--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Surrealism had a great effect on me…" description: "\"Surrealism had a great effect on me because then I realised that the imagery in my mind wasn't insanity. Surrealism to me is reality.\" — John Lennon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab5/john-lennon-322_imagery_surrealism-had-a-great-effect-on-me-beca_1372683.jpg" --- # Surrealism had a great effect on me because then I… ![“Surrealism had a great effect on me because then I realised that the imagery in my mind wasn't insanity. Surrealism to me is reality.” quote by John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab5/john-lennon-322_imagery_surrealism-had-a-great-effect-on-me-beca_1372683.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab5/john-lennon-322_imagery_surrealism-had-a-great-effect-on-me-beca_1372683.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab5/john-lennon-322_imagery_surrealism-had-a-great-effect-on-me-beca_1372683.jpg) > “Surrealism had a great effect on me because then I realised that the imagery in my mind wasn't insanity. Surrealism to me is reality.” [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Surrealism showed that imagined images can be legitimate, blurring the line between fantasy and reality. **In simple terms:** Imagined images can be real. Key Takeaway Embrace imagination as part of reality. Themes creativity perception art reality imagination Mood reflective inspired curious Type philosophical artistic motivational When to use this quote - writing lyrics - visual art - design brainstorming - therapy sessions - teaching creativity Key Concepts surrealism subjectivity mental models Questions to Reflect On - How do you tell when imagination serves truth? - When does fantasy hinder practical action? A Different Perspective It may be hard to distinguish useful imagination from distraction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Imagery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagery/) [Insanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insanity/) [Insanity Surrealism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insanity-surrealism-4731257/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Surrealism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surrealism/) [Surrealism Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surrealism-great-4731258/) [Surrealism Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surrealism-reality-2777970/) ## Related quotes > [Surrealism to me is reality. 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I didn't get really excited about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-equi/to-be-honest-i-wasn-t-crazy-about-the-kind-of-poetry-i-found-in-high/) [Elaine Equi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-equi/) > [We're playing those mind games together Pushing the barriers, planting seeds Playing the mind guerrilla.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/we-re-playing-those-mind-games-together-pushing-the-barriers-planting/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [American art in general... takes to surreal exaggerations and metaphors; but its Puritan work ethic has little use for the playful self-indulgence behind Parisian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/american-art-in-general-takes-to-surreal-exaggerations-and-metaphors/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [People have the idea that an image must stand for something else, that the real meaning needs to be described with language. Instead it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ryden/people-have-the-idea-that-an-image-must-stand-for-something-else-that/) [Mark Ryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ryden/) > [“When we were young, we thought life would either last forever, or that we were going to die at any second. Everything changed, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/starlight-tucker/when-we-were-young-we-thought-life-would-either-last-forever-or-that/) [Starlight Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/starlight-tucker/) > [“His thoughts were hemmed in. One can only draw curved lines on the terrestrial sphere which, as they extend, forever meet with themselves. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-queneau/his-thoughts-were-hemmed-in-one-can-only-draw-curved-lines-on-the/) [Raymond Queneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-queneau/) > [Psychic automatism in its pure state, by which one proposes to express -- verbally, by means of the written word, or in any other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andr-breton/psychic-automatism-in-its-pure-state-by-which-one-proposes-to-express/) [Andre Breton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andr-breton/) > [“He wishes he were a skilled poet, it would fit his chosen image perfectly; the poor, tragic, tortured artiste. But he has no talent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-ackie/he-wishes-he-were-a-skilled-poet-it-would-fit-his-chosen-image/) [Curtis Ackie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-ackie/) > [Surrealism was necessary - essential, even - in the 1920s to bridge the gap between rationalism and the subconscious. It started something important. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/surrealism-was-necessary-essential-even-in-the-1920s-to-bridge-the/) [Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/) > [Instead of stubbornly attempting to use surrealism for purposes of subversion, it is necessary to try to make of surrealism something as solid, complete…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salvador-dali/instead-of-stubbornly-attempting-to-use-surrealism-for-purposes-of/) [Salvador Dali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salvador-dali/) > [Surrealism is the magical surprise of finding a lion in a wardrobe, where you were 'sure' of finding shirts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frida-kahlo/surrealism-is-the-magical-surprise-of-finding-a-lion-in-a-wardrobe/) [Frida Kahlo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frida-kahlo/) > [“The plants in the garden - the aloes, the almond tree, the rose tree and the iris - were afraid of her. The flowers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-cramer/the-plants-in-the-garden-the-aloes-the-almond-tree-the-rose-tree-and/) [Hendrik Cramer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-cramer/) > [“André Breton (who fled Nazi dominated Europe)told poets of this Caribbean country: 'Surrealism is allied with peoples of colour, first because it has sided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-craven/andr-breton-who-fled-nazi-dominated-europe-told-poets-of-this/) [David Craven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-craven/) > [“The ultimate aim of reality is to become science fiction!