--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That which men suppose the imagination to…" description: "\"That which men suppose the imagination to be, and to do, is often frivolous enough and mischievous enough; but that which God meant it to be in the men..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c31/henry-ward-beecher-175_civilization_that-which-men-suppose-the-imagination-t_3049069.png" --- # That which men suppose the imagination to be, and to do… ![“That which men suppose the imagination to be, and to do, is often frivolous enough and mischievous enough; but that which God meant it to be in the mental economy is not merely noble, but supereminent. It is the distinguishing element in all refinement. It is the secret and marrow of civilization…” quote by Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c31/henry-ward-beecher-175_civilization_that-which-men-suppose-the-imagination-t_3049069.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c31/henry-ward-beecher-175_civilization_that-which-men-suppose-the-imagination-t_3049069.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c31/henry-ward-beecher-175_civilization_that-which-men-suppose-the-imagination-t_3049069.png) > “That which men suppose the imagination to be, and to do, is often frivolous enough and mischievous enough; but that which God meant it to be in the mental economy is not merely noble, but supereminent. It is the distinguishing element in all refinement. It is the secret and marrow of civilization. It is the very eye of faith. The soul without imagination is what an observatory would be without a telescope.” [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Imagination fuels civilization’s progress; it is essential for refinement, faith, and societal development. **In simple terms:** Imagination is vital for civilization. Key Takeaway Cultivate imagination. Themes imagination civilization faith Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - artistic creation - scientific discovery - cultural development Key Concepts Creativity intellectual growth Questions to Reflect On - How does imagination shape your worldview? - When can imagination become a hindrance? A Different Perspective Overreliance on imagination can lead to unrealistic expectations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Economy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economy/) [Elements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elements/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye/) [Frivolous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frivolous/) [He man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/he-man/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Imagination Frivolous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination-frivolous-5062678/) [Imagination Observatory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination-observatory-4165644/) [Marrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marrow/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mischievous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mischievous/) [Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noble/) [Refinement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refinement/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Soul Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul-imagination-3220130/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) [Suppose Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suppose-imagination-5062677/) [Telescopes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telescopes/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [The soul without imagination is what an observatory would be without a telescope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/the-soul-without-imagination-is-what-an-observatory-would-be-without/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [All art, from the paintings on the walls of cave dwellers to art created today, is autobiographical because it comes from the secret place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-vanderbilt/all-art-from-the-paintings-on-the-walls-of-cave-dwellers-to-art/) [Gloria Vanderbilt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-vanderbilt/) > [My love is my soul's imagination... how do I love you... imagine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-williams/my-love-is-my-soul-s-imagination-how-do-i-love-you-imagine/) [Saul Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-williams/) > [The imagination is the secret and marrow of civilization. It is the very eye of faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/the-imagination-is-the-secret-and-marrow-of-civilization-it-is-the/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [... you must hasten to oppose pernicious pride of mind, before it penetrates into the marrow of your bones. Resist it, curb the quickness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorenzo-scupoli/you-must-hasten-to-oppose-pernicious-pride-of-mind-before-it/) [Lorenzo Scupoli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorenzo-scupoli/) > [I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-went-to-the-woods-because-i-wished-to-live-deliberately-to-front/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I have always loved kids. They are little adults with so much personality, and it is fun to work with that. Whether that means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rihanna/i-have-always-loved-kids-they-are-little-adults-with-so-much/) [Rihanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rihanna/) > [In all of us there is a hunger, marrow-deep, to know our heritage, to know who we are and where we came from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-haley/in-all-of-us-there-is-a-hunger-marrow-deep-to-know-our-heritage-to/) [Alex Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-haley/) > [I want women and girls everywhere to know - deep in their bone marrow - that girls are born special, whole, and perfect, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-northrup/i-want-women-and-girls-everywhere-to-know-deep-in-their-bone-marrow/) [Christiane Northrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-northrup/) > [“...and this morning I am without fire, my marrow is ash, I am very sad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-ne-cixous/and-this-morning-i-am-without-fire-my-marrow-is-ash-i-am-very-sad/) [Hélène Cixous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-ne-cixous/) > [Feather to fire,fire to blood Blood to bone,bone to marrow Marrow to ashes,ashes to snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-colbert/feather-to-fire-fire-to-blood-blood-to-bone-bone-to-marrow-marrow-to/) [Gregory Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-colbert/) > [When we consider the weak and nerveless periods of some literary men, who perchance in feet and inches come up to the standard oftheir…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/when-we-consider-the-weak-and-nerveless-periods-of-some-literary-men/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [It would be hard to say