---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: the function of the imagination for…"
description: "\"“the function of the imagination for Chesterton is not to make the notional and theoretical concrete and real as for Newman, but to make settled things..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e6/ian-ker-101075_chesterton_the-function-of-the-imagination-for-ches_265456.jpg"
---

#  the function of the imagination for Chesterton is not to…

![“the function of the imagination for Chesterton is not to make the notional and theoretical concrete and real as for Newman, but to make settled things strange;” quote by Ian Ker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e6/ian-ker-101075_chesterton_the-function-of-the-imagination-for-ches_265456.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e6/ian-ker-101075_chesterton_the-function-of-the-imagination-for-ches_265456.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e6/ian-ker-101075_chesterton_the-function-of-the-imagination-for-ches_265456.jpg)

> ““the function of the imagination for Chesterton is not to make the notional and theoretical concrete and real as for Newman, but to make settled things strange;””

[Ian Ker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-ker/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Chesterton’s imagination makes familiar things strange, unlike Newman's concrete approach.

**In simple terms:** Imagination should make the familiar feel new.

Key Takeaway

Use imagination to see the ordinary anew.

Themes

imagination creativity perspective novelty philosophy

Mood

thoughtful creative

Type

chesterton:1 imagination:1 function imagination:0 imagination chesterton:0 chesterton make:0 notional theoretical:0

When to use this quote

- creative writing
- design thinking
- education curricula

Key Concepts

aesthetics literary criticism conceptual art

Questions to Reflect On

- How does strangeness spark insight?
- When can you apply this to daily life?

A Different Perspective

May be niche to literary scholars.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chesterton/) [Chesterton Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chesterton-make-2607193/) [Function Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/function-imagination-2201498/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Imagination Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination-chesterton-2607192/) [Notional Theoretical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notional-theoretical-2607194/)

## Related quotes

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> [The function of the imagination is not to make strange things settled, so much as to make settled things strange.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-function-of-the-imagination-is-not-to-make-strange-things-settled/)

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[Marilyn Chandler McEntyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-chandler-mcentyre/)

> [“After one of the lectures in Philadelphia, a woman asked Chesterton what made women talk so much, to which he replied, briefly, 'God, Madam'.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-ker/after-one-of-the-lectures-in-philadelphia-a-woman-asked-chesterton/)

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> [“I’m a great fan of Chesterton, you know. He once said that he became a Catholic because we’re the only religion that sees no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-d-o-brien/i-m-a-great-fan-of-chesterton-you-know-he-once-said-that-he-became-a/)

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[William Oddie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-oddie/)

> [“He always wrote on the flyleaf of each new book the date and where he was, so I can follow him: reading Chesterton just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macneil/he-always-wrote-on-the-flyleaf-of-each-new-book-the-date-and-where-he/)

[Robert MacNeil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macneil/)

> [“GK Chesterton once said that “thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-fargo/gk-chesterton-once-said-that-thanks-are-the-highest-form-of-thought/)

[Tim Fargo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-fargo/)

> [“Chesterton is quoted as saying, “When a man stops believing in God, he doesn’t then believe in nothing, he believes anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-driscoll/chesterton-is-quoted-as-saying-when-a-man-stops-believing-in-god-he/)

[Mark Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-driscoll/)

> [“The greatest influence in writing was G. K. Chesterton who never used a useless word, who saw the value of a paradox, and avoided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-greatest-influence-in-writing-was-g-k-chesterton-who-never-used-a/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [You start reading C.S. Lewis, then you’re reading G.K. Chesterton, then you’re a Catholic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/you-start-reading-c-s-lewis-then-you-re-reading-g-k-chesterton-then/)

[Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/)

> [“It may be incredible that one creed is the truth and the others are relatively false. At the same time, it is not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/it-may-be-incredible-that-one-creed-is-the-truth-and-the-others-are/)

[G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

> [G.K. Chesterton was the best writer of the 20th century. He said something about everything and he said it better than anybody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-ahlquist/g-k-chesterton-was-the-best-writer-of-the-20th-century-he-said/)

[Dale Ahlquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-ahlquist/)

> [“I never use paradox. The statements I make are wearisome and obvious common sense. I have even been driven to the tedium of reading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/i-never-use-paradox-the-statements-i-make-are-wearisome-and-obvious/)

[G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

## More by Ian Ker

> [“After one of the lectures in Philadelphia, a woman asked Chesterton what made women talk so much, to which he replied, briefly, 'God, Madam'.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-ker/after-one-of-the-lectures-in-philadelphia-a-woman-asked-chesterton/)

[Ian Ker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-ker/)

[Explore all 2 Ian Ker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-ker/)

## More Chesterton quotes

> [“I never use paradox. The statements I make are wearisome and obvious common sense. I have even been driven to the tedium of reading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/i-never-use-paradox-the-statements-i-make-are-wearisome-and-obvious/)

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> [“It may be incredible that one creed is the truth and the others are relatively false. At the same time, it is not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/it-may-be-incredible-that-one-creed-is-the-truth-and-the-others-are/)

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> [“He always wrote on the flyleaf of each new book the date and where he was, so I can follow him: reading Chesterton just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macneil/he-always-wrote-on-the-flyleaf-of-each-new-book-the-date-and-where-he/)

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> [“It isn’t that they can’t see the solution. It’s that they can’t see the problem.” —G. K. Chesterton”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-a-roberto/it-isn-t-that-they-can-t-see-the-solution-it-s-that-they-can-t-see/)

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