--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...a distinction must be made between…" description: "\"...a distinction must be made between true and false ideas, and that too much rein must not be given to a man's imagination under pretext of its being ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d6/gottfried-leibniz-3585_clear_a-distinction-must-be-made-between-true_3095489.png" --- # ...a distinction must be made between true and false… ![“...a distinction must be made between true and false ideas, and that too much rein must not be given to a man's imagination under pretext of its being a clear and distinct intellection.” quote by Gottfried Leibniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d6/gottfried-leibniz-3585_clear_a-distinction-must-be-made-between-true_3095489.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d6/gottfried-leibniz-3585_clear_a-distinction-must-be-made-between-true_3095489.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d6/gottfried-leibniz-3585_clear_a-distinction-must-be-made-between-true_3095489.png) > “...a distinction must be made between true and false ideas, and that too much rein must not be given to a man's imagination under pretext of its being a clear and distinct intellection.” [Gottfried Leibniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gottfried-leibniz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. One must limit imagination’s influence on ideas to avoid confusing imagination with clear, distinct knowledge. **In simple terms:** Control imagination to keep ideas clear and reliable. Key Takeaway Guard against imaginative excess in reasoning. Themes philosophy epistemology imagination Mood analytical cautious Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - scientific research - creative writing - problem solving Key Concepts clear thinking intellectual humility Questions to Reflect On - When should imagination be embraced? - How do you differentiate imagination from insight? A Different Perspective Excessive restraint may stifle innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clear/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Distinct Intellection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distinct-intellection-5342582/) [Distinction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distinction/) [Distinction True](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distinction-true-2549471/) [False Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/false-ideas-1880832/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Imagination Pretext](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination-pretext-5342583/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Man Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-imagination-454370/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Pretext](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretext/) [Reins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reins/) [Too much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-much/) [True and false](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-and-false/) [Words of wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-of-wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [The great distinction of a true Christian is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. How careful should he be, lest anything in his thoughts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/the-great-distinction-of-a-true-christian-is-the-indwelling-of-the/) [Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/) > [Most of the world's religions serve only to strengthen attachments to false concepts such as self and other, life and death, heaven and earth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/most-of-the-world-s-religions-serve-only-to-strengthen-attachments-to/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [True opinions can prevail only if the facts to which they refer are known; if they are not known, false ideas are just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/true-opinions-can-prevail-only-if-the-facts-to-which-they-refer-are/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [True ideas are those that we can assimilate, validate, corroborate, and verify. False ideas are those that we cannot. That is the practical difference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/true-ideas-are-those-that-we-can-assimilate-validate-corroborate-and/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [It is a myth that the success of science in our time is mainly due to the huge amounts of money that have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/it-is-a-myth-that-the-success-of-science-in-our-time-is-mainly-due-to/) [Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/) > [“Our desire to share helpful things is so powerful that it can make even false ideas succeed. 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The mind puts things together and constructs false "ideas”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/nothing-is-ever-actually-invented-by-the-mind-the-mind-puts-things/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“Those ignorant "masters of our destinies" who regard humans as animals or as monstrous hybrids of natural and supernatural must be dethroned by scientific…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-korzybski/those-ignorant-masters-of-our-destinies-who-regard-humans-as-animals/) [Alfred Korzybski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-korzybski/) > [When men do not have healthy notions of the Divinity, false ideas supplant them, just as in bad times one uses counterfeit money when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/when-men-do-not-have-healthy-notions-of-the-divinity-false-ideas/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Where conservative Catholics have the power to resist what seem like false ideas or disastrous innovations they must do so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/where-conservative-catholics-have-the-power-to-resist-what-seem-like/) [Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/) > [What really makes science grow is new ideas, including false ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/what-really-makes-science-grow-is-new-ideas-including-false-ideas/) [Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/) > [In academic life, false ideas are merely false, and useless ones can be fun to play with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/in-academic-life-false-ideas-are-merely-false-and-useless-ones-can-be/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [“Young writers get false ideas from indiscreet praise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uncle-haskell/young-writers-get-false-ideas-from-indiscreet-praise/) [Uncle Haskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uncle-haskell/) ## More by Gottfried Leibniz > [There are two famous labyrinths where our reason very often goes astray. 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