--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We got talking about how some people were…" description: "\"“We got talking about how some people were selfish and some weren’t, and the difference between right-wing people and left-wing people. You said it all..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/iain-banks-3752_creative-people_we-got-talking-about-how-some-people-wer_2811409.png" --- # We got talking about how some people were selfish and some… ![“We got talking about how some people were selfish and some weren’t, and the difference between right-wing people and left-wing people. You said it all came down to imagination. Conversative people don’t usually have very much, so they find it hard to imagine what life is like for people who aren’t…” quote by Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/iain-banks-3752_creative-people_we-got-talking-about-how-some-people-wer_2811409.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/iain-banks-3752_creative-people_we-got-talking-about-how-some-people-wer_2811409.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/iain-banks-3752_creative-people_we-got-talking-about-how-some-people-wer_2811409.png) > ““We got talking about how some people were selfish and some weren’t, and the difference between right-wing people and left-wing people. You said it all came down to imagination. Conversative people don’t usually have very much, so they find it hard to imagine what life is like for people who aren’t just like them. They can only empathise with people just like they are: the same sex, the same age, the same class, the same golf club or nation or race or whatever. Liberals can pretty much empathise with anybody else, no matter how different they are. It’s all to do with imagination, empathy and imagination are almost the same thing, and it’s why artists, creative people, are almost all liberals, left-leaning." a character in The Steep Approach to Garbadale: Iain Banks.”” [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that political leanings stem from the capacity to imagine others' experiences, with liberals possessing broader empathy due to greater imaginative freedom. **In simple terms:** Political views linked to imagination and empathy. Key Takeaway Cultivate imagination to broaden empathy. Themes politics empathy imagination ideology art Mood thoughtful critical analytical Type philosophical social commentary When to use this quote - political debates - cross‑cultural dialogue - creative workshops - education curricula - media analysis Key Concepts psychology social cognition political theory Questions to Reflect On - How does imagination influence political tolerance? - Can empathy be taught without changing underlying beliefs? A Different Perspective Imagination alone may not overcome deep‑seated biases or structural inequalities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creative people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-people/) [Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [I think as you get older, there are things that there's just no light side to, but you know, I guess the more you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-toltz/i-think-as-you-get-older-there-are-things-that-there-s-just-no-light/) [Steve Toltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-toltz/) > [British and Canadian sci-fi strikes me as more forward-looking than its American counterpart, as evidenced by the success of Iain M. Banks, Charlie Stross,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-sagan/british-and-canadian-sci-fi-strikes-me-as-more-forward-looking-than/) [Nick Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-sagan/) > [I always like Iain Banks science fiction stuff and William Gibson's cyberpunk stuff from the 1980s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-reynolds/i-always-like-iain-banks-science-fiction-stuff-and-william-gibson-s/) [Alastair Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-reynolds/) > [“I am not answering these questions anymore," I said to him as I took my plate to the sink. "We should have gone metric…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/i-am-not-answering-these-questions-anymore-i-said-to-him-as-i-took-my/) [Iain M. Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) > [A lot of people ask, "What do you pull on in your own life from your character?" In all honesty, it's not something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/a-lot-of-people-ask-what-do-you-pull-on-in-your-own-life-from-your/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [The Curious Incident brims with imagination, empathy, and vision — plus it's a lot of fun to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myla-goldberg/the-curious-incident-brims-with-imagination-empathy-and-vision-plus/) [Myla Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myla-goldberg/) > [“Most of us think about empathy as a “feeling” or an “emotion.” It is. To be empathetic is to be able to feel what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-schwartz/most-of-us-think-about-empathy-as-a-feeling-or-an-emotion-it-is-to-be/) [Barry Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-schwartz/) > [“And I think for a moment, because people don't actually ask that very often. They tell me what they think I feel because they've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-lucas/and-i-think-for-a-moment-because-people-don-t-actually-ask-that-very/) Rachael Lucas > [I think there's such a fine line in a relationship. The role of imagination and privacy... how much space can you allow before that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/i-think-there-s-such-a-fine-line-in-a-relationship-the-role-of/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [“Why would I what?” Will asked, wanting another bite of his burger. “Why would you risk your job teaching some stupid fantasy book?” “Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-lane/why-would-i-what-will-asked-wanting-another-bite-of-his-burger-why/) [Amy Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-lane/) > [I believe in empathy. I believe in the kind of empathy that is created through imagination and through intimate, personal relationships. I am a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/i-believe-in-empathy-i-believe-in-the-kind-of-empathy-that-is-created/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [“To be a decent writer you must have both empathy and imagination. While these attributes aid your art, they can plague your soul. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-j-rose/to-be-a-decent-writer-you-must-have-both-empathy-and-imagination/) [M.J. Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-j-rose/) > [That's what reading was for my mother, and became for me - a way to escape, a private time machine, a place that began…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramona-koval/that-s-what-reading-was-for-my-mother-and-became-for-me-a-way-to/) [Ramona Koval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramona-koval/) > [“The great British philosopher and historian R. G. Collingwood maintained in The Idea of History that to write well about a historical figure, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-hazleton/the-great-british-philosopher-and-historian-r-g-collingwood/) [Lesley Hazleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-hazleton/) > [“Stories don’t teach us to be good; it isn’t as simple as that. They show us what it feels like to be good, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/stories-don-t-teach-us-to-be-good-it-isn-t-as-simple-as-that-they/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) ## More by Iain Banks > [I'm not a great believer in awards-of course the fact that I've never won one has nothing to do with it at all!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/i-m-not-a-great-believer-in-awards-of-course-the-fact-that-i-ve-never/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [“Looking at me, you'd never guess I'd killed three people. It isn't fair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/looking-at-me-you-d-never-guess-i-d-killed-three-people-it-isn-t-fair/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [One should never mistake pattern for meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/one-should-never-mistake-pattern-for-meaning/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [I'm a devoted husband. That must strike you as totally deviant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/i-m-a-devoted-husband-that-must-strike-you-as-totally-deviant/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [“The flames had passed over those flattened blades and consumed their heather neighbours on either side while they themselves had remained, made proof against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/the-flames-had-passed-over-those-flattened-blades-and-consumed-their/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [All you ever were was a little bit of the universe, thinking to itself. Very specific; this bit, here, right now. All the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/all-you-ever-were-was-a-little-bit-of-the-universe-thinking-to-itself/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [“We're not in prison, we're not junkies and we're not Young Tories...it's no small achievement.