--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Daydreaming does not enjoy tremendous…" description: "\"“Daydreaming does not enjoy tremendous prestige in our culture, which tends to regard it as unproductive thought. Writers perhaps appreciate its import..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/094/michael-pollan-408_daydreaming_daydreaming-does-not-enjoy-tremendous-pr_3108862.png" --- # Daydreaming does not enjoy tremendous prestige in our… ![“Daydreaming does not enjoy tremendous prestige in our culture, which tends to regard it as unproductive thought. Writers perhaps appreciate its importance better than most, since a fair amount of what they call work consists of little more than daydreaming edited. Yet anyone who reads for pleasure…” quote by Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/094/michael-pollan-408_daydreaming_daydreaming-does-not-enjoy-tremendous-pr_3108862.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/094/michael-pollan-408_daydreaming_daydreaming-does-not-enjoy-tremendous-pr_3108862.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/094/michael-pollan-408_daydreaming_daydreaming-does-not-enjoy-tremendous-pr_3108862.png) > ““Daydreaming does not enjoy tremendous prestige in our culture, which tends to regard it as unproductive thought. Writers perhaps appreciate its importance better than most, since a fair amount of what they call work consists of little more than daydreaming edited. Yet anyone who reads for pleasure should prize it too, for what is reading a good book but a daydream at second hand? Unlike any other form of thought, daydreaming is its own reward.”” [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Daydreaming is undervalued but essential for creative work and pleasure reading, offering its own intrinsic reward. **In simple terms:** Daydreaming fuels creativity and enjoyment. Key Takeaway Embrace daydreaming as a creative tool. Themes creativity imagination leisure productivity reward Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - writing - reading for pleasure - problem solving - brainstorming Key Concepts cognitive flow intrinsic motivation creative incubation Questions to Reflect On - How can you schedule daydreaming to boost creativity? - What activities benefit from a daydreaming pause? A Different Perspective Daydreaming can become excessive distraction if not balanced with focused effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Daydreaming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daydreaming/) [Daydreaming Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daydreaming-does-5420679/) [Daydreaming Edited](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daydreaming-edited-5420680/) [Daydreaming Reward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daydreaming-reward-3942908/) [Good book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-book/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Second hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/second-hand/) [Thought Daydreaming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-daydreaming-3942909/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [Unlike any other form of thought, daydreaming is its own reward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/unlike-any-other-form-of-thought-daydreaming-is-its-own-reward/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Without its daydreams, the self is apt to shrink down to the size and shape of the estimation of others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/without-its-daydreams-the-self-is-apt-to-shrink-down-to-the-size-and/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [We are second-hand people. We have lived on what we have been told, either guided by our inclinations, our tendencies, or compelled to accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/we-are-second-hand-people-we-have-lived-on-what-we-have-been-told/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [True friendship is self-love at second hand; where, as in a flattering mirror we may see our virtues magnified and our errors softened, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/true-friendship-is-self-love-at-second-hand-where-as-in-a-flattering/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [I'm really interested in fashion but at the same time I find it quite competitive. Second-hand stuff leaves you more open to whatever your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-really-interested-in-fashion-but-at-the-same-time-i-find-it-quite/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What is Time... That you speak of it so subserviently? Are we to be the slaves of the sun, that second-hand, overrated knob of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mervyn-peake/what-is-time-that-you-speak-of-it-so-subserviently-are-we-to-be-the/) [Mervyn Peake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mervyn-peake/) > [Translated literature can be fascinating. There's something so intriguing about reading the text second hand - a piece of prose that has already been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/translated-literature-can-be-fascinating-there-s-something-so/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [“On the instant when we come to realize that tragedy is second-hand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/on-the-instant-when-we-come-to-realize-that-tragedy-is-second-hand/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [I loved you when you opened like a lily to the heat; you see I’m just another snowman standing in the rain and sleet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-loved-you-when-you-opened-like-a-lily-to-the-heat-you-see-i-m-just/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [Newspapers are the second hand of history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/newspapers-are-the-second-hand-of-history/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [“Everyone is always in such a hurry Measuring the minutes Dripping off the end of the second hand At the end of the day”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-alene/everyone-is-always-in-such-a-hurry-measuring-the-minutes-dripping-off/) [Catherine