--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I believe we need literature, which, by…" description: "\"I believe we need literature, which, by allowing us to experience more fully, to imagine more fully, enables us to live more freely.\" — Phyllis Rose" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fc/phyllis-rose-30378_allowing_i-believe-we-need-literature-which-by-al_2647954.png" --- # I believe we need literature, which, by allowing us to… ![“I believe we need literature, which, by allowing us to experience more fully, to imagine more fully, enables us to live more freely.” quote by Phyllis Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fc/phyllis-rose-30378_allowing_i-believe-we-need-literature-which-by-al_2647954.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fc/phyllis-rose-30378_allowing_i-believe-we-need-literature-which-by-al_2647954.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fc/phyllis-rose-30378_allowing_i-believe-we-need-literature-which-by-al_2647954.png) > “I believe we need literature, which, by allowing us to experience more fully, to imagine more fully, enables us to live more freely.” [Phyllis Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-rose/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Literature expands empathy and imagination, granting greater personal freedom **In simple terms:** Reading broadens imagination and frees the mind Key Takeaway Read more to live freer Themes creativity freedom empathy Mood reflective inspired Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal growth - education - creative writing Key Concepts literary theory psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does literature change your choices? - Can imagination replace experience? A Different Perspective May not guarantee freedom without action ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Allowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allowing/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Fully Imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fully-imagine-2325535/) [I believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-believe/) [Imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine/) [Imagine Fully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine-fully-2325534/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Literature Allowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature-allowing-2325533/) [Need Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-literature-1355015/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“The more I read, the more I felt connected across time to other lives and deeper sympathies. I felt less isolated. I wasn’t floating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/the-more-i-read-the-more-i-felt-connected-across-time-to-other-lives/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [Living so fully, I can't imagine what any drug could do for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-baez/living-so-fully-i-can-t-imagine-what-any-drug-could-do-for-me/) [Joan Baez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-baez/) > [Freedom used to be something that I dreamed of but never allowed myself to fully imagine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-manning/freedom-used-to-be-something-that-i-dreamed-of-but-never-allowed/) [Chelsea Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-manning/) > [“clearly what is vitally important in living fully. Imagine”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-caprino/clearly-what-is-vitally-important-in-living-fully-imagine/) [Kathy Caprino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-caprino/) > [What we need in literature today are vast philosophic horizons... we need the most ultimate, the most fearsome, the most fearless "Why?" and "What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yevgeny-zamyatin/what-we-need-in-literature-today-are-vast-philosophic-horizons-we/) [Yevgeny Zamyatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yevgeny-zamyatin/) > [For me especially, I always need that literature medium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masiela-lusha/for-me-especially-i-always-need-that-literature-medium/) [Masiela Lusha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masiela-lusha/) > [There are those who believe we have need of more literature, of a large international publishing house, of a great peace newspaper, or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-bajer/there-are-those-who-believe-we-have-need-of-more-literature-of-a/) [Fredrik Bajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-bajer/) > [We need literature because we wouldn’t fully know ourselves without it. We need good literature to be fully human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/we-need-literature-because-we-wouldn-t-fully-know-ourselves-without/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [“What we need in literature today are vast philosophic horizons; we need the most ultimate, the most fearsome, the most fearless 'Why?' and 'What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yevgeny-zamyatin/what-we-need-in-literature-today-are-vast-philosophic-horizons-we-2/) [Yevgeny Zamyatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yevgeny-zamyatin/) > [Life is rather above the measure of us all (save for a very few perhaps). We all need literature that is above our measure--though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-rather-above-the-measure-of-us-all-save-for-a-very-few/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Even when I was saying I was Agnostic and trying to figure out my thoughts, I felt God was allowing me to do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfre-woodard/even-when-i-was-saying-i-was-agnostic-and-trying-to-figure-out-my/) [Alfre Woodard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfre-woodard/) > [“Once again I was shamelessly allowing myself to be defined by another person.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginny-babcock-kinflicks/once-again-i-was-shamelessly-allowing-myself-to-be-defined-by-another/) [Ginny Babcock Kinflicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginny-babcock-kinflicks/) > [When you are not honoring the present moment by allowing it to be, you are creating drama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/when-you-are-not-honoring-the-present-moment-by-allowing-it-to-be-you/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Is the minor convenience of allowing the present generation the luxury of doubling its energy consumption every 10 years worth the major hazard of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-r-brower/is-the-minor-convenience-of-allowing-the-present-generation-the/) [David R. Brower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-r-brower/) > [New generations of humans inherit the acquired discoveries of generations past, allowing cosmic insight to accumulate without limit. Each discovery of science therefore adds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/new-generations-of-humans-inherit-the-acquired-discoveries-of/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) ## More by Phyllis Rose > [“Who can resist the thought that love is the ideological bone thrown to women to distract their attention from the powerlessness of their lives?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-rose/who-can-resist-the-thought-that-love-is-the-ideological-bone-thrown/) [Phyllis Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-rose/) > [More people should visit Antarctica, metaphorically speaking, on their own. That is one of the conclusions I have reached, one of my recommendations: explore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-rose/more-people-should-visit-antarctica-metaphorically-speaking-on-their/) [Phyllis Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-rose/) > [When you realize how hard it is to know the truth about yourself, you understand that even the most exhaustive and well-meaning autobiography, determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-rose/when-you-realize-how-hard-it-is-to-know-the-truth-about-yourself-you/) [Phyllis Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-rose/) > [biographies are a little like marriages: You only have room in your life for one or two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-rose/biographies-are-a-little-like-marriages-you-only-have-room-in-your/) [Phyllis Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-rose/) > [“Some kinds of literature demand to be treated respectfully. The obligation is on the reader to live up to them and not so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-rose/some-kinds-of-literature-demand-to-be-treated-respectfully-the/) [Phyllis Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-rose/) > [the challenge of nonfiction is to marry art and truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-rose/the-challenge-of-nonfiction-is-to-marry-art-and-truth/) [Phyllis Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-rose/) > [There is no neutrality. There is only greater or lesser awareness of one's bias.