--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Trust your imagination. Don't be afraid…" description: "\"Trust your imagination. Don't be afraid to fail. Write. Revise. Revise. Revise.\" — Jeff VanderMeer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b48/jeff-vandermeer-1366_afraid-to-fail_trust-your-imagination-don-t-be-afraid-t_1015788.png" --- # Trust your imagination. Don't be afraid to fail. Write… ![“Trust your imagination. Don't be afraid to fail. Write. Revise. Revise. Revise.” quote by Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b48/jeff-vandermeer-1366_afraid-to-fail_trust-your-imagination-don-t-be-afraid-t_1015788.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b48/jeff-vandermeer-1366_afraid-to-fail_trust-your-imagination-don-t-be-afraid-t_1015788.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b48/jeff-vandermeer-1366_afraid-to-fail_trust-your-imagination-don-t-be-afraid-t_1015788.png) > “Trust your imagination. Don't be afraid to fail. Write. Revise. Revise. Revise.” [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Encourages trusting creativity, confronting failure, and repeatedly revising work. **In simple terms:** Believe in imagination and keep revising. Key Takeaway Embrace failure and iterate often. Themes creativity failure revision Mood inspirational determined Type creative practical When to use this quote - writing - design - entrepreneurship Key Concepts growth mindset artistic process Questions to Reflect On - When is enough revision? - How do you balance perfection and progress? A Different Perspective Too much revision can stall completion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afraid to fail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afraid-to-fail/) [Failing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failing/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Revise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revise/) [Revise Revise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revise-revise-2234325/) [Trust Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trust-imagination-1597727/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Write Revise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-revise-612860/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I edit as I write. I revise endlessly. I don't go forward until I know that what I've written is as good as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-shreve/i-edit-as-i-write-i-revise-endlessly-i-don-t-go-forward-until-i-know/) [Anita Shreve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-shreve/) > [Revision plays a very large role in writing. Sometimes it seems to be all revision. And the longer I write, the more I revise-until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hunnicutt/revision-plays-a-very-large-role-in-writing-sometimes-it-seems-to-be/) [Ellen Hunnicutt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hunnicutt/) > [I revise and revise and revise. I'm not even sure "revise" is the right word. I work a story almost to death before it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-orner/i-revise-and-revise-and-revise-i-m-not-even-sure-revise-is-the-right/) [Peter Orner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-orner/) > [“Never get too attached to the first draft of anything – this includes writing, art, homes, love. You will revise and revise and revise.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-leblanc/never-get-too-attached-to-the-first-draft-of-anything-this-includes/) [Jeanette LeBlanc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-leblanc/) > [Coincidences always happen if you keep your mind open, while storyboards remain the instruments of cowards who do not trust in their own imagination…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/coincidences-always-happen-if-you-keep-your-mind-open-while/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [Trust your imagination. There is always something in the box.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/trust-your-imagination-there-is-always-something-in-the-box/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Your first thought is often the best one. You know, the one that felt too weird or silly or stupid. Trust your imagination -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-tidbeck/your-first-thought-is-often-the-best-one-you-know-the-one-that-felt/) [Karin Tidbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-tidbeck/) > [There is almost no limit to the possibilities of the imagination, but to get the full power of it, one must trust one's imagination.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsa-barker/there-is-almost-no-limit-to-the-possibilities-of-the-imagination-but/) [Elsa Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsa-barker/) > [“I watched plays with the kind of voracity with which small children read books; with the same visceral passion, the same complete trust in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deirdre-madden/i-watched-plays-with-the-kind-of-voracity-with-which-small-children/) [Deirdre Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deirdre-madden/) > [“from CHAOS? Trust the imagination. Peace is knowing without need for detailed explanation. Joy is openness to possibility. Sing your humming heart free from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/from-chaos-trust-the-imagination-peace-is-knowing-without-need-for/) [Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/) > [Keep it simple. Trust your imagination. Discover what is unique about your imagination. Don't simply read a story and copy it. I go into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/keep-it-simple-trust-your-imagination-discover-what-is-unique-about/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [“from CHAOS? Trust the imagination - lines and shapes revealed - space and light instead of blackness. Silence being tentative, tender life of universe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/from-chaos-trust-the-imagination-lines-and-shapes-revealed-space-and/) [Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/) > [I'm not afraid to fail...I'm scared to death of dying and having the Lord say to me, 'Angelica, this is what you might have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-angelica/i-m-not-afraid-to-fail-i-m-scared-to-death-of-dying-and-having-the/) [Mother Angelica](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-angelica/) > [So let me tell you, as you prepare to go off into the world, remember six rules: Trust yourself, Break some rules, Don't be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-schwarzenegger/so-let-me-tell-you-as-you-prepare-to-go-off-into-the-world-remember/) [Arnold Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-schwarzenegger/) > [The bottom line is, you can't be afraid to fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-colangelo/the-bottom-line-is-you-can-t-be-afraid-to-fail/) [Jerry Colangelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-colangelo/) ## More by Jeff VanderMeer > [“Perhaps only I could truly make Wick a person, by forgiving him, and if I forgave him, if I showed I forgave him, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/perhaps-only-i-could-truly-make-wick-a-person-by-forgiving-him-and-if/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“I knew these elements were intended for me and me alone. There were no endearments, but I understood in part because of this restraint.