Alene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-alene/) > [I can tell you that second hand smoke is not a health hazard to anyone and never was, and the EPA has always known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/i-can-tell-you-that-second-hand-smoke-is-not-a-health-hazard-to/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > ["The diary, "My diary. Little Ginny's been writing in it for months and months, telling me all her pitiful worries and woes - how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-riddle/the-diary-my-diary-little-ginny-s-been-writing-in-it-for-months-and/) [Tom Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-riddle/) > [Rich widows are the only second-hand goods that sell at prime cost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/rich-widows-are-the-only-second-hand-goods-that-sell-at-prime-cost/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [All religious vows, codes, and commitments are null & void herein. Please refrain from contaminating the ideosphere with harmful memes through prayer, reverence, holy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-erwin/all-religious-vows-codes-and-commitments-are-null-void-herein-please/) [Greg Erwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-erwin/) ## More by Michael Pollan > [“In the same way that the picturesque designers were always careful to include some reminder of our mortality in their gardens -- a ruin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/in-the-same-way-that-the-picturesque-designers-were-always-careful-to/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [My hope is that if people have the knowledge, and if they actually see where their food comes from and have access to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/my-hope-is-that-if-people-have-the-knowledge-and-if-they-actually-see/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [The problem is that we let special-occasion food become everyday food. That goes for soda and french fries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/the-problem-is-that-we-let-special-occasion-food-become-everyday-food/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Every peasant cuisine has incredible ingenious tricks for getting a lot of nutrition out of a small amount of ingredients. There are people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/every-peasant-cuisine-has-incredible-ingenious-tricks-for-getting-a/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“In ancient Greece, the word for “cook,” “butcher,” and “priest” was the same—mageiros—and the word shares an etymological root with “magic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/in-ancient-greece-the-word-for-cook-butcher-and-priest-was-the-same/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [In the end I'm still a writer. I'm still a journalist, and my first responsibility is to my readers. That's where I have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/in-the-end-i-m-still-a-writer-i-m-still-a-journalist-and-my-first/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Seeds have the power to preserve species, to enhance cultural as well as genetic diversity, to counter economic monopoly and to check the advance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/seeds-have-the-power-to-preserve-species-to-enhance-cultural-as-well/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“The bubble logic driving tulipomania has since acquired a name: “the greater fool theory.” Although by any conventional measure it is folly to pay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/the-bubble-logic-driving-tulipomania-has-since-acquired-a-name-the/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“Of the seven deadly sins, surely it is pride that most afflicts the gardener.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/of-the-seven-deadly-sins-surely-it-is-pride-that-most-afflicts-the/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Growing corn, which from a biological perspective had always been a process of capturing sunlight to turn into food, has in no small measure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/growing-corn-which-from-a-biological-perspective-had-always-been-a/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Eat with consciousness. When you eat with consciousness, and you know what you're eating, and you eat it in full appreciation of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/eat-with-consciousness-when-you-eat-with-consciousness-and-you-know/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [This is part of human nature, the desire to change consciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/this-is-part-of-human-nature-the-desire-to-change-consciousness/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“...whenever I hear people say clean food is expensive, I tell them it's actually the cheapest food you can buy. That always gets their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/whenever-i-hear-people-say-clean-food-is-expensive-i-tell-them-it-s/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“Imagine if we had a food system that actually produced wholesome food. Imagine if it produced that food in a way that restored the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/imagine-if-we-had-a-food-system-that-actually-produced-wholesome-food/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“CONSULT YOUR GUT.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/consult-your-gut/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) [Explore all 584 Michael Pollan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) ## More Daydreaming quotes > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [An excessive preponderance of an idealistic mood is harmful to society: it creates daydreaming, political Don Quixotism, hope for heavenly intervention. This is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henryk-sienkiewicz/an-excessive-preponderance-of-an-idealistic-mood-is-harmful-to/) [Henryk Sienkiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henryk-sienkiewicz/) > [Sometimes the worst thing that can happen is, 'Oh, I'm on stage playing a song,' because you're daydreaming about something else, you're on autopilot.