--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I would say, for the moment, that…" description: "\"“I would say, for the moment, that community, at least community larger than the immediate family, consists very largely of imaginative love for people..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1a/marilynne-robinson-602_books_i-would-say-for-the-moment-that-communit_474511.jpg" --- # I would say, for the moment, that community, at least… ![“I would say, for the moment, that community, at least community larger than the immediate family, consists very largely of imaginative love for people we do not know or whom we know very slightly. This thesis may be influenced by the fact that I have spent literal years of my life lovingly…” quote by Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1a/marilynne-robinson-602_books_i-would-say-for-the-moment-that-communit_474511.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1a/marilynne-robinson-602_books_i-would-say-for-the-moment-that-communit_474511.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1a/marilynne-robinson-602_books_i-would-say-for-the-moment-that-communit_474511.jpg) > ““I would say, for the moment, that community, at least community larger than the immediate family, consists very largely of imaginative love for people we do not know or whom we know very slightly. This thesis may be influenced by the fact that I have spent literal years of my life lovingly absorbed in the thoughts and perceptions of—who knows it better than I?—people who do not exist. And, just as writers are engrossed in the making of them, readers are profoundly moved and also influenced by the nonexistent, that great clan whose numbers increase prodigiously with every publishing season. I think fiction may be, whatever else, an exercise in the capacity for imaginative love, or sympathy, or identification.”” [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fiction expands our empathy by letting us love and understand strangers, even imagined ones, fostering a broader sense of community beyond family. **In simple terms:** Stories help us love people we don’t know. Key Takeaway Read more fiction to grow empathy. Themes empathy community imagination literature Mood reflective thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - reading novels - writing fiction - teaching literature - community building Key Concepts sympathy identification creative imagination Questions to Reflect On - How does reading a novel change your view of strangers? - Can imagined love become real compassion? A Different Perspective Fiction may not translate to real‑world action for all readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Immediate family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immediate-family/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love For People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-for-people/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Fiction may be, whatever else, an exercise in the capacity for imaginative love, or sympathy, or identification,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/fiction-may-be-whatever-else-an-exercise-in-the-capacity-for/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [I think fiction is all about the exercise of the empathetic imagination. 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