---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Imagination is the primary gift of human…"
description: "\"Imagination is the primary gift of human consciousness.\" — Ken Robinson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21a/ken-robinson-2219_consciousness_imagination-is-the-primary-gift-of-human_948167.png"
---

#  Imagination is the primary gift of human consciousness.

![“Imagination is the primary gift of human consciousness.” quote by Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21a/ken-robinson-2219_consciousness_imagination-is-the-primary-gift-of-human_948167.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21a/ken-robinson-2219_consciousness_imagination-is-the-primary-gift-of-human_948167.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21a/ken-robinson-2219_consciousness_imagination-is-the-primary-gift-of-human_948167.png)

> “Imagination is the primary gift of human consciousness.”

[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.

Imagination fuels creativity and drives human progress, making it essential to nurture.

**In simple terms:** Imagination drives progress.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate imagination daily.

Themes

creativity education human potential

Mood

inspirational thoughtful

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- teaching
- design thinking
- artistic pursuits

Key Concepts

cognitive development innovation consciousness

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we balance imagination with realism?
- What habits nurture imagination?

A Different Perspective

Imagination alone cannot solve practical problems.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Human consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-consciousness/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/)

## Related quotes

> [I think the primary gift of the animal is offered to writer and non-writer alike; they teach us about love, or attunement, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-e-morgan/i-think-the-primary-gift-of-the-animal-is-offered-to-writer-and-non/)

[C.E. Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-e-morgan/)

> [As an inclusive quality, imagination is thus our primary force for progress, whatever progress is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/as-an-inclusive-quality-imagination-is-thus-our-primary-force-for/)

[John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/)

> [Today, something is happening to the whole structure of human consciousness. A fresh kind of life is starting. Driven by the forces of love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/today-something-is-happening-to-the-whole-structure-of-human/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

> [The essence of God is consciousness. Consciousness can be used for either violence or peace; the choice is ours. When it is expanded, human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/the-essence-of-god-is-consciousness-consciousness-can-be-used-for/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [Turning points in human consciousness occur when new energy regimes converge with new communications revolutions, creating new economic eras.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-rifkin/turning-points-in-human-consciousness-occur-when-new-energy-regimes/)

[Jeremy Rifkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-rifkin/)

> [Science and technology have amplified the effects of the dysfunction of the human mind in its unawakened state to such a degree that humanity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/science-and-technology-have-amplified-the-effects-of-the-dysfunction/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [“It is the power of questions that embolden us and keep us as expectant children, all the while developing the power of human consciousness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-sanders/it-is-the-power-of-questions-that-embolden-us-and-keep-us-as/)

Dan Sanders

> [Any issue and any problem, no matter what height you look at it from, no matter how much you extend past the first fractal,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-p/any-issue-and-any-problem-no-matter-what-height-you-look-at-it-from/)

[El-P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-p/)

> [“Our senses are the lavish gift of being human.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-leigh-mercree/our-senses-are-the-lavish-gift-of-being-human/)

[Amy Leigh Mercree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-leigh-mercree/)

> [The most wonderful gift one human being can give to another, is in some way, to make that person's life a little bit better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-assaraf/the-most-wonderful-gift-one-human-being-can-give-to-another-is-in/)

[John Assaraf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-assaraf/)

> [“The sight of an achievement is the greatest gift a human being could offer others. —AYN RAND”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-s-sharma/the-sight-of-an-achievement-is-the-greatest-gift-a-human-being-could/)

[Robin S. Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-s-sharma/)

> [Seeing people as innocent is the greatest gift you can give another human being: the gift of acceptance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-britten/seeing-people-as-innocent-is-the-greatest-gift-you-can-give-another/)

[Rhonda Britten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-britten/)

> [This life is a gift, and to reject that gift or abuse that gift is not human and not worthy of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/this-life-is-a-gift-and-to-reject-that-gift-or-abuse-that-gift-is-not/)

[Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/)

> [The greatest gift that we have as human beings is our ability to empathize. That's why I think personal stories matter so much. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-vargas/the-greatest-gift-that-we-have-as-human-beings-is-our-ability-to/)

[Jose Antonio Vargas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-antonio-vargas/)

> [So you work on yourself as a gift to other human beings. Then you use every situation you have with other human beings as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/so-you-work-on-yourself-as-a-gift-to-other-human-beings-then-you-use/)

[Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/)

## 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 Consciousness quotes

> [“You're never alone if you're with your soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-armond-powell/you-re-never-alone-if-you-re-with-your-soul/)

[Gerard Armond Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-armond-powell/)

> [“I now argue that entry into Upper Palaeolithic caves was probably seen as virtually indistinguishable from entry into the mental vortex that leads to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/i-now-argue-that-entry-into-upper-palaeolithic-caves-was-probably/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [How wonderful it would be to scatter words as they rise to consciousness, to let them lie where they fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-scott/how-wonderful-it-would-be-to-scatter-words-as-they-rise-to/)

[Joanna Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-scott/)

> [“People and situations always show us what we need to see and learn about ourselves, and when we take responsibility for our own feelings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-mada-dalian/people-and-situations-always-show-us-what-we-need-to-see-and-learn/)

[Eliza Mada Dalian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-mada-dalian/)

> [With the realization of God comes all power. If the little wave knew that behind it is the great ocean, it could say, "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/with-the-realization-of-god-comes-all-power-if-the-little-wave-knew/)

[Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/)

> [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/)

[Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/)

> [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/)

> [“Entropy is the normal state of consciousness—a condition that is neither useful nor enjoyable. To avoid this condition, people are naturally eager to fill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/entropy-is-the-normal-state-of-consciousness-a-condition-that-is/)

[Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/)

> [The purpose is to be in gratitude forever. Live with applied consciousness, prosperity will break through the walls, flood you with it. You do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/the-purpose-is-to-be-in-gratitude-forever-live-with-applied/)

[Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/)

> [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/)

[Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/)

> [A language possesses utility only insofar as it can construct conventional boundaries. A language of no boundaries is no language at all, and thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/a-language-possesses-utility-only-insofar-as-it-can-construct/)

[Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

> [So many people are passive participants in their very short time of having a consciousness, and those who aren't inspire me. Like Malala Yousafzai…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-gelulla/so-many-people-are-passive-participants-in-their-very-short-time-of/)

Dylan Gelulla

> [Floating in and out of consciousness...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/floating-in-and-out-of-consciousness/)

[Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/)

> [“The vision teller tells the vision to unguarded minds' of prey. The programmed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-f-hodge/the-vision-teller-tells-the-vision-to-unguarded-minds-of-prey-the/)

[T.F. Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-f-hodge/)

> [Human freedom involves our capacity to pause between the stimulus and response and, in that pause, to choose the one response toward which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/human-freedom-involves-our-capacity-to-pause-between-the-stimulus-and/)

[Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/)

[Browse all 6,062 Consciousness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Imagination is the primary gift of human consciousness.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ken Robinson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/imagination-is-the-primary-gift-of-human-consciousness/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Consciousness"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/imagination-is-the-primary-gift-of-human-consciousness/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21a/ken-robinson-2219_consciousness_imagination-is-the-primary-gift-of-human_948167.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21a/ken-robinson-2219_consciousness_imagination-is-the-primary-gift-of-human_948167.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21a/ken-robinson-2219_consciousness_imagination-is-the-primary-gift-of-human_948167.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Imagination is the primary gift of human consciousness.” — 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": "Imagination is the primary gift of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/imagination-is-the-primary-gift-of-human-consciousness/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/imagination-is-the-primary-gift-of-human-consciousness/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
