---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For with him the phantoms of the mind…"
description: "\"For with him the phantoms of the mind (which to the average man are merely phantoms) projected themselves with a bodily vividness and violence. Not onl..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2e/may-sinclair-44446_accomplished_for-with-him-the-phantoms-of-the-mind-wh_1026873.jpg"
---

#  For with him the phantoms of the mind (which to the…

![“For with him the phantoms of the mind (which to the average man are merely phantoms) projected themselves with a bodily vividness and violence. Not only had they the colour and authority of accomplished fact, they were invested with an immortality denied to facts.” quote by May Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2e/may-sinclair-44446_accomplished_for-with-him-the-phantoms-of-the-mind-wh_1026873.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2e/may-sinclair-44446_accomplished_for-with-him-the-phantoms-of-the-mind-wh_1026873.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2e/may-sinclair-44446_accomplished_for-with-him-the-phantoms-of-the-mind-wh_1026873.jpg)

> “For with him the phantoms of the mind (which to the average man are merely phantoms) projected themselves with a bodily vividness and violence. Not only had they the colour and authority of accomplished fact, they were invested with an immortality denied to facts.”

[May Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sinclair/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The mind can create vivid, seemingly real phantoms that feel as concrete as facts, granting them a false permanence.

**In simple terms:** Mind creates powerful false realities.

Key Takeaway

Question your mental narratives.

Themes

perception reality imagination

Mood

reflective thoughtful analytical

Type

literary philosophical psychological

When to use this quote

- creative writing
- therapy
- critical thinking
- philosophical debate

Key Concepts

cognitive psychology subjective truth mental constructs

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you differentiate between mental constructs and objective facts?
- Can imagined scenarios shape real outcomes?

A Different Perspective

These mental images may be dismissed as mere illusion, limiting their impact.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Average man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/average-man/) [Colour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colour/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Immortality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immortality/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Phantoms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phantoms/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/)

## Related quotes

> [I make no conscious effort to be tough, or hard-boiled, or grim, or any of the things I am usually called. I merely try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/i-make-no-conscious-effort-to-be-tough-or-hard-boiled-or-grim-or-any/)

[James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/)

> [All these, however, were mere terrors of the night, phantoms of the mind that walk in darkness; and though he had seen many spectres…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/all-these-however-were-mere-terrors-of-the-night-phantoms-of-the-mind/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [Ah, that shows you the power of music, that magician of magician, who lifts his wand and says his mysterious word and all things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/ah-that-shows-you-the-power-of-music-that-magician-of-magician-who/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [Why does the past seem so magical, so fraught, so luminous? At the time it was just, ugh, another boring bloody day. But, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/why-does-the-past-seem-so-magical-so-fraught-so-luminous-at-the-time/)

[John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/)

> [The artist does not see both eyes alike. There is always 'the eye' and the other eye... It adds life and plasticity to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-french-sloan/the-artist-does-not-see-both-eyes-alike-there-is-always-the-eye-and/)

[John French Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-french-sloan/)

> [The measure of our rationality determines the degree of vividness with which we appreciate the needs of other life, the extent to which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/the-measure-of-our-rationality-determines-the-degree-of-vividness/)

[Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/)

> [Ordinary mind includes eternal perceptions. Notice what you notice. Observe what's vivid. Catch yourself thinking. Vividness is self-selecting. And remember the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-ginsberg/ordinary-mind-includes-eternal-perceptions-notice-what-you-notice/)

[Allen Ginsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-ginsberg/)

> [The vividness of children is easier to see when they're completely left to their own devices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hirokazu-kore-eda/the-vividness-of-children-is-easier-to-see-when-they-re-completely/)

[Hirokazu Kore-eda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hirokazu-kore-eda/)

> [There is probably no finer prose writer alive in Britain now, no-one better at making a sentence, no-one better at descriptive writing, no-one who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-grant/there-is-probably-no-finer-prose-writer-alive-in-britain-now-no-one/)

[Linda Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-grant/)

> [A. Douglas Stone, a physicist who has spent his life using quantum mechanics to explore striking new phenomena, has turned his considerable writing skills…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-galison/a-douglas-stone-a-physicist-who-has-spent-his-life-using-quantum/)

Peter Galison

> [Any setting can potentially acquire this vividness. It slowly arrives during the period of research, until it is as immediate to me as my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-tremain/any-setting-can-potentially-acquire-this-vividness-it-slowly-arrives/)

[Rose Tremain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-tremain/)

> [In the case of drama (stage, movies, television ), there appear to be people in almost every audience who never quite fully realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/in-the-case-of-drama-stage-movies-television-there-appear-to-be/)

[S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/)

> [The intensity of vision in the artist and of vividness in his creations are the sole tests of his imaginative power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/the-intensity-of-vision-in-the-artist-and-of-vividness-in-his/)

[George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/)

> [Everyone remembers his past with greater vividness as the present becomes more important. Dying men in their last delirium are supposed to see their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-svevo/everyone-remembers-his-past-with-greater-vividness-as-the-present/)

[Italo Svevo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-svevo/)

> [Consistency in opinion is the slow poison of intellectual life, the destroyer of its vividness and energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphry-davy/consistency-in-opinion-is-the-slow-poison-of-intellectual-life-the/)

[Humphry Davy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humphry-davy/)

## More by May Sinclair

> [At the moment you are no longer an observing, reflecting being; you have ceased to be aware of yourself; you exist only in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sinclair/at-the-moment-you-are-no-longer-an-observing-reflecting-being-you/)

[May Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sinclair/)

