--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Reality is the richest thing there is…" description: "\"Reality is the richest thing there is, the most important thing there is. Our imagination allows us to live an artificial life that is wonderful, extre..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f53/mario-vargas-llosa-1493_art_reality-is-the-richest-thing-there-is-th_2381636.png" --- # Reality is the richest thing there is, the most important… ![“Reality is the richest thing there is, the most important thing there is. Our imagination allows us to live an artificial life that is wonderful, extremely rich, but I don't believe any artist would dare to say that artifice is better than real life.” quote by Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f53/mario-vargas-llosa-1493_art_reality-is-the-richest-thing-there-is-th_2381636.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f53/mario-vargas-llosa-1493_art_reality-is-the-richest-thing-there-is-th_2381636.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f53/mario-vargas-llosa-1493_art_reality-is-the-richest-thing-there-is-th_2381636.png) > “Reality is the richest thing there is, the most important thing there is. Our imagination allows us to live an artificial life that is wonderful, extremely rich, but I don't believe any artist would dare to say that artifice is better than real life.” [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reality is the most important and richest, while imagined artificial life, though wonderful, cannot surpass real life. **In simple terms:** Reality > artifice. Key Takeaway Value authentic experience. Themes reality imagination art Mood reflective inspired Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - creative work - life decisions - education Key Concepts existentialism aesthetics Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of reality do you cherish? - Can art enhance understanding of real life? A Different Perspective Artificial experiences can be enriching. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artificial life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artificial-life/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Real life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-life/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) ## Related quotes > [Creating your own reality is the richest gift you received at birth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/creating-your-own-reality-is-the-richest-gift-you-received-at-birth/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I mean, the most important thing to me is imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-walton/i-mean-the-most-important-thing-to-me-is-imagination/) [Rob Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-walton/) > [As an actor the best thing you have is your imagination. You're not going to have all the experiences, but you draw on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-vaughn/as-an-actor-the-best-thing-you-have-is-your-imagination-you-re-not/) [Vince Vaughn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-vaughn/) > [It has that thing - the imagination, and the feeling of happy excitement- I knew when I was a kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/it-has-that-thing-the-imagination-and-the-feeling-of-happy-excitement/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [The wonderful thing is, imagination is universal all over the world, no matter what the language is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-horn/the-wonderful-thing-is-imagination-is-universal-all-over-the-world-no/) [Roy Horn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-horn/) > [What are the lessons learned? Well, I think number one is curiosity. It's the most powerful thing you own. Imagination is a force that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cameron/what-are-the-lessons-learned-well-i-think-number-one-is-curiosity-it/) [James Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cameron/) > [Well, no doubt it's a blessed thing to have an imagination that can always make you satisfied, no matter how you are fixed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/well-no-doubt-it-s-a-blessed-thing-to-have-an-imagination-that-can/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [The most active thing about me is my imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garfield/the-most-active-thing-about-me-is-my-imagination/) Garfield > [I think radio's a beautiful thing, because it's all about the imagination, and it's all about the capability of the performer being able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/i-think-radio-s-a-beautiful-thing-because-it-s-all-about-the/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [“Imagination is a glorious thing, Without imagination there would be no solace for our suffering, no wondrous creations, no stories to beguile us, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-wrighton/imagination-is-a-glorious-thing-without-imagination-there-would-be-no/) Karen Wrighton > [The thing about imagination is that by the very act of putting it down, there must be some truth in one's own imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-potter/the-thing-about-imagination-is-that-by-the-very-act-of-putting-it/) [Dennis Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-potter/) > [“Curiosity is the most powerful thing you own. Imagination is a force that can actually manifest a reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cameron/curiosity-is-the-most-powerful-thing-you-own-imagination-is-a-force/) [James Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cameron/) > [“And not the sort of thing you have imagination enough to think up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jordan/and-not-the-sort-of-thing-you-have-imagination-enough-to-think-up/) [Robert Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jordan/) > [Art is a thing so much of the imagination, of the soul, that it is difficult to descend to the fundamentals of technique and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-carlson/art-is-a-thing-so-much-of-the-imagination-of-the-soul-that-it-is/) [John F. Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-carlson/) > [Here's the thing about imagination. It gives you an opportunity to dream, no matter, you know, how outlandish my dreams were. Like, I thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-staley/here-s-the-thing-about-imagination-it-gives-you-an-opportunity-to/) [Dawn Staley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-staley/) ## More by Mario Vargas Llosa > [I think everybody, or the great majority of human beings, have this aspiration to become other: to live a different identity, at least for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/i-think-everybody-or-the-great-majority-of-human-beings-have-this/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [Nothing better protects a human being against the stupidity of prejudice, racism, religious or political sectarianism, and exclusivist nationalism than this truth that invariably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/nothing-better-protects-a-human-being-against-the-stupidity-of/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [I learnt to read when I was five, and I think that is the most important thing that happened to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/i-learnt-to-read-when-i-was-five-and-i-think-that-is-the-most/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [Death isn't enough. It doesn't remove the stain. But a slap, a whiplash, square on the face, does. Because a man's face is as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/death-isn-t-enough-it-doesn-t-remove-the-stain-but-a-slap-a-whiplash/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [The writer’s job is to write with rigor, with commitment, to defend what they believe with all the talent they have. I think that’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/the-writer-s-job-is-to-write-with-rigor-with-commitment-to-defend/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [The truths that seem most truthful, if you look at them from all sides, if you look at them close up, turn out to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/the-truths-that-seem-most-truthful-if-you-look-at-them-from-all-sides/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [That is one thing I am sure of amid my many uncertainties regarding the literary vocation: deep inside, a writer feels that writing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/that-is-one-thing-i-am-sure-of-amid-my-many-uncertainties-regarding/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [Revolution will free society of its afflictions, while science will free the individual of his.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/revolution-will-free-society-of-its-afflictions-while-science-will/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [I think if you're impregnated with good literature, with good culture, you're much more difficult to manipulate, and you're much more aware of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/i-think-if-you-re-impregnated-with-good-literature-with-good-culture/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [Each book, for me, has been an adventure, a period of time dedicated to study, to document certain facts, to traveling, and also to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/each-book-for-me-has-been-an-adventure-a-period-of-time-dedicated-to/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [Reading good literature is an experience of pleasure...but it is also an experience of learning what and how we are, in our human integrity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/reading-good-literature-is-an-experience-of-pleasure-but-it-is-also/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [“O comes o te comen, no hay más remedio.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/o-comes-o-te-comen-no-hay-m-s-remedio/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [“they knew what we’re doing for them, they’d kiss our feet. But mentally they are closer to the crocodile and the hippopotamus than to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/they-knew-what-we-re-doing-for-them-they-d-kiss-our-feet-but-mentally/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [Iraq is better without Saddam Hussein than with Saddam Hussein. Without a doubt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/iraq-is-better-without-saddam-hussein-than-with-saddam-hussein/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [When I was growing up, the Spanish-speaking world was Balkanized. We were isolated. We didn't know what was happening in cultural terms in Ecuador,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/when-i-was-growing-up-the-spanish-speaking-world-was-balkanized-we/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) [Explore all 166 Mario Vargas Llosa quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) ## 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. 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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 > [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": "Reality is the richest thing there is, the most important thing there is. 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