Discovery Quote by Henry David Thoreau
“The heroes and discoverers have found true more than was previously believed, only when they were expecting and dreaming of something more than their contemporaries dreamed of, or even themselves discovered, that is, when they were in a frame of mind fitted to behold the truth. Referred to the world's standard, they are always insane. Even savages have indirectly surmised as much.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Power of Imagination, Henry David Thoreau, 1865
Visionary thinkers achieve breakthroughs when they imagine beyond common expectations, often seen as eccentric.
In simple terms: Dreaming beyond norms yields breakthroughs.
Key Takeaway
Cultivate a mindset open to extraordinary ideas.
Themes
innovation
vision
eccentricity
Mood
contemplative
inspired
Type
philosophical
motivational
When to use this quote
- research labs
- artistic creation
- entrepreneurial ventures
- scientific discovery
Key Concepts
imagination
breakthrough
mindset
Questions to Reflect On
- What dreams seem too bold for others?
- How can you balance vision with reality?
A Different Perspective
Such visions can be dismissed as impractical.
![“I simply constructed a project to try to snap Kurt [Cobain] out of a frame of mind. I sent him a plane ticket and a driver, and he tacked the plane ticket to the wall in the bedroom and the driver sat outside the house for 10 hours. Kurt wouldn't come out and wouldn't answer the phone.” quote by Michael Stipe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/208/michael-stipe-6714_answers_i-simply-constructed-a-project-to-try-to_117192.jpg)
![“Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then [these?], any man might instantly use what another had invented; so that the inventor had no special advantage from his own invention. The patent system changed this…” quote by Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/449/abraham-lincoln-88_adoption_next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in_1828.jpg)
![“[W]e must learn to accommodate ourselves to the discovery that some of those cunningly-fashioned instruments called human souls have only a very limited range of music, and will not vibrate in the least under a touch that fills others with tremulous rapture or quivering agony.” quote by George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9be/george-eliot-84_agony_w-e-must-learn-to-accommodate-ourselves_12409.jpg)
![“That has been another interesting discovery: that basically a city [Lagos] could recover from a really deep, deep, deep pit.” quote by Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/61e/rem-koolhaas-5371_cities_that-has-been-another-interesting-discov_15915.jpg)