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/i-knew-these-elements-were-intended-for-me-and-me-alone-there-were-no/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“What if an infection was a message, a brightness a kind of symphony? As a defense? An odd form of communication? If so, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/what-if-an-infection-was-a-message-a-brightness-a-kind-of-symphony-as/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [That's how the madness of the world tries to colonize you: from the outside in, forcing you to live in its reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/that-s-how-the-madness-of-the-world-tries-to-colonize-you-from-the/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [What I envy about musicians is, they have this more direct relationship with the audience. They don't have to go through words. 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Do you think Area X traverses interstellar space? Wormholes? Think of something more subtle, something peering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/do-you-think-area-x-builds-spaceships-too-do-you-think-area-x/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“A sudden flash of his partner Wyte, telling him he was compromised, him replying, "I don't have an opinion on that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/a-sudden-flash-of-his-partner-wyte-telling-him-he-was-compromised-him/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) [Explore all 247 Jeff VanderMeer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) ## More Afraid to fail quotes > [The bottom line is, you can't be afraid to fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-colangelo/the-bottom-line-is-you-can-t-be-afraid-to-fail/) [Jerry Colangelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-colangelo/) > [So let me tell you, as you prepare to go off into the world, remember six rules: Trust yourself, Break some rules, Don't be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-schwarzenegger/so-let-me-tell-you-as-you-prepare-to-go-off-into-the-world-remember/) [Arnold Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-schwarzenegger/) > [I'm not afraid to fail...I'm scared to death of dying and having the Lord say to me, 'Angelica, this is what you might have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-angelica/i-m-not-afraid-to-fail-i-m-scared-to-death-of-dying-and-having-the/) [Mother Angelica](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-angelica/) > [Anything I've ever attempted, I was always willing to fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-schwarzenegger/anything-i-ve-ever-attempted-i-was-always-willing-to-fail/) [Arnold Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-schwarzenegger/) > [The greatest success goes to the person who is not afraid to fail in front of even the largest audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-packard/the-greatest-success-goes-to-the-person-who-is-not-afraid-to-fail-in/) [David Packard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-packard/) > [Don't be afraid to fail. I fail every day. I failed thousands of times writing The Book Thief, and that book now means everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/don-t-be-afraid-to-fail-i-fail-every-day-i-failed-thousands-of-times/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [If you are afraid of failure, you don't deserve success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nastia-liukin/if-you-are-afraid-of-failure-you-don-t-deserve-success/) [Nastia Liukin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nastia-liukin/) > [Don't be afraid to fail. Experience is just mistakes you don't make anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-garagiola/don-t-be-afraid-to-fail-experience-is-just-mistakes-you-don-t-make/) [Joe Garagiola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-garagiola/) > [Courageous people are not afraid to fail. So often in life and in sports, we're afraid to fail. Instead, we should attack things with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-cullen/courageous-people-are-not-afraid-to-fail-so-often-in-life-and-in/) [Matt Cullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-cullen/) > [I've had to learn through experiences not to be afraid to fail. You don't know what the future holds for you. You can hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nastia-liukin/i-ve-had-to-learn-through-experiences-not-to-be-afraid-to-fail-you/) [Nastia Liukin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nastia-liukin/) > [My biggest adjustment has been learning not to be afraid to fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-damon/my-biggest-adjustment-has-been-learning-not-to-be-afraid-to-fail/) [Johnny Damon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-damon/) > [I believe anybody who is not afraid to fail is a winner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-torre/i-believe-anybody-who-is-not-afraid-to-fail-is-a-winner/) [Joe Torre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-torre/) > [It is up to the leader to create a healthy environment where people are not afraid to fail. Mistakes should be seen as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-harvey/it-is-up-to-the-leader-to-create-a-healthy-environment-where-people/) [Andrew Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-harvey/) > [When things go bad, it's easy to point fingers. People who attempt to switch the blame are afraid to fail. We've all been afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-elway/when-things-go-bad-it-s-easy-to-point-fingers-people-who-attempt-to/) [John Elway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-elway/) > [Failures are life's way of nudging you and letting you know you are off course. Trying new things and not being afraid to fail…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-blakely/failures-are-life-s-way-of-nudging-you-and-letting-you-know-you-are/) [Sara Blakely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-blakely/) [Browse all 55 Afraid to fail quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afraid-to-fail/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Trust your imagination. Don't be afraid to fail. Write. Revise. Revise. 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