---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Imagination that compares and contrasts…"
description: "\"Imagination that compares and contrasts with what is around as well as what is better and worse is the living power and prime agent of all human percep..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61f/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_agents_imagination-that-compares-and-contrasts_2727876.jpg"
---

#  Imagination that compares and contrasts with what is…

![“Imagination that compares and contrasts with what is around as well as what is better and worse is the living power and prime agent of all human perception judgement and emotional reaction.” quote by Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61f/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_agents_imagination-that-compares-and-contrasts_2727876.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61f/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_agents_imagination-that-compares-and-contrasts_2727876.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61f/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_agents_imagination-that-compares-and-contrasts_2727876.jpg)

> “Imagination that compares and contrasts with what is around as well as what is better and worse is the living power and prime agent of all human perception judgement and emotional reaction.”

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Our imagination shapes perception by comparing reality with ideals, influencing judgment and emotion.

**In simple terms:** Imagination compares reality and ideals, guiding feelings.

Key Takeaway

Use imagination to evaluate and improve situations.

Themes

imagination perception judgment

Mood

thoughtful inquisitive

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- creative writing
- design thinking
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

philosophy psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- When does imagination hinder clarity?
- How to balance imagination with reality?

A Different Perspective

Over‑reliance on imagination can distort facts.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Compare and contrast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compare-and-contrast/) [Emotional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional/) [Emotional reactions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional-reactions/) [Gratitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratitude/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Judgement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgement/) [Perception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perception/)

## Related quotes

> [Imagination is the living power and prime agent of all human perception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/imagination-is-the-living-power-and-prime-agent-of-all-human/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [“I love to write, and I love to read too, but that doesn't mean I like to write about reading - 'cause nothing ruins…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-emerson/i-love-to-write-and-i-love-to-read-too-but-that-doesn-t-mean-i-like/)

[Kevin Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-emerson/)

> [I'm a big skeptic so I won't just go off what an individual may tell me. I gotta do the research. I'ma get different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-gates/i-m-a-big-skeptic-so-i-won-t-just-go-off-what-an-individual-may-tell/)

[Kevin Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-gates/)

> [“In a segment of the Sermon on the Mount, appearing in Matthew 5, Jesus is reported to have set six new teachings of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-a-segment-of-the-sermon-on-the-mount-appearing-in-matthew-5-jesus/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [All your life you compare and contrast, explore and search. But knowing yourself well is, well, elusive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stedman-graham/all-your-life-you-compare-and-contrast-explore-and-search-but-knowing/)

[Stedman Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stedman-graham/)

> [What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness? You only truly, deeply appreciate and are grateful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/what-good-is-the-warmth-of-summer-without-the-cold-of-winter-to-give/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [“To engage the written word means to follow a line of thought, which requires considerable powers of classifying, inference-making and reasoning. It means to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/to-engage-the-written-word-means-to-follow-a-line-of-thought-which/)

[Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/)

> [I cannot compare and contrast Tinder and Bumble directly, but I will say that we have a very impressive, forward-thinking user base.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-wolfe-herd/i-cannot-compare-and-contrast-tinder-and-bumble-directly-but-i-will/)

[Whitney Wolfe Herd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-wolfe-herd/)

> [“Books, by imparting a sense of continuity and context, can enlarge the imagination and enable one to weigh evidence, compare and contrast and make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kipling-buis/books-by-imparting-a-sense-of-continuity-and-context-can-enlarge-the/)

Kipling Buis

> [“But Muslims now find themselves in a world shaped by western theories and western values. If we are to consider how Islamic communities conducted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-muslims-now-find-themselves-in-a-world-shaped-by-western-theories/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Compare and contrast: Donald Trump is going out thanking the voters who supported him. You look at his cabinet picks. They are not donors.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/compare-and-contrast-donald-trump-is-going-out-thanking-the-voters/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [When you are developing something, you have to look at it individually. You can't compare and contrast it to the projects around it, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-fuller/when-you-are-developing-something-you-have-to-look-at-it-individually/)

[Bryan Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-fuller/)

> [To see a candle's light, one must take it into a dark place. This is the same as to see the good and be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/to-see-a-candle-s-light-one-must-take-it-into-a-dark-place-this-is/)

[Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/)

> [“Most scientists who study human perception no longer assume that we have five senses: taste, touch, smell, sight, and hearing. The current number ranges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-louv/most-scientists-who-study-human-perception-no-longer-assume-that-we/)

[Richard Louv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-louv/)

> [Life is a cutup. And to pretend that you write or paint in a timeless vacuum is just simply . . . not .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/life-is-a-cutup-and-to-pretend-that-you-write-or-paint-in-a-timeless/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

