--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Creativity is putting your imagination to…" description: "\"Creativity is putting your imagination to work, and it's produced the most extraordinary results in human culture.\" — Ken Robinson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cec/ken-robinson-2219_creativity_creativity-is-putting-your-imagination-t_2201849.png" --- # Creativity is putting your imagination to work, and it's… ![“Creativity is putting your imagination to work, and it's produced the most extraordinary results in human culture.” quote by Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cec/ken-robinson-2219_creativity_creativity-is-putting-your-imagination-t_2201849.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cec/ken-robinson-2219_creativity_creativity-is-putting-your-imagination-t_2201849.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cec/ken-robinson-2219_creativity_creativity-is-putting-your-imagination-t_2201849.png) > “Creativity is putting your imagination to work, and it's produced the most extraordinary results in human culture.” [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creativity emerges when imagination is applied, producing remarkable cultural achievements. **In simple terms:** Imagination + work = extraordinary results. Key Takeaway Apply imagination to tasks. Themes creativity imagination culture Mood inspired optimistic Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - teaching - artistic projects - problem solving - entrepreneurship - product design Key Concepts educational theory innovation Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn ideas into action? - What cultural impact can your creativity have? A Different Perspective Imagination alone isn’t enough without discipline. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Extraordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extraordinary/) [Extraordinary Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extraordinary-results/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Imagination Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination-work-772448/) [Produced Extraordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/produced-extraordinary-4840479/) [Putting Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/putting-imagination-1242078/) [Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/results/) ## Related quotes > [Creativity, as I see it, is the process of putting your imagination to work. It's been defined rather simply as applied imagination. That's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/creativity-as-i-see-it-is-the-process-of-putting-your-imagination-to/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [It's very impossible to live by yesterday's standards and expect extraordinary results today. Live life with passion!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-very-impossible-to-live-by-yesterday-s-standards-and-expect/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Creativity involves putting your imagination to work. In a sense, creativity is applied imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/creativity-involves-putting-your-imagination-to-work-in-a-sense/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [It is not necessary to do extraordinary things to get extraordinary results.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-not-necessary-to-do-extraordinary-things-to-get-extraordinary/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Systems permit ordinary people to achieve extraordinary results predictably.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/systems-permit-ordinary-people-to-achieve-extraordinary-results/) [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) > [If you want extraordinary results you must put in extraordinary effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/if-you-want-extraordinary-results-you-must-put-in-extraordinary-effort/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [In a good meeting there is a momentum that comes from the spontaneous exchange of fresh ideas and produces extraordinary results. That momentum depends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-geneen/in-a-good-meeting-there-is-a-momentum-that-comes-from-the-spontaneous/) [Harold Geneen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-geneen/) > [Extraordinary potential exists in all of us. With the right environment, resources, skills and knowledge, 'ordinary' people can produce extraordinary results.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-eikenberry/extraordinary-potential-exists-in-all-of-us-with-the-right/) [Kevin Eikenberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-eikenberry/) > [“The genius of the American system is that we have created extraordinary results from plain old people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/the-genius-of-the-american-system-is-that-we-have-created/) [Phil Gramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-gramm/) > [From stoplights to skyscrapers, turn anywhere in civilization and you will see imagination at work. It's in our inventions, advances and remedies and how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-s-fletcher/from-stoplights-to-skyscrapers-turn-anywhere-in-civilization-and-you/) [Geoffrey S. Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-s-fletcher/) > [Our culture loves movies and TV, which is wonderful, but there's something a little bit passive sometimes about watching, because you're looking at other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-steenburgen/our-culture-loves-movies-and-tv-which-is-wonderful-but-there-s/) [Mary Steenburgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-steenburgen/) > [There's just so many great stories in the past that you can know a little bit about, but you can't know it all, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/there-s-just-so-many-great-stories-in-the-past-that-you-can-know-a/) [Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/) > [To travel is very useful, it makes the imagination work, the rest is just delusion and pain. Our journey is entirely imaginary, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-ferdinand-celine/to-travel-is-very-useful-it-makes-the-imagination-work-the-rest-is/) [Louis-Ferdinand Celine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-ferdinand-celine/) > [Though progress starts with the imagination, only work can make things happen. And work itself works best when fueled, again by the imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-levitt/though-progress-starts-with-the-imagination-only-work-can-make-things/) [Theodore Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-levitt/) > [I love that I live a creative life. It is in the work that I do - acting, writing, and directing. It's also in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-taylor/i-love-that-i-live-a-creative-life-it-is-in-the-work-that-i-do-acting/) [Regina Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-taylor/) ## More by Ken Robinson > [“Shakespeare’s Hamlet: “There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/shakespeare-s-hamlet-there-is-nothing-either-good-or-bad-but-thinking/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [“As humanity becomes more numerous and interwoven, living respectfully with diversity is not just an ethical choice, it is a practical imperative. There”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/as-humanity-becomes-more-numerous-and-interwoven-living-respectfully/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [In a world where lifelong