--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Man is able to do what he is unable to…" description: "\"Man is able to do what he is unable to imagine. His head trails a wake through the galaxy of the absurd.\" — Rene Char" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/608/ren-char-15267_ability_man-is-able-to-do-what-he-is-unable-to-i_1142930.png" --- # Man is able to do what he is unable to imagine. His head… ![“Man is able to do what he is unable to imagine. His head trails a wake through the galaxy of the absurd.” quote by Rene Char](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/608/ren-char-15267_ability_man-is-able-to-do-what-he-is-unable-to-i_1142930.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/608/ren-char-15267_ability_man-is-able-to-do-what-he-is-unable-to-i_1142930.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/608/ren-char-15267_ability_man-is-able-to-do-what-he-is-unable-to-i_1142930.png) > “Man is able to do what he is unable to imagine. His head trails a wake through the galaxy of the absurd.” [Rene Char](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-char/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Imagination expands possibilities beyond perceived limits, leading to extraordinary achievements. **In simple terms:** Imagine beyond limits. Key Takeaway Dream big and act creatively. Themes imagination possibility creativity Mood hopeful inspired Type philosophical creative When to use this quote - artistic projects - scientific research - entrepreneurial ventures - personal growth Key Concepts cognitive expansion visionary thinking Questions to Reflect On - What would you attempt if fear vanished? - How can you cultivate imaginative thinking daily? A Different Perspective Fear of failure can restrict imagination. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Absurd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurd/) [Galaxy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/galaxy/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Trails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trails/) ## Related quotes > [“When a group has internalised their oppression, they may find themselves unable to imagine living without it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malebo-sephodi/when-a-group-has-internalised-their-oppression-they-may-find/) [Malebo Sephodi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malebo-sephodi/) > [“...to encounter me now at age sixty-six is to be unable to imagine me at fifteen...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/to-encounter-me-now-at-age-sixty-six-is-to-be-unable-to-imagine-me-at/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [It is not bigotry to be certain we are right; but it is bigotry to be unable to imagine how we might possibly have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-not-bigotry-to-be-certain-we-are-right-but-it-is-bigotry-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“There are those who cannot imagine a world without birds; there are those who cannot imagine a world without water; but in my case…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/there-are-those-who-cannot-imagine-a-world-without-birds-there-are/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [The petit-bourgeois is a man unable to imagine the Other. If he comes face to face with him, he blinds himself, ignores and denies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/the-petit-bourgeois-is-a-man-unable-to-imagine-the-other-if-he-comes/) [Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/) > [Well, I for one am unable to imagine how anybody who lives with an intelligent and devoted dog can every be lonely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-von-arnim/well-i-for-one-am-unable-to-imagine-how-anybody-who-lives-with-an/) [Elizabeth von Arnim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-von-arnim/) > [No Man will ever be able to even get 'close enough' for me to even consider being unfaithful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-man-will-ever-be-able-to-even-get-close-enough-for-me-to-even/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out for himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/the-most-dangerous-man-to-any-government-is-the-man-who-is-able-to/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [A man should be able to hear, and to bear, the worst that could be said of him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/a-man-should-be-able-to-hear-and-to-bear-the-worst-that-could-be-said/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [I want a man who isn't questioning who he is. I want a man to be able to stand next to me and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-white/i-want-a-man-who-isn-t-questioning-who-he-is-i-want-a-man-to-be-able/) [Jessica White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-white/) > [The essence of man is not what he is, but in what he is able to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-joshua-heschel/the-essence-of-man-is-not-what-he-is-but-in-what-he-is-able-to-be/) [Abraham Joshua Heschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-joshua-heschel/) > [To me, a big man has to be able to guard on the perimeter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-d-antoni/to-me-a-big-man-has-to-be-able-to-guard-on-the-perimeter/) [Mike D'Antoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-d-antoni/) > [The greatest thing in the world is for a man to be able to do something well, and say nothing about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/the-greatest-thing-in-the-world-is-for-a-man-to-be-able-to-do/) [E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/) > [I'm always the neutral guy, man. I'm able to bring people together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/i-m-always-the-neutral-guy-man-i-m-able-to-bring-people-together/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [“Men may keep a sort of level of good, but no man has ever been able to keep on one level of evil. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/men-may-keep-a-sort-of-level-of-good-but-no-man-has-ever-been-able-to/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) ## More by Rene Char > [“Midnight is not in everyman's reach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-char/midnight-is-not-in-everyman-s-reach/) [René Char](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-char/) > [A poet should leave traces of his passage, not proofs. Traces alone engender dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-char/a-poet-should-leave-traces-of-his-passage-not-proofs-traces-alone/) [Rene Char](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-char/) > [How can we live without the unknown before us?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-char/how-can-we-live-without-the-unknown-before-us/) [Rene Char](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-char/) > [“In my land we don't question someone who has been touched deeply. There is no malign shadow over capsized boats.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-char/in-my-land-we-don-t-question-someone-who-has-been-touched-deeply/) [René Char](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-char/) > [Be gful to the man who cares nothing for your remorse. You are his equal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-char/be-gful-to-the-man-who-cares-nothing-for-your-remorse-you-are-his/) [Rene Char](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-char/) > [“Ihminen vailla puutteita on vuori vailla rotkoja.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-char/ihminen-vailla-puutteita-on-vuori-vailla-rotkoja/) [René Char](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-char/) > [Imagination consists in expelling from reality several incomplete persons, and then using the magic and subversive powers of desire to bring them back in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-char/imagination-consists-in-expelling-from-reality-several-incomplete/) [Rene Char](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-char/) > [“A poet should leave traces of his passage, not proof.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-char/a-poet-should-leave-traces-of-his-passage-not-proof/) [René Char](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-char/) > [“The poet advises: 'Read me. Read me again.' He does not always come away unscathed from his page, but like the poor, he knows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-char/the-poet-advises-read-me-read-me-again-he-does-not-always-come-away/) [René Char](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-char/) > [To be a poet is to have an appetite for a certain anxiety which, when tasted among the swirling sum of things existent or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-char/to-be-a-poet-is-to-have-an-appetite-for-a-certain-anxiety-which-when/) [Rene Char](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-char/) > [A poet must leave traces of his passage, not proof.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-char/a-poet-must-leave-traces-of-his-passage-not-proof/) [Rene Char](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-char/) > [Develop your legitimate strangeness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-char/develop-your-legitimate-strangeness/) [Rene Char](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-char/) > [“Lucidity is the wound closest to the sun.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-char/lucidity-is-the-wound-closest-to-the-sun/) [Rene Char](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-char/) > [“The poem is furious ascension; poetry, the game of arid riverbanks. I am a man of riverbanks – excavation and inflammation – not always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-char/the-poem-is-furious-ascension-poetry-the-game-of-arid-riverbanks-i-am/) [René Char](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-char/) > [Each act is virgin, even the repeated ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-char/each-act-is-virgin-even-the-repeated-ones/) [Rene Char](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-char/) [Explore all 39 Rene Char quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-char/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/) [Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/) [Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Man is able to do what he is unable to imagine. 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