## More by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

> [Humor is consistent with pathos, whilst wit is not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/humor-is-consistent-with-pathos-whilst-wit-is-not/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [Never can true courage dwell with them, Who, playing tricks with conscience, dare not look At their own vices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/never-can-true-courage-dwell-with-them-who-playing-tricks-with/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [The first duty of a wise advocate is to convince his opponents that he understands their arguments, and sympathies with their just feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/the-first-duty-of-a-wise-advocate-is-to-convince-his-opponents-that/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [And the Devil did grin, for his darling sin is pride that apes humility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/and-the-devil-did-grin-for-his-darling-sin-is-pride-that-apes-humility/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [Facts are not truths; they are not conclusions; they are not even premises, but in the nature and parts of premises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/facts-are-not-truths-they-are-not-conclusions-they-are-not-even/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [I do not wish you to act from these truths; no, still and always act from your feelings; only meditate often on these truths…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/i-do-not-wish-you-to-act-from-these-truths-no-still-and-always-act/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [A poet ought not to pick nature's pocket. Let him borrow, and so borrow as to repay by the very act of borrowing. Examine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/a-poet-ought-not-to-pick-nature-s-pocket-let-him-borrow-and-so-borrow/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [With no other privilege than that of sympathy and sincere good wishes, I would address an affectionate exhortation to the youthful literati, grounded on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/with-no-other-privilege-than-that-of-sympathy-and-sincere-good-wishes/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [Ignorance seldom vaults into knowledge...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/ignorance-seldom-vaults-into-knowledge/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [Therefore all seasons shall be sweet to thee, Whether the summer clothe the general earth With greenness, or the redbreast sit and sing Betwixt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/therefore-all-seasons-shall-be-sweet-to-thee-whether-the-summer/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [Why are not more gems from our great authors scattered over the country? Great books are not in everybody's reach; and though it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/why-are-not-more-gems-from-our-great-authors-scattered-over-the/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [Life went a-maying With Nature, Hope, and Poesy, When I was young!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/life-went-a-maying-with-nature-hope-and-poesy-when-i-was-young/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [No voice; but oh - the silence sank Like music on my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/no-voice-but-oh-the-silence-sank-like-music-on-my-heart/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [The three great ends which a statesman ought to propose to himself in the government of a nation, are 1. Security to possessors; 2.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/the-three-great-ends-which-a-statesman-ought-to-propose-to-himself-in/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [“We in ourselves rejoice! And thence flows all that charms or ear or sight, All melodies the echoes of that voice, All colours a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/we-in-ourselves-rejoice-and-thence-flows-all-that-charms-or-ear-or/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

[Explore all 570 Samuel Taylor Coleridge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

## More Agents quotes

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [ I don't see \[ Trainspotting \] as an albatross, I see it more as a calling card. It's got me out to Hollywood, I've… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/i-don-t-see-trainspotting-as-an-albatross-i-see-it-more-as-a-calling/)

[Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/)

> [Our attitude towards evil must be freed from hatred, and has itself need to be enlightened in character...Satan rejoices when he succeeds in inspiring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/our-attitude-towards-evil-must-be-freed-from-hatred-and-has-itself/)

[Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/)

> [We are coming to a place where the road ends. From here on out, we will be making the road as we walk it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-atlee/we-are-coming-to-a-place-where-the-road-ends-from-here-on-out-we-will/)

Tom Atlee

> [Love is the supreme form of communication. In the hierarchy of needs, love stands as the supreme developing agent of the humanity of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-montagu/love-is-the-supreme-form-of-communication-in-the-hierarchy-of-needs/)

[Ashley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-montagu/)

> [I have always believed that women are not victims, we are agents of change, we are drivers of progress, we are makers of peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-have-always-believed-that-women-are-not-victims-we-are-agents-of/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [Many American TV actors employ agents, managers, business managers, publicists and stylists, and are now adding digital media manager to the list. Their job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-bellman/many-american-tv-actors-employ-agents-managers-business-managers/)

[Gina Bellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-bellman/)

> [The ultimate goal of radical politics is gradually to displace the limit of social exclusions, empowering the excluded agents (sexual and ethnic minorities) by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/the-ultimate-goal-of-radical-politics-is-gradually-to-displace-the/)

[Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/)

> [In politics we face the choice between warmongering, nation-state loving, big-business agents on one hand; and risk-blind, top-down, epistemic arrogant big servants of large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/in-politics-we-face-the-choice-between-warmongering-nation-state/)

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

> [My first job was a film called 'Storm Damage' for the BBC. I was 16 and working with really respected British actors. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-madekwe/my-first-job-was-a-film-called-storm-damage-for-the-bbc-i-was-16-and/)

[Ashley Madekwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-madekwe/)

> [Government is the agent of those who are too refined to do their own mugging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/government-is-the-agent-of-those-who-are-too-refined-to-do-their-own/)

[Joseph Sobran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/)

> [While much of modern behavioral and social science treats individuals as autonomous agents, it is absolutely clear that the way we think and act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-r-nelson/while-much-of-modern-behavioral-and-social-science-treats-individuals/)

Richard R. Nelson

> [People went out there and they wrote articles and went on television shows saying that I am an operative that the CIA who used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/people-went-out-there-and-they-wrote-articles-and-went-on-television/)

[Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/)

> [The chief beneficiary of life insurance policies for young, single people is the life insurance agent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-smith/the-chief-beneficiary-of-life-insurance-policies-for-young-single/)

[Wes Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-smith/)

> [“Honestly,” he says, “I judge writers on how they write queries. If you’re a good writer, you’re a good writer.” And if not, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-gessen/honestly-he-says-i-judge-writers-on-how-they-write-queries-if-you-re/)

[Keith Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-gessen/)

Browse all 1,567 Agents quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Imagination that compares and contrasts with what is around as well as what is better and worse is the living power and prime agent of all human perception judgement and emotional reaction.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Samuel Taylor Coleridge"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/imagination-that-compares-and-contrasts-with-what-is-around-as-well/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Agents"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/imagination-that-compares-and-contrasts-with-what-is-around-as-well/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61f/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_agents_imagination-that-compares-and-contrasts_2727876.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61f/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_agents_imagination-that-compares-and-contrasts_2727876.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61f/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_agents_imagination-that-compares-and-contrasts_2727876.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Imagination that compares and contrasts with what is around as well as what is better and worse is the…” — Samuel Taylor Coleridge",
                "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": "Samuel Taylor Coleridge",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Imagination that compares and contrasts with...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/imagination-that-compares-and-contrasts-with-what-is-around-as-well/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/imagination-that-compares-and-contrasts-with-what-is-around-as-well/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
