Possibility Quote by Robert Musil
““But if there is a sense of reality, and no one will doubt that it has its justification for existing, then there must also be something we can call a sense of possibility. Whoever has it does not say, for instance: Here this or that has happened, will happen, must happen; but he invents: Here this or that might, could, or ought to happen. If he is told that something is the way it is, he will think: Well, it could probably just as well be otherwise. [...] Such possibilists are said to inhabit a more delicate medium, a hazy medium of mist, fantasy, daydreams, and the subjunctive mood. Children who show this tendency are dealt with firmly and warned that such persons are cranks, dreamers, weaklings, know-it-alls, or troublemakers. Such fools are also called idealists by those who wish to praise them. But all this clearly applies only to their weak subspecies, those who cannot comprehend reality or who, in their melancholic condition, avoid it. These are people in whom the lack of a sense of reality is a real deficiency.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Man Without Qualities, 1930-1943
The passage contrasts a rigid, factual view of reality with a flexible, imaginative sense of possibility, suggesting that embracing uncertainty and imagination is essential for growth.
In simple terms: Reality vs. imagination; imagination is vital.
Allow imagination to challenge certainty.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- educational philosophy
- creative writing
- personal development
- conflict resolution
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we balance realism with imagination?
- What value does uncertainty bring to decision making?
Idealists may be dismissed as impractical, limiting innovation.