--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Without imagination, there’s no power to…" description: "\"“Without imagination, there’s no power to visualize what we have never experienced... and without that, there can be no progress, no invention.”\" — Max..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/675/max-allan-collins-17045_imagination_without-imagination-there-s-no-power-to_2364340.jpg" --- # Without imagination, there’s no power to visualize what we… ![“Without imagination, there’s no power to visualize what we have never experienced... and without that, there can be no progress, no invention.” quote by Max Allan Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/675/max-allan-collins-17045_imagination_without-imagination-there-s-no-power-to_2364340.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/675/max-allan-collins-17045_imagination_without-imagination-there-s-no-power-to_2364340.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/675/max-allan-collins-17045_imagination_without-imagination-there-s-no-power-to_2364340.jpg) > ““Without imagination, there’s no power to visualize what we have never experienced... and without that, there can be no progress, no invention.”” [Max Allan Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-allan-collins/) ## 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 visualization of unseen experiences, which drives innovation and progress. **In simple terms:** Imagination leads to new ideas and progress. Key Takeaway Cultivate imagination for breakthroughs. Themes imagination innovation progress Mood hopeful curious Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - product design - artistic creation - scientific research Key Concepts creative thinking future‑oriented vision Questions to Reflect On - What new experiences can you imagine? - How does imagination spark your projects? A Different Perspective Without imagination, ideas may stay abstract. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Imagination Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination-power-295790/) [Innovation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovation/) [Power Visualize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power-visualize-1921192/) [Progress Invention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress-invention-5801160/) [Visualize Experienced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/visualize-experienced-5801159/) ## Related quotes > [“We've been given the power to have what we visualize, but we tend to visualize what we already have.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-newberry/we-ve-been-given-the-power-to-have-what-we-visualize-but-we-tend-to/) [Tommy Newberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-newberry/) > [Everyone has the power to visualize.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-byrne/everyone-has-the-power-to-visualize/) [Rhonda Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-byrne/) > [Your imagination is the single most important asset you possess. Your imagination is your power to create mental pictures of things that don't exist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-brezsny/your-imagination-is-the-single-most-important-asset-you-possess-your/) [Rob Brezsny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-brezsny/) > [I hope my kids see imagination has power to change everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangechi-mutu/i-hope-my-kids-see-imagination-has-power-to-change-everything/) [Wangechi Mutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangechi-mutu/) > [Freedom, to me, is imagination, the power of imagination to create what we want and be who we want to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizzie-west/freedom-to-me-is-imagination-the-power-of-imagination-to-create-what/) [Lizzie West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizzie-west/) > [“Unlock a child's imagination through the power of words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kai-strand/unlock-a-child-s-imagination-through-the-power-of-words/) [Kai Strand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-strand/) > [There is almost no limit to the possibilities of the imagination, but to get the full power of it, one must trust one's imagination.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsa-barker/there-is-almost-no-limit-to-the-possibilities-of-the-imagination-but/) [Elsa Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsa-barker/) > [Imagination is the power of the mind over the possibilities of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/imagination-is-the-power-of-the-mind-over-the-possibilities-of-things/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [“Only our imagination has the power to create the world you want and whatever gives you true joy. Beware of those who tell you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franco-santoro/only-our-imagination-has-the-power-to-create-the-world-you-want-and/) [Franco Santoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franco-santoro/) > [The sorcery and charm of imagination, and the power it gives to the individual to transform his world into a new world of order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-barron/the-sorcery-and-charm-of-imagination-and-the-power-it-gives-to-the/) [Frank Barron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-barron/) > [“I beg you to cultivate imagination, which means to develop your power of sympathy, and I entreat you to decide thoughtfully what makes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/i-beg-you-to-cultivate-imagination-which-means-to-develop-your-power/) [Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/) > [The wonder of imagination is this: It has the power to light its own fire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-landis-mason/the-wonder-of-imagination-is-this-it-has-the-power-to-light-its-own/) [John