--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That was another thing people used to be…" description: "\"“That was another thing people used to be able to do, which they can't do anymore: enjoy in their heads events which hadn't happened yet and might neve..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdd/kurt-vonnegut-41_george-w_that-was-another-thing-people-used-to-be_2944754.jpg" --- # That was another thing people used to be able to do, which… ![“That was another thing people used to be able to do, which they can't do anymore: enjoy in their heads events which hadn't happened yet and might never occur. My mother was good at that. Someday my father would stop writing science fiction, and write something a whole lot of people wanted to read…” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdd/kurt-vonnegut-41_george-w_that-was-another-thing-people-used-to-be_2944754.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdd/kurt-vonnegut-41_george-w_that-was-another-thing-people-used-to-be_2944754.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdd/kurt-vonnegut-41_george-w_that-was-another-thing-people-used-to-be_2944754.jpg) > ““That was another thing people used to be able to do, which they can't do anymore: enjoy in their heads events which hadn't happened yet and might never occur. My mother was good at that. Someday my father would stop writing science fiction, and write something a whole lot of people wanted to read instead. And we would get a new house in a beautiful city, and nice clothes, and so on. She used to make me wonder why God had ever gone to all the trouble of creating reality. Quoth Mandarax: Imagination is as good as many voyages - and how much cheaper! - GEORGE WILLIAM CURTIS”” [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Imagination lets us explore possibilities beyond reality, offering cheap, limitless voyages of the mind. **In simple terms:** Imagination creates mental journeys beyond real events. Key Takeaway Cultivate imagination for creative insight. Themes creativity future‑thinking escape Mood playful thoughtful Type inspirational reflective When to use this quote - writing - problem solving - daydreaming Key Concepts mental simulation fantasy visionary thinking Questions to Reflect On - When does imagination hinder action? - How can you balance dreaming and doing? A Different Perspective Imagination can distract from practical responsibilities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Science fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-fiction/) ## Related quotes > [I may not be wonder woman .. but I can do things that make you wonder ..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-micah-rosales/i-may-not-be-wonder-woman-but-i-can-do-things-that-make-you-wonder/) [Maria Micah Rosales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-micah-rosales/) > [Let not any wonder makes moment of your life a puzzle,let you make wonder moments in your life to relish fulfillment in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-anil-kumar-sinha/let-not-any-wonder-makes-moment-of-your-life-a-puzzle-let-you-make/) [Dr Anil Kumar Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-anil-kumar-sinha/) > [Saying yes all the time won't make me Wonder Woman. It will make me a worn out woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/saying-yes-all-the-time-won-t-make-me-wonder-woman-it-will-make-me-a/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [Give them hell and make them wonder how you're still smiling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/give-them-hell-and-make-them-wonder-how-you-re-still-smiling/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Not everything about you should be known by everyone else, make them wonder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/not-everything-about-you-should-be-known-by-everyone-else-make-them/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Smile out loud! Make them wonder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ljupka-cvetanova/smile-out-loud-make-them-wonder/) [Ljupka Cvetanova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ljupka-cvetanova/) > [The audience knows the truth, the world is simple. It's miserable, solid all the way through. But if you could fool them, even for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-jackman/the-audience-knows-the-truth-the-world-is-simple-it-s-miserable-solid/) [Hugh Jackman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-jackman/) > [It took the rumor to make me wonder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-raitt/it-took-the-rumor-to-make-me-wonder/) [Bonnie Raitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-raitt/) > [“Whenever you're late, make others wonder if they can handle your success if you came on time”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vignesh-s/whenever-you-re-late-make-others-wonder-if-they-can-handle-your/) [Vignesh S](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vignesh-s/) > [The world is simple. It's miserable, solid all the way through. But if you could fool them, even for a second, then you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-world-is-simple-it-s-miserable-solid-all-the-way-through-but-if/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There are two kinds of writer: those that make you think, and those that make you wonder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-aldiss/there-are-two-kinds-of-writer-those-that-make-you-think-and-those/) [Brian Aldiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-aldiss/) > [If you keep examining your mind, you'll come to see that thoughts of who you are and how it all is are creating the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/if-you-keep-examining-your-mind-you-ll-come-to-see-that-thoughts-of/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [Your very existence is evidence of your