--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is not a thing that you can imagine…" description: "\"It is not a thing that you can imagine. It only is. After that, there can be no imagining.\" — Jonathan Safran Foer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/jonathan-safran-foer-136_imagination_it-is-not-a-thing-that-you-can-imagine-i_1312106.png" --- # It is not a thing that you can imagine. It only is. After… ![“It is not a thing that you can imagine. It only is. After that, there can be no imagining.” quote by Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/jonathan-safran-foer-136_imagination_it-is-not-a-thing-that-you-can-imagine-i_1312106.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/jonathan-safran-foer-136_imagination_it-is-not-a-thing-that-you-can-imagine-i_1312106.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/jonathan-safran-foer-136_imagination_it-is-not-a-thing-that-you-can-imagine-i_1312106.png) > “It is not a thing that you can imagine. It only is. After that, there can be no imagining.” [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reality exists without imagination; once something is simply, it cannot be imagined further. **In simple terms:** Reality is beyond imagination. Key Takeaway Accept what is without over‑thinking. Themes existence reality imagination philosophy Mood contemplative philosophical Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - personal reflection - creative writing - mindfulness practice - philosophical discussion Key Concepts ontological limits cognitive boundaries Questions to Reflect On - Can we imagine beyond what is? - How does acceptance affect creativity? A Different Perspective Imagination can still enrich understanding of reality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) ## Related quotes > [It's the greatest thing you'd ever imagine, But you'll never know until you're there](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/panic-at-the-disco/it-s-the-greatest-thing-you-d-ever-imagine-but-you-ll-never-know/) [Panic At The Disco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/panic-at-the-disco/) > [“About the only thing we can imagine is catastrophe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/about-the-only-thing-we-can-imagine-is-catastrophe/) [David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/) > [“The thing is you cannot imagine what is going to happen next. If you're imagining it - it's from your imagination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-hochberg/the-thing-is-you-cannot-imagine-what-is-going-to-happen-next-if-you/) [Art Hochberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-hochberg/) > [The point of existence is not to find the most powerful thing you can imagine and then grovel before it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-kendall/the-point-of-existence-is-not-to-find-the-most-powerful-thing-you-can/) [Graham Kendall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-kendall/) > [Nothing is a thing: it's nothing. 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Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/a-rock-pile-ceases-to-be-a-rock-pile-the-moment-a-single-man/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [Imagination is the greatest nation in the world!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/imagination-is-the-greatest-nation-in-the-world/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [Merkel has realized that the euro is not working, but she cannot change the narrative she has created because that narrative has caught the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/merkel-has-realized-that-the-euro-is-not-working-but-she-cannot/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [Life is what you make it¦If one refuses to use ones imagination..it will be boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-what-you-make-it-if-one-refuses-to-use-ones-imagination-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Jonah Lehrer is one of the most talented explainers of science that we’ve got. What a pleasure it is to follow his investigation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/jonah-lehrer-is-one-of-the-most-talented-explainers-of-science-that/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [If you've got creativity, imagination, and intelligence, and you want to be hypnotised, then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-barry/if-you-ve-got-creativity-imagination-and-intelligence-and-you-want-to/) [Keith Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-barry/) > [“The power of imagination is strongest in the place of solitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/the-power-of-imagination-is-strongest-in-the-place-of-solitude/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [A beard is something that is almost like a mirror to the viewer. When someone sees you wearing a beard, they're seeing something in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/a-beard-is-something-that-is-almost-like-a-mirror-to-the-viewer-when/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [I like fantasy, but I don't live and breathe fantasy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-schmidt-hissrich/i-like-fantasy-but-i-don-t-live-and-breathe-fantasy/) [Lauren Schmidt Hissrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-schmidt-hissrich/) > [While the world of reality has its limits, the world of your imagination is without boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/while-the-world-of-reality-has-its-limits-the-world-of-your/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Edgy is fine - I'm not a prude by any stretch of the imagination - but what's wrong with a good ol' belly laugh?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-burnett/edgy-is-fine-i-m-not-a-prude-by-any-stretch-of-the-imagination-but/) [Carol Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-burnett/) > [With VR, we have this same vision, which is create this ultimate platform for sharing your imagination. Our huge community of 300,000 developers creates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baszucki/with-vr-we-have-this-same-vision-which-is-create-this-ultimate/) [David Baszucki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baszucki/) > [I like the idea of letting the music do its own work and the stories being more expressionful - if that's a word -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-flynn/i-like-the-idea-of-letting-the-music-do-its-own-work-and-the-stories/) [Johnny Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-flynn/) [Browse all 9,060 Imagination quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is not a thing that you can imagine. It only is. 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