Landis Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-landis-mason/) > [Want of imagination makes things unreal enough to be destroyed. By imagination I mean knowledge and love. I mean compassion. People of power kill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/want-of-imagination-makes-things-unreal-enough-to-be-destroyed-by/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Imagination is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/imagination-is-the-power-that-enables-us-to-empathize-with-humans/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [One of the wonderful aspects of the human imagination is its power to break through the barriers of time and space. It can see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/one-of-the-wonderful-aspects-of-the-human-imagination-is-its-power-to/) [Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/) ## More by Max Allan Collins > [“cite the following books: The Supreme Court Explained by Ellen Greenberg, Norton Publishing, 1997; The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Supreme Court by Lita…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-allan-collins/cite-the-following-books-the-supreme-court-explained-by-ellen/) [Max Allan Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-allan-collins/) > [“background. Nancy had an antique brass bed. I had the feeling these girls weren’t two of a kind. Meanwhile, I was going through things.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-allan-collins/background-nancy-had-an-antique-brass-bed-i-had-the-feeling-these/) [Max Allan Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-allan-collins/) > [“If Columbus had an advisory committee, he would probably still be at the dock.” Arthur J. Goldberg, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, 1962–1965,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-allan-collins/if-columbus-had-an-advisory-committee-he-would-probably-still-be-at/) [Max Allan Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-allan-collins/) > [“Sometimes I wonder if I've changed so much, my wife is even gonna recognize me whenever it is I get back to her, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-allan-collins/sometimes-i-wonder-if-i-ve-changed-so-much-my-wife-is-even-gonna/) [Max Allan Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-allan-collins/) > [“People are very quick to ridicule others for showing fear. But we rarely know the secret springboards behind human action. The man who shows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-allan-collins/people-are-very-quick-to-ridicule-others-for-showing-fear-but-we/) [Max Allan Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-allan-collins/) > [“People are very quick to ridicule others for showing fear. But we rarely know the secret springboards behind human action. The man who shows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-allan-collins/people-are-very-quick-to-ridicule-others-for-showing-fear-but-we-2/) [Max Allan Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-allan-collins/) > [“She couldn’t stop herself from grinning back at”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-allan-collins/she-couldn-t-stop-herself-from-grinning-back-at/) [Max Allan Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-allan-collins/) > [“Different eras—like us. John Philpot Curran, Irish judge and orator?” She just stared at him. “I’m paraphrasing,” Reeder said, “but in essence, Curran said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-allan-collins/different-eras-like-us-john-philpot-curran-irish-judge-and-orator-she/) [Max Allan Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-allan-collins/) > [“If Columbus had an advisory committee, he would probably still be at the dock.” Arthur J. Goldberg, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, 1962–1965, United”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-allan-collins/if-columbus-had-an-advisory-committee-he-would-probably-still-be-at-3/) [Max Allan Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-allan-collins/) > [ Rick: Can you swim? Evelyn: Well, of course I can swim if the occasion calls for it. Rick: \[throwing her overboard\] Trust me. It… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-allan-collins/rick-can-you-swim-evelyn-well-of-course-i-can-swim-if-the-occasion/) [Max Allan Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-allan-collins/) > [“If Columbus had an advisory committee, he would probably still be at the dock.” Arthur J. Goldberg, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, 1962–1965,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-allan-collins/if-columbus-had-an-advisory-committee-he-would-probably-still-be-at-4/) [Max Allan Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-allan-collins/) > [“The government, which was designed for the people, has got into the hands of the bosses and their employers, the special interests. An invisible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-allan-collins/the-government-which-was-designed-for-the-people-has-got-into-the/) [Max Allan Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-allan-collins/) > [“People are very quick to ridicule others for showing fear. But we rarely know the secret springboards behind human action. The man who shows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-allan-collins/people-are-very-quick-to-ridicule-others-for-showing-fear-but-we-3/) [Max Allan Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-allan-collins/) > [“Law not served by power is an illusion; but power not ruled by law is a menace.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-allan-collins/law-not-served-by-power-is-an-illusion-but-power-not-ruled-by-law-is/) [Max Allan Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-allan-collins/) > [ “Evelyn: \[drunk\] You're wondering, 'What is a place like me doing in a girl like this?' Rick: Yeah, something like that.