innate creativity. In every moment you are co-creating your reality through your thoughts, your intentions, your words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/your-very-existence-is-evidence-of-your-innate-creativity-in-every/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Think positive. Thought power is the key to creating your reality. Everything you perceive in the physical world has its origin in the invisible,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/london-mond/think-positive-thought-power-is-the-key-to-creating-your-reality/) [London Mond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/london-mond/) > [Fiction creating reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/fiction-creating-reality/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) ## More by Kurt Vonnegut > [“You must bloom as a writer and I must bloom as a painter. Everything else about us is uninteresting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-must-bloom-as-a-writer-and-i-must-bloom-as-a-painter-everything/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“People aren't supposed to look back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/people-aren-t-supposed-to-look-back/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Have a good nap, did you?” said the porter. “Yes,” said Billy. “Man,” said the porter, “you sure had a hard-on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/have-a-good-nap-did-you-said-the-porter-yes-said-billy-man-said-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I told him that if we doubted that we are demons in Hell, he should read The Mysterious Stranger, which Mark Twain wrote in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-told-him-that-if-we-doubted-that-we-are-demons-in-hell-he-should/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [ “Thomas Jefferson High School \[..\] His high school was named after a slave owner who was also one of the world’s greatest theoreticians on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/thomas-jefferson-high-school-his-high-school-was-named-after-a-slave/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I had a certain amount of skill as a dramatist, and Dr. Goebbels wanted me to use it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-had-a-certain-amount-of-skill-as-a-dramatist-and-dr-goebbels-wanted/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around. Lucky me, lucky mud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-was-some-of-the-mud-that-got-to-sit-up-and-look-around-lucky-me/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“The town was Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A., Earth, Solar System, Milky Way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-town-was-newport-rhode-island-u-s-a-earth-solar-system-milky-way/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Her face was one of a kind, a surprising variation that made observers think, Yes--that would be another very nice way for people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/her-face-was-one-of-a-kind-a-surprising-variation-that-made-observers/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“You finally fell in love, I see,” said Salo. “Only an Earthling year ago,” said Constant. “It took us that long to realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-finally-fell-in-love-i-see-said-salo-only-an-earthling-year-ago/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Like all Earthlings at the point of death, Mary Young sent faint reminders of herself to those who had known her. She released a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/like-all-earthlings-at-the-point-of-death-mary-young-sent-faint/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“And contrast Mary Kathleen, if you will, with my wife Ruth, the Ophelia of the death camps, who believed that even the most intelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-contrast-mary-kathleen-if-you-will-with-my-wife-ruth-the-ophelia/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Someday, someday, this crazy world will have to end, And our God will take things back that He to us did lend. And if,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/someday-someday-this-crazy-world-will-have-to-end-and-our-god-will/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“They were going back to the slaughterhouse for souvenirs of the war.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/they-were-going-back-to-the-slaughterhouse-for-souvenirs-of-the-war/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“There are plenty of good reasons for fighting," I said, "but no good reason ever to hate without reservation, to imagine that God Almighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-are-plenty-of-good-reasons-for-fighting-i-said-but-no-good/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) [Explore all 2,089 Kurt Vonnegut quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## More George w quotes > [“Does it work with sandwiches? he asked. I didn't move. He handed it over. George was watching with a kind of neutral curiosity, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-bender/does-it-work-with-sandwiches-he-asked-i-didn-t-move-he-handed-it-over/) [Aimee Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-bender/) > [The GOP is broken. They need a Bill Clinton moment with someone to figure things out. Let me just say - and I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahm-emanuel/the-gop-is-broken-they-need-a-bill-clinton-moment-with-someone-to/) [Rahm Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahm-emanuel/) > [We're in more wars today under Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton than under George W. Bush or Ronald Reagan. Yet they tell you that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/we-re-in-more-wars-today-under-barack-obama-and-hillary-clinton-than/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [George Winston piano albums have been my go-to since junior high.