Agency Quote by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
“The secondary Imagination I consider as an echo of the former, co-existing with the conscious will, yet still as identical with the primary in the kind of its agency, and differing only in degree, and in the mode of its operation. It dissolves, diffuses, dissipates, in order to recreate: or where this process is rendered impossible, yet still at all events it struggles to idealize and to unify. It is essentially vital, even as all objects (as objects) are essentially fixed and dead.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Biographia Literaria by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, 1817
The secondary imagination is a subtle, echoing faculty that works alongside conscious will, reshaping reality through diffusion and synthesis, striving to unify and idealize despite inherent limits.
In simple terms: A creative mind that reshapes reality while working with conscious intent.
Key Takeaway
Cultivate both conscious intent and imaginative diffusion.
Themes
creativity
imagination
philosophy
psychology
Mood
reflective
inquisitive
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- artistic creation
- problem solving
- scientific theorizing
- personal growth
Key Concepts
secondary imagination
creative diffusion
ideation
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you balance conscious control with imaginative flow?
- What limits does your primary imagination impose?
A Different Perspective
It may be constrained by rigid structures and fixed perceptions.
![“We have no clear ideas of the agency of [demonic] spirits, nor is it necessary. The Scripture says little to satisfy our curiosity; but tells us plainly that he is always watching us, and desiring to sift us as wheat. I believe we give him no more than his due, when we charge him with having a…” quote by John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c75/john-newton-6629_abundance_we-have-no-clear-ideas-of-the-agency-of_2907.jpg)