employment in the same job is a thing of the past, creativity is not a luxury. It is essential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/in-a-world-where-lifelong-employment-in-the-same-job-is-a-thing-of/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [“For most of us the problem isn’t that we aim too high and fail - it’s just the opposite - we aim too low…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/for-most-of-us-the-problem-isn-t-that-we-aim-too-high-and-fail-it-s/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [Very often, organizations are inflexible because there is too little communication between functions; they are too segregated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/very-often-organizations-are-inflexible-because-there-is-too-little/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [Every education system on Earth has the same hierarchy of subjects: at the top are mathematics and languages, then the humanities, and the bottom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/every-education-system-on-earth-has-the-same-hierarchy-of-subjects-at/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [“We are all born with extraordinary powers of imagination, intelligence, feeling, intuition, spirituality, and of physical and sensory awareness. (p.9)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/we-are-all-born-with-extraordinary-powers-of-imagination-intelligence/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [You create your life, and you can recreate it, too. In times of economic downturn and uncertainty, it's more important than ever to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/you-create-your-life-and-you-can-recreate-it-too-in-times-of-economic/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [“I asked a professor of nanotechnology what they use to measure the unthinkable small distances of nanospace? He said it was the nanometre. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/i-asked-a-professor-of-nanotechnology-what-they-use-to-measure-the/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [We need to eliminate the existing hierarchy of subjects. Elevating some disciplines over others only reinforces outmoded assumptions of industrialism and offends the principle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/we-need-to-eliminate-the-existing-hierarchy-of-subjects-elevating/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [Too many people never connect with their true talents and therefore don't know what they are capable of achieving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/too-many-people-never-connect-with-their-true-talents-and-therefore/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [You can't just give someone a creativity injection. You have to create an environment for curiosity and a way to encourage people and get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/you-can-t-just-give-someone-a-creativity-injection-you-have-to-create/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [The fact is that given the challenges we face, education doesn't need to be reformed -- it needs to be transformed. The key to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/the-fact-is-that-given-the-challenges-we-face-education-doesn-t-need/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [Private imaginings may have no outcomes in the world at all. Creativity does. Being creative involves doing something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/private-imaginings-may-have-no-outcomes-in-the-world-at-all/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [“Public schools were not only created in the interests of industrialism—they were created in the image of industrialism. In many ways, they reflect the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/public-schools-were-not-only-created-in-the-interests-of/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) [Explore all 170 Ken Robinson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) ## More Creativity quotes > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“The Soviet “creative intelligentsia” - that is, people accustomed to thinking one thing, saying another and doing a third - is as a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-amalrik/the-soviet-creative-intelligentsia-that-is-people-accustomed-to/) [Andrei Amalrik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-amalrik/) > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [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/) > [You don't get lucky. You create lucky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/you-don-t-get-lucky-you-create-lucky/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“You are the end of beauty and creativity one must have created so far.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/you-are-the-end-of-beauty-and-creativity-one-must-have-created-so-far/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [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/) > [“I believe in magic. As a writer, I create them on blank paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonnia-kemmer/i-believe-in-magic-as-a-writer-i-create-them-on-blank-paper/) [Sonnia Kemmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonnia-kemmer/) > [Creativity is like chasing chickens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-niemann/creativity-is-like-chasing-chickens/) [Christoph Niemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-niemann/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. It's a time when you really get to do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/you-always-hear-actors-say-theater-is-my-first-love-and-it-is-it-s-a/) [Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/) > [Create an environment for people to fail, to learn, and to grow. Their creativity and productivity will increase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/create-an-environment-for-people-to-fail-to-learn-and-to-grow-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 13,625 Creativity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Creativity is putting your imagination to work, and it's produced the most extraordinary results in human culture.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ken Robinson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/creativity-is-putting-your-imagination-to-work-and-it-s-produced-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Creativity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/creativity-is-putting-your-imagination-to-work-and-it-s-produced-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cec/ken-robinson-2219_creativity_creativity-is-putting-your-imagination-t_2201849.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cec/ken-robinson-2219_creativity_creativity-is-putting-your-imagination-t_2201849.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cec/ken-robinson-2219_creativity_creativity-is-putting-your-imagination-t_2201849.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Creativity is putting your imagination to work, and it's produced the most extraordinary results in human…” — Ken Robinson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ken Robinson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Creativity is putting your imagination to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/creativity-is-putting-your-imagination-to-work-and-it-s-produced-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/creativity-is-putting-your-imagination-to-work-and-it-s-produced-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```