> [Knowing reality is knowing that you can't lose it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sinclair/knowing-reality-is-knowing-that-you-can-t-lose-it/)

[May Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sinclair/)

> [people in great trouble don't change to other people. They only change to themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sinclair/people-in-great-trouble-don-t-change-to-other-people-they-only-change/)

[May Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sinclair/)

> [when you think you've got hold of a genius ... you can't be sure whether it's a spark of the divine fire or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sinclair/when-you-think-you-ve-got-hold-of-a-genius-you-can-t-be-sure-whether/)

[May Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sinclair/)

> [The War will leave none of us as it found us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sinclair/the-war-will-leave-none-of-us-as-it-found-us/)

[May Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sinclair/)

> [And I wasn't a journalist any more than I was a trained nurse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sinclair/and-i-wasn-t-a-journalist-any-more-than-i-was-a-trained-nurse/)

[May Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sinclair/)

> [“She sewed as she read. For the Vicar considered that sewing was an occupation and that reading was not. He was silent as long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sinclair/she-sewed-as-she-read-for-the-vicar-considered-that-sewing-was-an/)

[May Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sinclair/)

> [if you don't believe in yourself, you'll have some difficulty in making other people believe in you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sinclair/if-you-don-t-believe-in-yourself-you-ll-have-some-difficulty-in/)

[May Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sinclair/)

[Explore all 9 May Sinclair quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sinclair/)

## More Accomplished quotes

> [I never believed in trying to do anything. Whatever I set out to do I found I had already accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/i-never-believed-in-trying-to-do-anything-whatever-i-set-out-to-do-i/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [This is, for an accomplished Latino, an accomplished African American, an accomplished anyone who disproves stereotypes, it's a constant battle in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-sotomayor/this-is-for-an-accomplished-latino-an-accomplished-african-american/)

[Sonia Sotomayor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-sotomayor/)

> [When you have accomplished your goal simply walk away. This is the path way to Heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/when-you-have-accomplished-your-goal-simply-walk-away-this-is-the/)

[Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/)

> [... even the most sublimely accomplished non-stop talker can't consistently please.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger-2/even-the-most-sublimely-accomplished-non-stop-talker-can-t/)

[J. D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger-2/)

> [ \[U\]nless oppressed groups stick together, and on alliances of self interest rather than do-goodism; nothing can be accomplished in the long run to dismantle… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/u-nless-oppressed-groups-stick-together-and-on-alliances-of-self/)

[Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/)

> [Alas, you don't need monsters for monstrous deeds to be accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/alas-you-don-t-need-monsters-for-monstrous-deeds-to-be-accomplished/)

[Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/)

> [Like all writers, he measured the achievements of others by what they had accomplished, asking of them that they measure him by what he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/like-all-writers-he-measured-the-achievements-of-others-by-what-they/)

[Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/)

> [I'm proud of what I've accomplished and that is empowering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/violet-chachki/i-m-proud-of-what-i-ve-accomplished-and-that-is-empowering/)

[Violet Chachki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/violet-chachki/)

> [We do not know today whether we are busy or idle. In times when we thought ourselves indolent, we have afterwards discovered that much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/we-do-not-know-today-whether-we-are-busy-or-idle-in-times-when-we/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [I don't know Beyoncé, but I have the impression that she's sincere, that she really is a feminist and wanted to put the word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-don-t-know-beyonc-but-i-have-the-impression-that-she-s-sincere-that/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [The gain in self-confidence of having accomplished a tiresome labour is immense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/the-gain-in-self-confidence-of-having-accomplished-a-tiresome-labour/)

[Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/)

> [With Epcot Center, the Disney corporation has accomplished something I didn't think possible in today's world. They have created a land of make-believe that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/with-epcot-center-the-disney-corporation-has-accomplished-something-i/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Listing the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act could harm bear conservation efforts by eliminating revenues from the carefully-regulated sport hunting of polar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ridenour/listing-the-polar-bear-under-the-endangered-species-act-could-harm/)

Amy Ridenour

> [“Great things can be accomplished, when it doesnt matter who gets the credit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/great-things-can-be-accomplished-when-it-doesnt-matter-who-gets-the/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [If I could inspire you for even a moment to be yourself and love yourself, and not let what anyone has to say hinder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-neal-hartry/if-i-could-inspire-you-for-even-a-moment-to-be-yourself-and-love/)

[Joshua Neal Hartry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-neal-hartry/)

Browse all 1,379 Accomplished quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "For with him the phantoms of the mind (which to the average man are merely phantoms) projected themselves with a bodily vividness and violence. Not only had they the colour and authority of accomplished fact, they were invested with an immortality denied to facts.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "May Sinclair"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sinclair/for-with-him-the-phantoms-of-the-mind-which-to-the-average-man-are/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Accomplished"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sinclair/for-with-him-the-phantoms-of-the-mind-which-to-the-average-man-are/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2e/may-sinclair-44446_accomplished_for-with-him-the-phantoms-of-the-mind-wh_1026873.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2e/may-sinclair-44446_accomplished_for-with-him-the-phantoms-of-the-mind-wh_1026873.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2e/may-sinclair-44446_accomplished_for-with-him-the-phantoms-of-the-mind-wh_1026873.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“For with him the phantoms of the mind (which to the average man are merely phantoms) projected themselves…” — May Sinclair",
                "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": "May Sinclair",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sinclair/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "For with him the phantoms of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sinclair/for-with-him-the-phantoms-of-the-mind-which-to-the-average-man-are/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sinclair/for-with-him-the-phantoms-of-the-mind-which-to-the-average-man-are/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