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-allan-collins/evelyn-drunk-you-re-wondering-what-is-a-place-like-me-doing-in-a-girl/) [Max Allan Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-allan-collins/) [Explore all 38 Max Allan Collins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-allan-collins/) ## More Imagination quotes > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [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/) > [A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/a-rock-pile-ceases-to-be-a-rock-pile-the-moment-a-single-man/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [Imagination is the greatest nation in the world!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/imagination-is-the-greatest-nation-in-the-world/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [Merkel has realized that the euro is not working, but she cannot change the narrative she has created because that narrative has caught the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/merkel-has-realized-that-the-euro-is-not-working-but-she-cannot/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [Life is what you make it¦If one refuses to use ones imagination..it will be boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-what-you-make-it-if-one-refuses-to-use-ones-imagination-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Jonah Lehrer is one of the most talented explainers of science that we’ve got. What a pleasure it is to follow his investigation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/jonah-lehrer-is-one-of-the-most-talented-explainers-of-science-that/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [If you've got creativity, imagination, and intelligence, and you want to be hypnotised, then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-barry/if-you-ve-got-creativity-imagination-and-intelligence-and-you-want-to/) [Keith Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-barry/) > [“The power of imagination is strongest in the place of solitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/the-power-of-imagination-is-strongest-in-the-place-of-solitude/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [A beard is something that is almost like a mirror to the viewer. When someone sees you wearing a beard, they're seeing something in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/a-beard-is-something-that-is-almost-like-a-mirror-to-the-viewer-when/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [I like fantasy, but I don't live and breathe fantasy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-schmidt-hissrich/i-like-fantasy-but-i-don-t-live-and-breathe-fantasy/) [Lauren Schmidt Hissrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-schmidt-hissrich/) > [While the world of reality has its limits, the world of your imagination is without boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/while-the-world-of-reality-has-its-limits-the-world-of-your/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Edgy is fine - I'm not a prude by any stretch of the imagination - but what's wrong with a good ol' belly laugh?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-burnett/edgy-is-fine-i-m-not-a-prude-by-any-stretch-of-the-imagination-but/) [Carol Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-burnett/) > [With VR, we have this same vision, which is create this ultimate platform for sharing your imagination. Our huge community of 300,000 developers creates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baszucki/with-vr-we-have-this-same-vision-which-is-create-this-ultimate/) [David Baszucki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baszucki/) > [I like the idea of letting the music do its own work and the stories being more expressionful - if that's a word -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-flynn/i-like-the-idea-of-letting-the-music-do-its-own-work-and-the-stories/) [Johnny Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-flynn/) [Browse all 9,060 Imagination quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Without imagination, there’s no power to visualize what we have never experienced... and without that, there can be no progress, no invention.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Max Allan Collins" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-allan-collins/without-imagination-there-s-no-power-to-visualize-what-we-have-never/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Imagination" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-allan-collins/without-imagination-there-s-no-power-to-visualize-what-we-have-never/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/675/max-allan-collins-17045_imagination_without-imagination-there-s-no-power-to_2364340.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/675/max-allan-collins-17045_imagination_without-imagination-there-s-no-power-to_2364340.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/675/max-allan-collins-17045_imagination_without-imagination-there-s-no-power-to_2364340.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Without imagination, there’s no power to visualize what we have never experienced... and without that, there…” — Max Allan Collins", "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": "Max Allan Collins", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-allan-collins/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Without imagination, there’s no power to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-allan-collins/without-imagination-there-s-no-power-to-visualize-what-we-have-never/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-allan-collins/without-imagination-there-s-no-power-to-visualize-what-we-have-never/#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 } } ] } ```