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/we-re-not-in-prison-we-re-not-junkies-and-we-re-not-young-tories-it-s/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [Torture is such a slippery slope; as soon as you allow a society or any legal system to do that, almost instantly you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/torture-is-such-a-slippery-slope-as-soon-as-you-allow-a-society-or/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [“Two years after I killed Blyth I murdered my young brother Paul, for quite different reasons than I'd disposed of Blyth, and then a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/two-years-after-i-killed-blyth-i-murdered-my-young-brother-paul-for/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [If you have any helpful suggestions I'd be pleased to hear them. If all you can do is make snide insinuations then it would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/if-you-have-any-helpful-suggestions-i-d-be-pleased-to-hear-them-if/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [“He hit and fatally injured my innocent and unfortunate uncle whose muttered last words in hospital, before his coma became a full stop, were:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/he-hit-and-fatally-injured-my-innocent-and-unfortunate-uncle-whose/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [A guilty system recognizes no innocents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/a-guilty-system-recognizes-no-innocents/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [“All reality is a game.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/all-reality-is-a-game/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [There has seldom if ever a shortage of eager young males prepared to kill and die to preserve the security, comfort and prejudices of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/there-has-seldom-if-ever-a-shortage-of-eager-young-males-prepared-to/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [Escape is a consumer goods like another](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/escape-is-a-consumer-goods-like-another/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) [Explore all 123 Iain Banks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) ## More Creative people quotes > [“The idea that creative endeavor and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-intellectual myths of our time... Creative people probably do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-idea-that-creative-endeavor-and-mind-altering-substances-are/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“A lot of habitually creative people have preparation rituals linked to the setting in which they choose to start their day. By putting themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/a-lot-of-habitually-creative-people-have-preparation-rituals-linked/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [Establish an atmosphere that energizes you. Some creative people flourish in confusion; others need to be free from interruption. Many prepare themselves for work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-leland/establish-an-atmosphere-that-energizes-you-some-creative-people/) [Nita Leland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-leland/) > [“Where visual artists are concerned, the Baroque sculptor and architect Bernini and the painter and sculptor Picasso were clearly adept at both experiential and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-gallagher/where-visual-artists-are-concerned-the-baroque-sculptor-and-architect/) [Winifred Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-gallagher/) > [Neither of my parents are involved in theater or acting, but they are very artistic. My mom is a painter; she's an artist. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elena-kampouris/neither-of-my-parents-are-involved-in-theater-or-acting-but-they-are/) [Elena Kampouris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elena-kampouris/) > [All I'm interested in is being creative and working with creative people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-evans/all-i-m-interested-in-is-being-creative-and-working-with-creative/) [Lee Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-evans/) > [I understand why creative people like dark, but American audiences dont like dark. They like story. They do not respond to nervous breakdowns and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-moonves/i-understand-why-creative-people-like-dark-but-american-audiences/) [Leslie Moonves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-moonves/) > [My husband is a musician. He cooks and he's a chef but he also, he makes basement recordings. So many people in my life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-spiotta/my-husband-is-a-musician-he-cooks-and-he-s-a-chef-but-he-also-he/) [Dana Spiotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-spiotta/) > [“... an artist should paint from the heart, and not always what people expect. Predictability often leads to the dullest work, in my opinion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/an-artist-should-paint-from-the-heart-and-not-always-what-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Creative people don't behave very well generally. If you're looking for examples of good relationships in show business, you're gonna be depressed real fast.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-carrey/creative-people-don-t-behave-very-well-generally-if-you-re-looking/) [Jim Carrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-carrey/) > [Hollywood's like a warehouse. It's just a place that you go. What's interesting in the warehouse has to do with the creative people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/hollywood-s-like-a-warehouse-it-s-just-a-place-that-you-go-what-s/) [Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) > [I'm very supportive of creative people being paid for the work that they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-weiner/i-m-very-supportive-of-creative-people-being-paid-for-the-work-that/) [Matthew Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-weiner/) > [You know a shooter when you see it. At least the creative people do. If a picture isn't obvious in the first draft you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/you-know-a-shooter-when-you-see-it-at-least-the-creative-people-do-if/) [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) > [“Autonomous people assert themselves against the status quo. They don't accept the prevailing opinion just because it's the one given to them. Nothing creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brito/autonomous-people-assert-themselves-against-the-status-quo-they-don-t/) Maria Brito > [The traditional model for a company like Coca-Cola is to hire one big advertising agency and essentially outsource all of its creativity in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kao/the-traditional-model-for-a-company-like-coca-cola-is-to-hire-one-big/) [John Kao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kao/) [Browse all 463 Creative people quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-people/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We got talking about how some people were selfish and some weren’t, and the difference between right-wing people and left-wing people. You said it all came down to imagination. Conversative people don’t usually have very much, so they find it hard to imagine what life is like for people who aren’t just like them. They can only empathise with people just like they are: the same sex, the same age, the same class, the same golf club or nation or race or whatever. Liberals can pretty much empathise with anybody else, no matter how different they are. 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