--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This isn't about what is . . . it's about…" description: "\"“This isn't about what is . . . it's about what people think is. It's all imaginary anyway. That's why it's important. People only fight over imaginary..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b34/neil-gaiman-29_imaginary-things_this-isn-t-about-what-is-it-s-about-what_3220233.jpg" --- # This isn't about what is . . . it's about what people… ![“This isn't about what is . . . it's about what people think is. It's all imaginary anyway. That's why it's important. People only fight over imaginary things.” quote by Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b34/neil-gaiman-29_imaginary-things_this-isn-t-about-what-is-it-s-about-what_3220233.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b34/neil-gaiman-29_imaginary-things_this-isn-t-about-what-is-it-s-about-what_3220233.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b34/neil-gaiman-29_imaginary-things_this-isn-t-about-what-is-it-s-about-what_3220233.jpg) > ““This isn't about what is . . . it's about what people think is. It's all imaginary anyway. That's why it's important. People only fight over imaginary things.”” [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People fight over ideas that exist only in imagination, highlighting the futility of conflict over intangible concepts. **In simple terms:** Conflicts arise from imagined beliefs. Key Takeaway Question the reality of our disputes. Themes conflict perception reality Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - politics - religion - media narratives - personal beliefs Key Concepts social constructivism psychology Questions to Reflect On - What beliefs do we treat as real? - How can we resolve conflicts over imagined concepts? A Different Perspective Imaginary disputes can have real consequences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fight Imaginary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fight-imaginary-1768982/) [Imaginary Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imaginary-important-1768983/) [Imaginary things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imaginary-things/) [People Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-think/) [Think Imaginary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-imaginary-1309432/) ## Related quotes > [“This isn’t about what is,” said Mr. Nancy. “It’s about what people think is. It’s all imaginary anyway. That’s why it’s important. People only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/this-isn-t-about-what-is-said-mr-nancy-it-s-about-what-people-think/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [MATERIAL, adj. Having an actual existence, as distinguished from an imaginary one. Important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/material-adj-having-an-actual-existence-as-distinguished-from-an/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [I don't think we have enough imaginary creatures in cinema. It seems like we're stuck with zombies, vampires, and werewolves. We should have everything.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-jordan/i-don-t-think-we-have-enough-imaginary-creatures-in-cinema-it-seems/) [Neil Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-jordan/) > [“Paranoia. The more you think of an imaginary problem, the more you feel as though it’s real –”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simona-panova/paranoia-the-more-you-think-of-an-imaginary-problem-the-more-you-feel/) [Simona Panova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simona-panova/) > [Think; we have imaginary farms, cities, and animals. It is okay to poke people and write on walls. Facebook is a mental hospital and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azgraybebly-joslan/think-we-have-imaginary-farms-cities-and-animals-it-is-okay-to-poke/) [Azgraybebly Joslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azgraybebly-joslan/) > [I think for me, the imaginary world was always exciting. I started in New York doing theatre, from having just one person in an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dilshad-vadsaria/i-think-for-me-the-imaginary-world-was-always-exciting-i-started-in/) [Dilshad Vadsaria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dilshad-vadsaria/) > [“Most things are imaginary, when you think about it. Sometimes I think I'm imaginary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/most-things-are-imaginary-when-you-think-about-it-sometimes-i-think-i/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [You were the living image of the entire Platonic shadow show, an illusion that could fill my emptiness with marvellous, imaginary things as long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/you-were-the-living-image-of-the-entire-platonic-shadow-show-an/) [Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/) > [“But he’d found that imaginary things were often the only items of real substance in people’s lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/but-he-d-found-that-imaginary-things-were-often-the-only-items-of/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [Stand firm in that which you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir/stand-firm-in-that-which-you-are/) [Kabir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir/) > [Just throw away all thoughts of imaginary things, and stand firm in that which you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir/just-throw-away-all-thoughts-of-imaginary-things-and-stand-firm-in/) [Kabir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir/) > [How can you see something that isn't there?" yawned the Humbug, who wasn't fully awake yet. "Sometimes, it's much simpler than seeing things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norton-juster/how-can-you-see-something-that-isn-t-there-yawned-the-humbug-who-wasn/) [Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/) > [“Imaginary things were often the only items of real substance in people’s lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/imaginary-things-were-often-the-only-items-of-real-substance-in/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [These are facts, these are not imaginary things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyad-allawi/these-are-facts-these-are-not-imaginary-things/) [Iyad Allawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyad-allawi/) > [One of the most tragicomic things in life is that when a man makes an imaginary thing - such as a religion - as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/one-of-the-most-tragicomic-things-in-life-is-that-when-a-man-makes-an/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) ## More by Neil Gaiman > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Like all sentient beings, Fat Charlie had a weirdness quotient. For some days the needle had been over in the red, occasionally banging jerkily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/like-all-sentient-beings-fat-charlie-had-a-weirdness-quotient-for/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Shadow crawled across the floor to the yellow foam-rubber pad and climbed onto it, pulling the thin blanket over himself, and closed his eyes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/shadow-crawled-across-the-floor-to-the-yellow-foam-rubber-pad-and/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [ “\[T\]hey could not help being amused every time another little human believed itself the center of its world, as each of us does.