

> [“This is how an owl must look to a mouse in that last second before the talons sink into the flesh.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/this-is-how-an-owl-must-look-to-a-mouse-in-that-last-second-before/)

[Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/)

> [And so, as generally happens, those who have most give least, and those with less somehow make shrift to share.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/and-so-as-generally-happens-those-who-have-most-give-least-and-those/)

[Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/)

> [“The author of this text did not write to provoke, but merely to express a truth as he conceives it. Your own theologians have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/the-author-of-this-text-did-not-write-to-provoke-but-merely-to/)

[Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/)

> [“So, you are happy to be a pigeon?” “Maybe so. But at least a pigeon does no harm. The hawk lives at the expense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/so-you-are-happy-to-be-a-pigeon-maybe-so-but-at-least-a-pigeon-does/)

[Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/)

> [“Many men believe in the saying that educating women is like allowing the nose of the camel into the tent: eventually the beast will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/many-men-believe-in-the-saying-that-educating-women-is-like-allowing/)

[Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/)

> [“No, no,” he said. “She can’t raise it at all. She may only clap. Women must be very careful of their voices. If”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/no-no-he-said-she-can-t-raise-it-at-all-she-may-only-clap-women-must/)

[Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/)

> [If a man is to lose his fortune, it is a good thing if he were poor before he acquired it, for poverty requires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/if-a-man-is-to-lose-his-fortune-it-is-a-good-thing-if-he-were-poor/)

[Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/)

[Explore all 256 Geraldine Brooks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/)

## More Book quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/)

[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/)

> [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/)

[Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/)

> [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/)

[Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/)

> [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

[Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“It has to do with an intuition about the past. By linking research and imagination, sometimes I can think myself into the heads of the people who made the book. I can figure out who they were, or how they worked.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Geraldine Brooks"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/it-has-to-do-with-an-intuition-about-the-past-by-linking-research-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/it-has-to-do-with-an-intuition-about-the-past-by-linking-research-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/geraldine-brooks-1324_book_it-has-to-do-with-an-intuition-about-the_289436.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/geraldine-brooks-1324_book_it-has-to-do-with-an-intuition-about-the_289436.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/geraldine-brooks-1324_book_it-has-to-do-with-an-intuition-about-the_289436.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It has to do with an intuition about the past. By linking research and imagination, sometimes I can think…” — Geraldine Brooks",
                "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": "Geraldine Brooks",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“It has to do with an...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/it-has-to-do-with-an-intuition-about-the-past-by-linking-research-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/it-has-to-do-with-an-intuition-about-the-past-by-linking-research-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
