--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think the arts has great potential to…" description: "\"I think the arts has great potential to create citizens. Citizenship is about the direction your imagination travels. We can't plan or calculate or exa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52c/lee-maracle-51707_art_i-think-the-arts-has-great-potential-to_1108264.jpg" --- # I think the arts has great potential to create citizens… ![“I think the arts has great potential to create citizens. Citizenship is about the direction your imagination travels. We can't plan or calculate or examine citizenship; it's an imagined thing. Community is an imagined thing. And if your imagination isn't working - and, of course, in oppressed…” quote by Lee Maracle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52c/lee-maracle-51707_art_i-think-the-arts-has-great-potential-to_1108264.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52c/lee-maracle-51707_art_i-think-the-arts-has-great-potential-to_1108264.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52c/lee-maracle-51707_art_i-think-the-arts-has-great-potential-to_1108264.jpg) > “I think the arts has great potential to create citizens. Citizenship is about the direction your imagination travels. We can't plan or calculate or examine citizenship; it's an imagined thing. Community is an imagined thing. And if your imagination isn't working - and, of course, in oppressed people that's the first thing that goes - you can't imagine anything better. Once you can imagine something different, something better, then you're on your way.” [Lee Maracle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-maracle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Imagination shapes citizenship and community; without it, oppressed people cannot envision better futures, so fostering imagination is essential for societal progress. **In simple terms:** Imagining better societies is key to citizenship. Key Takeaway Cultivate imagination to empower communities. Themes citizenship imagination community empowerment Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - education reform - grassroots activism - civic engagement - creative workshops Key Concepts social theory psychology of hope Questions to Reflect On - How can we nurture imagination in marginalized groups? - What policies support creative civic participation? A Different Perspective Imagination alone may not overcome structural barriers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Citizens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizens/) [Citizens Citizenship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizens-citizenship-2938946/) [Citizenship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizenship/) [Citizenship Imagined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizenship-imagined-2938944/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Courses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courses/) [Create Citizens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/create-citizens-2938945/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Examine Citizenship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/examine-citizenship-2938947/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine/) [Oppressed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppressed/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Plans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plans/) [Something better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/something-better/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [Rule number something or other -- never tell anybody anything unless you're going to get something better in return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/rule-number-something-or-other-never-tell-anybody-anything-unless-you/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [You can't go on like you're going to start really living one day like all this is some preamble to some great life thats…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perry-moore/you-can-t-go-on-like-you-re-going-to-start-really-living-one-day-like/) [Perry Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perry-moore/) > [I hope I find a really gorgeous woman, that I fall completely and madly in love with. I hope I find a sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-ferrick/i-hope-i-find-a-really-gorgeous-woman-that-i-fall-completely-and/) [Melissa Ferrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-ferrick/) > [If something is not working today, then something better is in store. This surety should be in our mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/if-something-is-not-working-today-then-something-better-is-in-store/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [If God answers 'Yes', He is increasing your faith. If 'Wait', He is increasing your patience. If 'No', He has something better for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicky-gumbel/if-god-answers-yes-he-is-increasing-your-faith-if-wait-he-is/) [Nicky Gumbel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicky-gumbel/) > [I believe the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness. Whether one believes in religion or not, whether one believes in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-believe-the-very-purpose-of-our-life-is-to-seek-happiness-whether/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I feel like a lot of people look at pop music with a very formulaic perspective in numbers and patterns, but an outsider would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halsey/i-feel-like-a-lot-of-people-look-at-pop-music-with-a-very-formulaic/) [Halsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halsey/) > [Nothing good ever comes of love. What comes of love is always something better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-bola-o/nothing-good-ever-comes-of-love-what-comes-of-love-is-always/) [Roberto Bolano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-bola-o/) > [“Our ordinary mind always tried to persuade us that we are nothing but acorns and that our greatest happiness will be to become bigger,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/our-ordinary-mind-always-tried-to-persuade-us-that-we-are-nothing-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Opposing what's wrong is a halfway measure at best. A rebel must also have a vision for something better, a strategy for moving toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/opposing-what-s-wrong-is-a-halfway-measure-at-best-a-rebel-must-also/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [The only way of making money is for effort. The only time I've ever lost money is when I've purposely said, "I'm doing this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-stokes/the-only-way-of-making-money-is-for-effort-the-only-time-i-ve-ever/) [Kerry Stokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-stokes/) > [We are, finally, all wanderers in search of knowledge. Most of us hold the dream of becoming something better than we are, something larger,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/we-are-finally-all-wanderers-in-search-of-knowledge-most-of-us-hold/) [Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/) > [In our culture, we grow up thinking that failure is a terrible thing, that it's a setback, or worse, the end. Often it turns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-schwarzenegger/in-our-culture-we-grow-up-thinking-that-failure-is-a-terrible-thing/) [Katherine Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-schwarzenegger/) > [If you allow for the possibilities of something better, you move toward it instinctively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/if-you-allow-for-the-possibilities-of-something-better-you-move/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [Don't feel you have to stick to plans, because something better might come up; and try to blend in, because you see more. I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-urie/don-t-feel-you-have-to-stick-to-plans-because-something-better-might/) [Michael Urie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-urie/) ## More by Lee Maracle > [My activism has to do with my conscience; I cannot let certain things slide without doing something. My public speaking is part of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-maracle/my-activism-has-to-do-with-my-conscience-i-cannot-let-certain-things/) [Lee Maracle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-maracle/) > [Where do you begin telling someone their world is not the only one?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-maracle/where-do-you-begin-telling-someone-their-world-is-not-the-only-one/) [Lee Maracle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-maracle/) > [“To be raped is to be sexually violated. For society to force someone, through shame and ostracism, to comply with love and sex that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-maracle/to-be-raped-is-to-be-sexually-violated-for-society-to-force-someone/) [Lee Maracle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-maracle/) > [On the one hand, the reality is dire, on the other, reality is always false, it is a mask covering what is coming up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-maracle/on-the-one-hand-the-reality-is-dire-on-the-other-reality-is-always/) [Lee Maracle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-maracle/) > [There is a direct connection between violence against the Earth and violence against women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-maracle/there-is-a-direct-connection-between-violence-against-the-earth-and/) [Lee Maracle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-maracle/) > [“I sometimes feel like a foolish young grandmother armed with a teaspoon, determined to remove three mountains from the path to liberation: the mountain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-maracle/i-sometimes-feel-like-a-foolish-young-grandmother-armed-with-a/) [Lee Maracle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-maracle/) [Explore all 7 Lee Maracle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-maracle/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [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/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [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/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think the arts has great potential to create citizens. 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