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-rose/there-is-no-neutrality-there-is-only-greater-or-lesser-awareness-of/) [Phyllis Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-rose/) > [“Every reading is a misreading.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-rose/every-reading-is-a-misreading/) [Phyllis Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-rose/) > [“Most people should visit Antarctica, metaphorically speaking, on their own. That is one of the conclusions I have reached, one of my recommendations: explore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-rose/most-people-should-visit-antarctica-metaphorically-speaking-on-their/) [Phyllis Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-rose/) > [“The banal advice of writ in teachers is "write what you know," but the truth is, you don't know a place until you write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-rose/the-banal-advice-of-writ-in-teachers-is-write-what-you-know-but-the/) [Phyllis Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-rose/) > [One form of loneliness is to have a memory and no one to share it with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-rose/one-form-of-loneliness-is-to-have-a-memory-and-no-one-to-share-it-with/) [Phyllis Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-rose/) > [The literature of women's lives is a tradition of escapees, women who have lived to tell the tale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-rose/the-literature-of-women-s-lives-is-a-tradition-of-escapees-women-who/) [Phyllis Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-rose/) > [an autobiography held out the promise of hearing truths that only friends confess to one another but are knowledge you need to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-rose/an-autobiography-held-out-the-promise-of-hearing-truths-that-only/) [Phyllis Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-rose/) > [Perhaps that is what love is: the momentary or prolonged refusal to think of another person in terms of power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-rose/perhaps-that-is-what-love-is-the-momentary-or-prolonged-refusal-to/) [Phyllis Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-rose/) > [Men seem more bound to the wheel of success than women do. That women are trained to get satisfaction from affiliation rather thanachievement has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-rose/men-seem-more-bound-to-the-wheel-of-success-than-women-do-that-women/) [Phyllis Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-rose/) [Explore all 17 Phyllis Rose quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-rose/) ## More Allowing quotes > [New generations of humans inherit the acquired discoveries of generations past, allowing cosmic insight to accumulate without limit. Each discovery of science therefore adds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/new-generations-of-humans-inherit-the-acquired-discoveries-of/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Is the minor convenience of allowing the present generation the luxury of doubling its energy consumption every 10 years worth the major hazard of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-r-brower/is-the-minor-convenience-of-allowing-the-present-generation-the/) [David R. 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Good products integrate and become great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holmes/by-allowing-multiple-partners-to-contribute-an-open-platform-can/) [Ryan Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holmes/) > [When you ask for patience, what you get is a line at the bank. In other words, life gives you the people, places, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-mcmillan/when-you-ask-for-patience-what-you-get-is-a-line-at-the-bank-in-other/) [Tracy McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-mcmillan/) > [Sometimes, I get afraid it has defined me, that sense of grief, loss and illness. But actually, it is about allowing myself to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-i-get-afraid-it-has-defined-me-that-sense-of-grief-loss-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Meditation is actually a very simple exercise in resting in the natural state of your present mind, and allowing yourself to be simply and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yongey-mingyur-rinpoche/meditation-is-actually-a-very-simple-exercise-in-resting-in-the/) [Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yongey-mingyur-rinpoche/) > [When you're still, and some actors are really brilliant at that, you bring a kind of energy to you as opposed to sending the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-byrne/when-you-re-still-and-some-actors-are-really-brilliant-at-that-you/) [Gabriel Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-byrne/) > [The only reason I would write a break-up song is because my own problem of allowing myself to relate to people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zola-jesus/the-only-reason-i-would-write-a-break-up-song-is-because-my-own/) [Zola Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zola-jesus/) > [I just think fashion is about enjoying yourself and being comfortable in your skin and allowing you to be you - all the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-scott/i-just-think-fashion-is-about-enjoying-yourself-and-being-comfortable/) [Jill Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-scott/) > [I don't think there's any harm at all in allowing a kid to fantasize. 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I think it is a travesty that we've got men - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-want-to-deal-with-the-homeless-situation-here-in-washington-d-c-i/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) [Browse all 916 Allowing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allowing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I believe we need literature, which, by allowing us to experience more fully, to imagine more fully, enables us to live more freely.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Phyllis Rose" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-rose/i-believe-we-need-literature-which-by-allowing-us-to-experience-more/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Allowing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-rose/i-believe-we-need-literature-which-by-allowing-us-to-experience-more/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fc/phyllis-rose-30378_allowing_i-believe-we-need-literature-which-by-al_2647954.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fc/phyllis-rose-30378_allowing_i-believe-we-need-literature-which-by-al_2647954.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fc/phyllis-rose-30378_allowing_i-believe-we-need-literature-which-by-al_2647954.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I believe we need literature, which, by allowing us to experience more fully, to imagine more fully, enables…” — Phyllis Rose", "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": "Phyllis Rose", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-rose/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I believe we need literature, which,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-rose/i-believe-we-need-literature-which-by-allowing-us-to-experience-more/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-rose/i-believe-we-need-literature-which-by-allowing-us-to-experience-more/#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 } } ] } ```