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-of-kittim/the-ultimate-aim-of-reality-is-to-become-science-fiction/) [Eli Of Kittim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-of-kittim/) ## More by John Lennon > [Well, I don't want to be king, I want to be real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/well-i-don-t-want-to-be-king-i-want-to-be-real/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [ We went to America a few times and \[Brian\] Epstein always tried to waffle on at us about saying nothing about Vietnam. So there… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/we-went-to-america-a-few-times-and-brian-epstein-always-tried-to/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [As someone from the working class I was always interested in Russia and China and everything that related to the working class, even though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/as-someone-from-the-working-class-i-was-always-interested-in-russia/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [I never went to high school reunions. My thing is, out of sight, out of mind. That's my attitude toward life. So I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/i-never-went-to-high-school-reunions-my-thing-is-out-of-sight-out-of/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [Today's folk song is rock and roll. 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I never meant it to be a lousy anti-religious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/i-wasn-t-saying-whatever-they-re-saying-i-was-saying-i-m-sorry-i-said/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [Songwriting is about getting the demon out of me. It's like being possessed. You try to go to sleep, but the song won't let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/songwriting-is-about-getting-the-demon-out-of-me-it-s-like-being/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [Imagine there's no heaven... it's easy if you try.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/imagine-there-s-no-heaven-it-s-easy-if-you-try/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [Man, you should have seen them kicking Edgar Allan Poe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/man-you-should-have-seen-them-kicking-edgar-allan-poe/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [Love is like a flower - you've got to let it grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/love-is-like-a-flower-you-ve-got-to-let-it-grow/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [I don't know which will go first - rock 'n' roll or Christianity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/i-don-t-know-which-will-go-first-rock-n-roll-or-christianity/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [The main hangup in the world today is hypocrisy and insecurity. 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But now she is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sappho/sardis-often-turning-her-thoughts-here-you-like-a-goddess-and-in-your/) [Sappho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sappho/) > [ Probably the high-watermark of \[Bob\] Dylan's career came after he plugged in his guitar ("Judas!" one fan shouted during a concert) and exploded American… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-michaelson/probably-the-high-watermark-of-bob-dylan-s-career-came-after-he/) [Jay Michaelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-michaelson/) > [“Thousands of mosquitoes had already bitten all of us on chest and arms and ankles. Then a bright idea came to me: I jumped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/thousands-of-mosquitoes-had-already-bitten-all-of-us-on-chest-and/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [Speech is like cloth of Arras opened and put abroad, whereby the imagery doth appear in figure; whereas in thoughts they lie but as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/speech-is-like-cloth-of-arras-opened-and-put-abroad-whereby-the/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [Grace abounds in contemporary movies, books, novels, films and music. If God is not in the whirlwind, He may be in a Woody Allen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/grace-abounds-in-contemporary-movies-books-novels-films-and-music-if/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [The religious imagery and fairytales that formed our shared cultural references have been replaced by the cult of celebrity. 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It's the nearest we'll ever get to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/i-don-t-want-to-spoil-the-magic-but-it-s-a-very-curious-thing-that/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [“It was not a great presence but a great absence, a geometric ocean of darkness that seemed to swallow heaven itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-hillenbrand/it-was-not-a-great-presence-but-a-great-absence-a-geometric-ocean-of/) [Laura Hillenbrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-hillenbrand/) > [“But the future lay open, a thousand kaleidoscopic possibilities with a small quick heartbeat, delicate and impatient”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/but-the-future-lay-open-a-thousand-kaleidoscopic-possibilities-with-a/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [The ability to have somebody read something and see it, or for somebody to paint an entire landscape of visual imagery with just sheets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/the-ability-to-have-somebody-read-something-and-see-it-or-for/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [New concepts should be introduced by the power of imagery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coop/new-concepts-should-be-introduced-by-the-power-of-imagery/) [Douglas Coop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coop/) [Browse all 491 Imagery quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagery/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Surrealism had a great effect on me because then I realised that the imagery in my mind wasn't insanity. 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