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/t-hey-could-not-help-being-amused-every-time-another-little-human/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [So many things to see, people to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/so-many-things-to-see-people-to-do/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.’ – Ben Franklin,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/three-may-keep-a-secret-if-two-of-them-are-dead-ben-franklin/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You need more than a beginning if you're going to start a book. If all you have is a beginning, then once you've written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-need-more-than-a-beginning-if-you-re-going-to-start-a-book-if-all/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You can tell the date of an old science fiction novel by every word on the page. Nothing dates harder and faster and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-can-tell-the-date-of-an-old-science-fiction-novel-by-every-word/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“The quickest way is sometimes the longest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-quickest-way-is-sometimes-the-longest/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“They were spells, spelled with words to make worlds, waiting for me, in the pages of books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/they-were-spells-spelled-with-words-to-make-worlds-waiting-for-me-in/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Finish what you're writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/finish-what-you-re-writing-whatever-you-have-to-do-to-finish-it/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [What do stars do? They shine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-do-stars-do-they-shine/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“What," asked Mr Croup, "do you want?" "What," asked the Marquis de Carabas, a little more rhetorically, "does anyone want?" "Dead things," suggested Mr…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-asked-mr-croup-do-you-want-what-asked-the-marquis-de-carabas-a/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You get on with your own life. Lettie gave it to you. You just have to grow up and try and be worth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-get-on-with-your-own-life-lettie-gave-it-to-you-you-just-have-to/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Eyes will not see you. Minds will not hold you. Where you are is nothing and nobody”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/eyes-will-not-see-you-minds-will-not-hold-you-where-you-are-is/) [neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) [Explore all 2,526 Neil Gaiman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) ## More Imaginary things quotes > [These are facts, these are not imaginary things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyad-allawi/these-are-facts-these-are-not-imaginary-things/) [Iyad Allawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyad-allawi/) > [“Imaginary things were often the only items of real substance in people’s lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/imaginary-things-were-often-the-only-items-of-real-substance-in/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [How can you see something that isn't there?" yawned the Humbug, who wasn't fully awake yet. "Sometimes, it's much simpler than seeing things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norton-juster/how-can-you-see-something-that-isn-t-there-yawned-the-humbug-who-wasn/) [Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/) > [Just throw away all thoughts of imaginary things, and stand firm in that which you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir/just-throw-away-all-thoughts-of-imaginary-things-and-stand-firm-in/) [Kabir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir/) > [Stand firm in that which you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir/stand-firm-in-that-which-you-are/) [Kabir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir/) > [You were the living image of the entire Platonic shadow show, an illusion that could fill my emptiness with marvellous, imaginary things as long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/you-were-the-living-image-of-the-entire-platonic-shadow-show-an/) [Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/) > [One of the most tragicomic things in life is that when a man makes an imaginary thing - such as a religion - as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/one-of-the-most-tragicomic-things-in-life-is-that-when-a-man-makes-an/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“But he’d found that imaginary things were often the only items of real substance in people’s lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/but-he-d-found-that-imaginary-things-were-often-the-only-items-of/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [Be strong then, and enter into your own body; there you have a solid place for your feet. Think about it carefully! Don't go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir/be-strong-then-and-enter-into-your-own-body-there-you-have-a-solid/) [Kabir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir/) > [To me genres were always an imaginary things, they're just marketing channels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/to-me-genres-were-always-an-imaginary-things-they-re-just-marketing/) [Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/) > [Write about what really interests you, whether it is real things or imaginary things, and nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/write-about-what-really-interests-you-whether-it-is-real-things-or/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The consolation of imaginary things is not imaginary consolation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/the-consolation-of-imaginary-things-is-not-imaginary-consolation/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [“Silly man, doesn’t he know money is imaginary?” It’s paper that turns into numbers on screens, after all. It’s there, then it’s gone. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/silly-man-doesn-t-he-know-money-is-imaginary-it-s-paper-that-turns/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [Be strong then, and enter into your own body; there you have a solid place for your feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir/be-strong-then-and-enter-into-your-own-body-there-you-have-a-solid-2/) [Kabir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir/) > [if something is there, you can only see it with your eyes open, but if it isn't there, you can see it just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norton-juster/if-something-is-there-you-can-only-see-it-with-your-eyes-open-but-if/) [Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/) [Browse all 21 Imaginary things quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imaginary-things/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“This isn't about what is . . . it's about what people think is. 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