that exactly, but antinatalism is a reality in my life, not just an interesting idea. I can feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/it-would-be-hard-to-say-that-exactly-but-antinatalism-is-a-reality-in/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [I bleed my bones, their marrow to bestowUpon that God who knows what I would know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roethke/i-bleed-my-bones-their-marrow-to-bestowupon-that-god-who-knows-what-i/) [Theodore Roethke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roethke/) > [“For the discovery of self we have to overcome the fear of self, so as to find the marrow ‘within’ and disclose our ‘true’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/for-the-discovery-of-self-we-have-to-overcome-the-fear-of-self-so-as/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) ## More by Henry Ward Beecher > [Astronomers have built telescopes which can show myriads of stars unseen before; but when a man looks through a tear in his own eye,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/astronomers-have-built-telescopes-which-can-show-myriads-of-stars/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [A lie always needs a truth for a handle to it. The worst lies are those whose blade is false, but whose handle is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/a-lie-always-needs-a-truth-for-a-handle-to-it-the-worst-lies-are/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [Miracles are like candles lit up until the sun rises, and then blown out. Therefore, I am amused when I hear sects and churches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/miracles-are-like-candles-lit-up-until-the-sun-rises-and-then-blown/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [Even a liar tells a hundred truths to one lie; he has to, to make the lie good for anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/even-a-liar-tells-a-hundred-truths-to-one-lie-he-has-to-to-make-the/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [Laws are not masters but servants, and he rules them who obey them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/laws-are-not-masters-but-servants-and-he-rules-them-who-obey-them/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [Our sweetest experiences of affection are meant to be suggestions of that realm which is the home of the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/our-sweetest-experiences-of-affection-are-meant-to-be-suggestions-of/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [In America there is not one single element of civilization that is not made to depend, in the end, upon public opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/in-america-there-is-not-one-single-element-of-civilization-that-is/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [The best lessons a man ever learns are from his mistakes. It is not for want of schoolmasters that we are still ignorant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/the-best-lessons-a-man-ever-learns-are-from-his-mistakes-it-is-not/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [I never knew an early-rising, hard-working, prudent man, careful of his earnings, and strictly honest who complained of bad luck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/i-never-knew-an-early-rising-hard-working-prudent-man-careful-of-his/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [THERE are joys which long to be ours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/there-are-joys-which-long-to-be-ours/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [People may talk about the equality of the sexes! They are not equal. The silent smile of a sensible, loving woman will vanquish ten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/people-may-talk-about-the-equality-of-the-sexes-they-are-not-equal/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [Mirthfulness is in the mind and you cannot get it out. It is just as good in its place as conscience or veneration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/mirthfulness-is-in-the-mind-and-you-cannot-get-it-out-it-is-just-as/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [Mirth is God's medicine. Everybody ought to bathe in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/mirth-is-god-s-medicine-everybody-ought-to-bathe-in-it/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [Some of God's noblest sons, I think, will be selected from those that know how to take wealth, with all its temptations, and maintain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/some-of-god-s-noblest-sons-i-think-will-be-selected-from-those-that/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [You have seen a ship out on the bay, swinging with the tide, and seeming as if it would follow it; and yet it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/you-have-seen-a-ship-out-on-the-bay-swinging-with-the-tide-and/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) [Explore all 990 Henry Ward Beecher quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) ## More Civilization quotes > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Sentiment is the mightiest force in civilization; not sentimentality, but sentiment. Women will bring this into politics. Home, sweet home, is as powerful on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-ellen-foster/sentiment-is-the-mightiest-force-in-civilization-not-sentimentality/) [Judith Ellen Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-ellen-foster/) > [Violence is not necessary to destroy a civilization. Each civilization dies from indifference toward the unique values which created it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/violence-is-not-necessary-to-destroy-a-civilization-each-civilization/) [Nicolas Gomez Davila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/) > [“The voice in the head that never stops speaking becomes a civilization that is obsessed with form and therefore knows nothing of the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-voice-in-the-head-that-never-stops-speaking-becomes-a/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [We released 400,000 classified documents, the most extraordinary history of a war to ever have been released in our civilization. Those documents cover 109,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/we-released-400-000-classified-documents-the-most-extraordinary/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Whenever we touch nature we get clean. 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We may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/coal-lay-in-ledges-under-the-ground-since-the-flood-until-a-laborer/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Once we allow ourselves to be disobedient to the test of an accountant's profit, we have begun to change our civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/once-we-allow-ourselves-to-be-disobedient-to-the-test-of-an/) [John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/) > [Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. 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