--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The original quality in any man of…" description: "\"The original quality in any man of imagination is imagery.\" — Gilbert K. Chesterton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/527/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_creativity_the-original-quality-in-any-man-of-imagi_380473.png" --- # The original quality in any man of imagination is imagery. ![“The original quality in any man of imagination is imagery.” quote by Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/527/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_creativity_the-original-quality-in-any-man-of-imagi_380473.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/527/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_creativity_the-original-quality-in-any-man-of-imagi_380473.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/527/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_creativity_the-original-quality-in-any-man-of-imagi_380473.png) > “The original quality in any man of imagination is imagery.” [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) ## 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 rooted in vivid mental pictures that shape creative thought. **In simple terms:** Imagination relies on mental images. Key Takeaway Cultivate vivid imagery. Themes creativity imagination artistic expression Mood inspired thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - writing - visual arts - problem solving - design - teaching Key Concepts visual thinking mental imagery Questions to Reflect On - How can you train your mind to see clearer pictures? - What role does imagery play in your creative process? A Different Perspective Images can be abstract and hard to convey to others. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Flora and fauna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flora-and-fauna/) [Imagery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagery/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) ## Related quotes > [There is at the back of every artist’s mind something like a pattern and a type of architecture. The original quality in any man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-at-the-back-of-every-artist-s-mind-something-like-a-pattern/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Half a man's life is devoted to what he calls improvements, yet the original had some quality which is lost in the process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white/half-a-man-s-life-is-devoted-to-what-he-calls-improvements-yet-the/) [E. B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white/) > [“But the most profound irony is currently on display at the very site of Ford’s most ambitious attempt to realize his pastoralist vision. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-grandin/but-the-most-profound-irony-is-currently-on-display-at-the-very-site/) [Greg Grandin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-grandin/) > [Strolling on, it seems to me that the strangeness and wonder of existence are emphasized here, in the desert, by the comparative sparsity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/strolling-on-it-seems-to-me-that-the-strangeness-and-wonder-of/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [“He loved Minnesota’s flora and fauna and seemed ill-suited as either a fawner or floorer, a”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/he-loved-minnesota-s-flora-and-fauna-and-seemed-ill-suited-as-either/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [“In 1995, the gray wolf was reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park after a seventy-year hiatus. Scientists expected an ecological ripple effect, but the size…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/in-1995-the-gray-wolf-was-reintroduced-to-yellowstone-national-park/) [Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/) > [I do remain optimistic that one day the world will realise that carbon dioxide is more of a friend than an enemy to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-minchin/i-do-remain-optimistic-that-one-day-the-world-will-realise-that/) [Nick Minchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-minchin/) > [I recycle and try to be nice to the earth. But flora and fauna have always interested me, and it is because of so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-recycle-and-try-to-be-nice-to-the-earth-but-flora-and-fauna-have/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [“Do you like flora and fauna? How about plants and animals? Because we have more of that beautiful crap than we know what to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-nissan/do-you-like-flora-and-fauna-how-about-plants-and-animals-because-we/) [Colin Nissan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-nissan/) > [“I named you Fauna because I loved Robinson Jeffers’ poem about Flora and Fauna. I asked that they keep that name. I wanted only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fauna-hodel/i-named-you-fauna-because-i-loved-robinson-jeffers-poem-about-flora/) Fauna Hodel > [Patriotism at the expense of another nation is as wicked as racism at the expense of another race. . . Let us resolve to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/patriotism-at-the-expense-of-another-nation-is-as-wicked-as-racism-at/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [The human life-cycle is no different than the 4 season changes, here on Earth We have birth(Spring), maturity(Summer), old age(Fall), and death(Winter). This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yourmaj3sty/the-human-life-cycle-is-no-different-than-the-4-season-changes-here/) YourMaj3sty > [“A mere sixty-five million years ago (less than two percent of Earth’s past), a ten-trillion-ton asteroid hit what is now the Yucatan Peninsula and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/a-mere-sixty-five-million-years-ago-less-than-two-percent-of-earth-s/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“There can be no doubt that the existing Fauna and Flora is but the last term of a long series of equally numerous contemporary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-henry-huxley/there-can-be-no-doubt-that-the-existing-fauna-and-flora-is-but-the/) [Thomas Henry Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-henry-huxley/) > [For as long as I can remember, I have been passionately intrigued by 'Africa,' by the word itself, by its flora and fauna, its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/for-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-have-been-passionately-intrigued-by/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) ## More by Gilbert K. Chesterton > [The aim of good prose words is to mean what they say. The aim of good poetical words is to mean what they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-aim-of-good-prose-words-is-to-mean-what-they-say-the-aim-of-good/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Youth is always too serious, and just now it is too serious about frivolity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/youth-is-always-too-serious-and-just-now-it-is-too-serious-about/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Tradition does not mean a dead town; it does not mean that the living are dead but that the dead are alive. It means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/tradition-does-not-mean-a-dead-town-it-does-not-mean-that-the-living/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [It is shorter to state the things forbidden than the things permitted; precisely because most things are permitted and only a few things forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/it-is-shorter-to-state-the-things-forbidden-than-the-things-permitted/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Everyone seems to assume that the unscrupulous parts of journalism will be the frivolous or jocular parts. This is against all ethical experience. Jokes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/everyone-seems-to-assume-that-the-unscrupulous-parts-of-journalism/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [For Scotland has a double dose of the poison called heredity; the sense of blood in the aristocrat, the sense of doom in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/for-scotland-has-a-double-dose-of-the-poison-called-heredity-the/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Faith is always at a disadvantage; it is a perpetually defeated thing which survives all conquerors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/faith-is-always-at-a-disadvantage-it-is-a-perpetually-defeated-thing/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [A building is akin to dogma; it is insolent, like dogma. Whether or no it is permanent, it claims permanence, like a dogma. People…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/a-building-is-akin-to-dogma-it-is-insolent-like-dogma-whether-or-no/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [The triangle of truisms, of father, mother and child, cannot be destroyed; it can only destroy those civilizations which disregard it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-triangle-of-truisms-of-father-mother-and-child-cannot-be/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Criticism is only words about words, and of what use are words about such words as these?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/criticism-is-only-words-about-words-and-of-what-use-are-words-about/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [What we suffer from today is humility in the wrong place...The old humility was a spur that prevented a man from stopping; not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/what-we-suffer-from-today-is-humility-in-the-wrong-place-the-old/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Plato was only a Bernard Shaw who unfortunately made his jokes in Greek.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/plato-was-only-a-bernard-shaw-who-unfortunately-made-his-jokes-in/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [The word good has many meanings...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-word-good-has-many-meanings/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Music with dinner is an insult both to the cook and the violinist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/music-with-dinner-is-an-insult-both-to-the-cook-and-the-violinist/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Eugenics asserts that all men must be so stupid that they cannot manage their own affairs; and also so clever that they can manage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/eugenics-asserts-that-all-men-must-be-so-stupid-that-they-cannot/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) [Explore all 868 Gilbert K. Chesterton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) ## More Creativity quotes > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“The Soviet “creative intelligentsia” - that is, people accustomed to thinking one thing, saying another and doing a third - is as a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-amalrik/the-soviet-creative-intelligentsia-that-is-people-accustomed-to/) Andrei Amalrik > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/a-rock-pile-ceases-to-be-a-rock-pile-the-moment-a-single-man/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [You don't get lucky. You create lucky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/you-don-t-get-lucky-you-create-lucky/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“You are the end of beauty and creativity one must have created so far.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/you-are-the-end-of-beauty-and-creativity-one-must-have-created-so-far/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [Jonah Lehrer is one of the most talented explainers of science that we’ve got. What a pleasure it is to follow his investigation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/jonah-lehrer-is-one-of-the-most-talented-explainers-of-science-that/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [If you've got creativity, imagination, and intelligence, and you want to be hypnotised, then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-barry/if-you-ve-got-creativity-imagination-and-intelligence-and-you-want-to/) [Keith Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-barry/) > [“I believe in magic. As a writer, I create them on blank paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonnia-kemmer/i-believe-in-magic-as-a-writer-i-create-them-on-blank-paper/) [Sonnia Kemmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonnia-kemmer/) > [Creativity is like chasing chickens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-niemann/creativity-is-like-chasing-chickens/) Christoph Niemann > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. It's a time when you really get to do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/you-always-hear-actors-say-theater-is-my-first-love-and-it-is-it-s-a/) [Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/) > [Create an environment for people to fail, to learn, and to grow. Their creativity and productivity will increase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/create-an-environment-for-people-to-fail-to-learn-and-to-grow-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 13,625 Creativity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The original quality in any man of imagination is imagery.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gilbert K. Chesterton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-original-quality-in-any-man-of-imagination-is-imagery/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Creativity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-original-quality-in-any-man-of-imagination-is-imagery/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/527/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_creativity_the-original-quality-in-any-man-of-imagi_380473.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/527/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_creativity_the-original-quality-in-any-man-of-imagi_380473.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/527/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_creativity_the-original-quality-in-any-man-of-imagi_380473.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The original quality in any man of imagination is imagery.” — Gilbert K. Chesterton", "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": "Gilbert K. Chesterton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The original quality in any man...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-original-quality-in-any-man-of-imagination-is-imagery/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-original-quality-in-any-man-of-imagination-is-imagery/#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 } } ] } ```