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-sacca/george-winston-piano-albums-have-been-my-go-to-since-junior-high/) [Chris Sacca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-sacca/) > [The administration of George W. Bush, emboldened by the Sept. 11 attacks and the backing of a Republican Congress, has sought to further extend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/the-administration-of-george-w-bush-emboldened-by-the-sept-11-attacks/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [“Doctor Parcival began to plead with George Willard. 'You must pay attention to me,' he urged. 'If something happens you will be able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwood-anderson/doctor-parcival-began-to-plead-with-george-willard-you-must-pay/) [Sherwood Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwood-anderson/) > [We're half an hour from Toronto, which offers everything you could want from a city, and a couple of hours from beautiful vacation country.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linwood-barclay/we-re-half-an-hour-from-toronto-which-offers-everything-you-could/) [Linwood Barclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linwood-barclay/) > [The president of the United States of North America, George W. Bush, the little gentleman of the North, the political cadaver that is visiting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugo-chavez/the-president-of-the-united-states-of-north-america-george-w-bush-the/) [Hugo Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugo-chavez/) > [I remember when President Bush, George W. Bush, came into office, he focused on No Child Left Behind, and with - and before very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-alexander/i-remember-when-president-bush-george-w-bush-came-into-office-he/) [Lamar Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-alexander/) > [“Distinctively gentle he was, and trustworthy, and of special courtesy. His great physical strength was never used in combat, men remembered, except when needed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-byrd-turner/distinctively-gentle-he-was-and-trustworthy-and-of-special-courtesy/) [Nancy Byrd Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-byrd-turner/) > [ “You can't really move forward until you look back. \[From Remaking America panel discussion at George Washington University\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/you-can-t-really-move-forward-until-you-look-back-from-remaking/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I was one of the hardest-hitting conservatives on George W. Bush. Republicans didn't like me on George W. Bush. Republicans still don't like me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/i-was-one-of-the-hardest-hitting-conservatives-on-george-w-bush/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [President Obama gave a speech about healthcare tonight, and yesterday he gave a pep talk to students. He told them that in order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/president-obama-gave-a-speech-about-healthcare-tonight-and-yesterday/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [George W. Bush did an incredible job in the presidency, defending us from freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perry/george-w-bush-did-an-incredible-job-in-the-presidency-defending-us/) [Rick Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perry/) > [I'm not tempted to write a song about George W. Bush. I couldn't figure out what sort of song I would write. That's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/i-m-not-tempted-to-write-a-song-about-george-w-bush-i-couldn-t-figure/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) Browse all 1,139 George w quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“That was another thing people used to be able to do, which they can't do anymore: enjoy in their heads events which hadn't happened yet and might never occur. My mother was good at that. Someday my father would stop writing science fiction, and write something a whole lot of people wanted to read instead. And we would get a new house in a beautiful city, and nice clothes, and so on. She used to make me wonder why God had ever gone to all the trouble of creating reality. Quoth Mandarax: Imagination is as good as many voyages - and how much cheaper! - GEORGE WILLIAM CURTIS”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kurt Vonnegut" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/that-was-another-thing-people-used-to-be-able-to-do-which-they-can-t/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "George w" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/that-was-another-thing-people-used-to-be-able-to-do-which-they-can-t/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdd/kurt-vonnegut-41_george-w_that-was-another-thing-people-used-to-be_2944754.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdd/kurt-vonnegut-41_george-w_that-was-another-thing-people-used-to-be_2944754.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdd/kurt-vonnegut-41_george-w_that-was-another-thing-people-used-to-be_2944754.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“That was another thing people used to be able to do, which they can't do anymore: enjoy in their heads…” — Kurt Vonnegut", "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": "Kurt Vonnegut", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“That was another thing people used...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/that-was-another-thing-people-used-to-be-able-to-do-which-they-can-t/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/that-was-another-thing-people-used-to-be-able-to-do-which-they-can-t/#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 } } ] } ```