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/sometimes-the-worst-thing-that-can-happen-is-oh-i-m-on-stage-playing/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [“... stability prevents daydreaming about 'what if...' and inserts us totally into what we are doing, causing us to live with a new intensity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wilkes/stability-prevents-daydreaming-about-what-if-and-inserts-us-totally/) [Paul Wilkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wilkes/) > [Do not confuse fantasy with imagination; the former consumes itself in daydreaming, the latter stimulates creativity in the arts and in the sciences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fausto-cercignani/do-not-confuse-fantasy-with-imagination-the-former-consumes-itself-in/) [Fausto Cercignani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fausto-cercignani/) > [He is a great enough magician to tap our most common nightmares, daydreams and twilight fancies, but he never invented them either: he found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/he-is-a-great-enough-magician-to-tap-our-most-common-nightmares/) [Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/) > [When the writing is really working, I think there is something like dreaming going on. I don't know how to draw the line between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/when-the-writing-is-really-working-i-think-there-is-something-like/) [John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/) > [The only big ideas I've ever had came from daydreaming, but modern life keeps people from daydreaming. Every moment of the day your mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-maccready/the-only-big-ideas-i-ve-ever-had-came-from-daydreaming-but-modern/) [Paul MacCready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-maccready/) > [“Kids are naturally curious about the world around them. Everything is fascinating and holds their attention as they explore their new surroundings. Adults however,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-murphy/kids-are-naturally-curious-about-the-world-around-them-everything-is/) [James A. Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-murphy/) > [A writer, or at least a poet, is always being asked by people who should know better: “Whom do you write for?” The question…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-writer-or-at-least-a-poet-is-always-being-asked-by-people-who/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'll listen to a song so much that ideas start to form out of daydreaming. It's as if I'm reverse-scoring the track and building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiro-murai/i-ll-listen-to-a-song-so-much-that-ideas-start-to-form-out-of/) [Hiro Murai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiro-murai/) > [If you've never stared off in the distance, then your life is a shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-duritz/if-you-ve-never-stared-off-in-the-distance-then-your-life-is-a-shame/) [Adam Duritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-duritz/) > [Without its daydreams, the self is apt to shrink down to the size and shape of the estimation of others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/without-its-daydreams-the-self-is-apt-to-shrink-down-to-the-size-and/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“Daydreaming had started me on the way; but story writing, once I was truly in its grip, took me and shook me awake.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/daydreaming-had-started-me-on-the-way-but-story-writing-once-i-was/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [The real thing, when done right , is always better than a daydream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-harmon/the-real-thing-when-done-right-is-always-better-than-a-daydream/) [Amy Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-harmon/) [Browse all 333 Daydreaming quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daydreaming/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Daydreaming does not enjoy tremendous prestige in our culture, which tends to regard it as unproductive thought. Writers perhaps appreciate its importance better than most, since a fair amount of what they call work consists of little more than daydreaming edited. Yet anyone who reads for pleasure should prize it too, for what is reading a good book but a daydream at second hand? Unlike any other form of thought, daydreaming is its own reward.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Pollan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/daydreaming-does-not-enjoy-tremendous-prestige-in-our-culture-which/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Daydreaming" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/daydreaming-does-not-enjoy-tremendous-prestige-in-our-culture-which/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/094/michael-pollan-408_daydreaming_daydreaming-does-not-enjoy-tremendous-pr_3108862.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/094/michael-pollan-408_daydreaming_daydreaming-does-not-enjoy-tremendous-pr_3108862.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/094/michael-pollan-408_daydreaming_daydreaming-does-not-enjoy-tremendous-pr_3108862.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Daydreaming does not enjoy tremendous prestige in our culture, which tends to regard it as unproductive…” — Michael Pollan", "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": "Michael Pollan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Daydreaming does not enjoy tremendous prestige...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/daydreaming-does-not-enjoy-tremendous-prestige-in-our-culture-which/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/daydreaming-does-not-enjoy-tremendous-prestige-in-our-culture-which/#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 } } ] } ```