---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The future is, of course, imaginary - an…"
description: "\"The future is, of course, imaginary - an unreal place that I create from my expectations, which are made from my remembered experiences, especially rep..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78d/siri-hustvedt-860_course_the-future-is-of-course-imaginary-an-unr_1292923.jpg"
---

#  The future is, of course, imaginary - an unreal place that…

![“The future is, of course, imaginary - an unreal place that I create from my expectations, which are made from my remembered experiences, especially repeated experiences.” quote by Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78d/siri-hustvedt-860_course_the-future-is-of-course-imaginary-an-unr_1292923.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78d/siri-hustvedt-860_course_the-future-is-of-course-imaginary-an-unr_1292923.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78d/siri-hustvedt-860_course_the-future-is-of-course-imaginary-an-unr_1292923.jpg)

> “The future is, of course, imaginary - an unreal place that I create from my expectations, which are made from my remembered experiences, especially repeated experiences.”

[Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/)

## 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 constructs future possibilities based on past experiences, especially those repeatedly remembered, shaping expectations and aspirations.

**In simple terms:** Past shapes imagined futures.

Key Takeaway

Reflect on memories to guide goals.

Themes

imagination memory expectations

Mood

thoughtful inquisitive

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- goal setting
- creative writing
- career planning
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

cognitive psychology future planning experience

Questions to Reflect On

- How do memories influence your vision?
- What new experiences could expand your imagination?

A Different Perspective

Relying too much on past may limit novel ideas.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Expectations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectations/) [Experiences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiences/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [“You loved me too?" he repeated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/you-loved-me-too-he-repeated/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [“Repeated elements encourage comparison of like objects and force our eye to follow from one element to the next, even when those elements only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-field/repeated-elements-encourage-comparison-of-like-objects-and-force-our/)

Joshua Field

> [“The gene contains a single 'word', repeated over and over again: CAG, CAG, CAG, CAG ... The repetition continues sometimes just six times, sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-ridley/the-gene-contains-a-single-word-repeated-over-and-over-again-cag-cag/)

[Matt Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-ridley/)

> [“Truth is unoriginal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/truth-is-unoriginal/)

[Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/)

> [The state, it cannot too often be repeated, does nothing, and can give nothing, which it does not take from somebody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-george/the-state-it-cannot-too-often-be-repeated-does-nothing-and-can-give/)

[Henry George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-george/)

> [“repeated to me personally, that he”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-kennedy-jr-2/repeated-to-me-personally-that-he/)

Robert F. Kennedy Jr

> [“She repeated continually, "My God! my God!" But neither "God" nor "my" had any meaning to her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/she-repeated-continually-my-god-my-god-but-neither-god-nor-my-had-any/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [Do not know, We have repeated these words many times in One life / But one day, we will be forced to Saying To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/do-not-know-we-have-repeated-these-words-many-times-in-one-life-but/)

Mak\_786

> [“Repetition will be repeated”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nightbits/repetition-will-be-repeated/)

[NightBits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nightbits/)

> [The truth was, history repeated itself on a daily basis; mistakes were made over and over. People were haunted by what they had done,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-truth-was-history-repeated-itself-on-a-daily-basis-mistakes-were/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [Some blessings have been ours in the past, and these may be repeated or even multiplied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-howard-latimer/some-blessings-have-been-ours-in-the-past-and-these-may-be-repeated/)

[Lewis Howard Latimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-howard-latimer/)

> [What can be sustained and repeated without emptying out?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-peacock/what-can-be-sustained-and-repeated-without-emptying-out/)

[Jan Peacock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-peacock/)

> [I feel when you do something right, you are repeated in that kind of role over and over again. That happens to most actors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prachi-desai/i-feel-when-you-do-something-right-you-are-repeated-in-that-kind-of/)

[Prachi Desai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prachi-desai/)

> [“Some adventures should never be repeated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-l-hopper/some-adventures-should-never-be-repeated/)

Mike L. Hopper

> [At last, after completing year 12, I failed the great final examination, repeated the following year and failed again even more dismally than before.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/at-last-after-completing-year-12-i-failed-the-great-final-examination/)

[Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/)

## More by Siri Hustvedt

> [I am married to a writer, and this - writing - is an odd enterprise. It's something we both support very strongly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-am-married-to-a-writer-and-this-writing-is-an-odd-enterprise-it-s/)

[Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/)

> [With almost no exceptions, art by men is much more expensive than art by women. Even great women artists, like Louise Bourgeois and Lee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/with-almost-no-exceptions-art-by-men-is-much-more-expensive-than-art/)

[Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/)

> [I love the little garden in the back of my family's brownstone in Brooklyn. Digging out there in the dirt is a joy for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-love-the-little-garden-in-the-back-of-my-family-s-brownstone-in/)

[Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/)

> [I watched 'Holiday' in college, and that was when I had my first fantasy of being Katharine Hepburn, standing at the top of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-watched-holiday-in-college-and-that-was-when-i-had-my-first-fantasy/)

[Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/)

> [“the impersonal and the personal are always connected.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/the-impersonal-and-the-personal-are-always-connected/)

[Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/)

> [When I don't get enough sleep, I am cranky, vulnerable to headaches, and my concentration is poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/when-i-don-t-get-enough-sleep-i-am-cranky-vulnerable-to-headaches-and/)

[Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/)

> [“Transformation of the self are related to where you are, and identity Is dependent on others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/transformation-of-the-self-are-related-to-where-you-are-and-identity/)

[Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/)

> [There's a phenomenology of being sick, one that depends on temperament, personal history, and the culture which we live in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/there-s-a-phenomenology-of-being-sick-one-that-depends-on-temperament/)

[Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/)

> [The faculty of memory cannot be separated from the imagination. They go hand in hand. To one degree or another, we all invent our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/the-faculty-of-memory-cannot-be-separated-from-the-imagination-they/)

[Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/)

> [“Looking is part of love, but what you see when you look is anybody's guess.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/looking-is-part-of-love-but-what-you-see-when-you-look-is-anybody-s/)

[Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/)

> [Every sickness has an alien quality, a feeling of invasion and loss of control that is evident in the language we use about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/every-sickness-has-an-alien-quality-a-feeling-of-invasion-and-loss-of/)

[Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/)

> [I have a tendency to face my bad fantasies in my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-have-a-tendency-to-face-my-bad-fantasies-in-my-books/)

[Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/)

> [“The outside also becomes us. A human being is born an unfinished organism and as the person develops experience with others becomes a physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/the-outside-also-becomes-us-a-human-being-is-born-an-unfinished/)

[Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/)

> [I am an American, but a sense of otherness was part of my growing up. I spoke Norwegian before I spoke English. My mother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-am-an-american-but-a-sense-of-otherness-was-part-of-my-growing-up-i/)

[Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/)

> [When I was an impoverished graduate student, I would sometimes spend $20 or $30 on a T-shirt or accessory I didn't need or even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/when-i-was-an-impoverished-graduate-student-i-would-sometimes-spend/)

[Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/)

[Explore all 330 Siri Hustvedt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/)

## More Course quotes

> [Of course I want to be on the floor in the fourth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivica-zubac/of-course-i-want-to-be-on-the-floor-in-the-fourth/)

[Ivica Zubac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivica-zubac/)

> [I've always been a believer in research. It's great to have an instinctual human reaction to a character, too, of course, but it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/i-ve-always-been-a-believer-in-research-it-s-great-to-have-an/)

[Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/)

> [Of course, I always loved fashion - and I was always the tallest one and the skinniest one, so that helped.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melania-trump/of-course-i-always-loved-fashion-and-i-was-always-the-tallest-one-and/)

[Melania Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melania-trump/)

> [I really think there's no difference between an art piece made by a man and one made by a woman. Is it a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/i-really-think-there-s-no-difference-between-an-art-piece-made-by-a/)

[Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/)

> [Well of course there's been a great deal of progress over the last 40 years. We don't have laws that segregate black people within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-davis/well-of-course-there-s-been-a-great-deal-of-progress-over-the-last-40/)

[Angela Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-davis/)

> [I learn something new about the game almost every time I step on the course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-hogan/i-learn-something-new-about-the-game-almost-every-time-i-step-on-the/)

[Ben Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-hogan/)

> [“Kim's right of course”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-treat/kim-s-right-of-course/)

Jessica Treat

> [The U.S.-China relationship, of course, has elements of both cooperation and competition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-e-donilon/the-u-s-china-relationship-of-course-has-elements-of-both-cooperation/)

[Thomas E. Donilon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-e-donilon/)

> [A lot of times, my work is looked at very much on the surface. It's very easy to just want to put something in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-koons/a-lot-of-times-my-work-is-looked-at-very-much-on-the-surface-it-s/)

[Jeff Koons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-koons/)

> [Of course I get angry, but I want to use my brain a little bit and not just smash things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kacey-musgraves/of-course-i-get-angry-but-i-want-to-use-my-brain-a-little-bit-and-not/)

[Kacey Musgraves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kacey-musgraves/)

> [Take the course opposite to custom and you will almost always do well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/take-the-course-opposite-to-custom-and-you-will-almost-always-do-well/)

[Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/)

> [I'm glad women's sprinting is taking the course it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelly-ann-fraser-pryce/i-m-glad-women-s-sprinting-is-taking-the-course-it-is/)

[Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelly-ann-fraser-pryce/)

> [Of course, in all magic tricks there's a secret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lene-hau/of-course-in-all-magic-tricks-there-s-a-secret/)

Lene Hau

> [I thought being in the wheelchair might be kind of limiting for me as an actor. It turned out cool in a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-beaver/i-thought-being-in-the-wheelchair-might-be-kind-of-limiting-for-me-as/)

[Jim Beaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-beaver/)

> [What I love most about Her Majesty is that she has kept hats alive in people's minds for more than 60 years. You can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-treacy/what-i-love-most-about-her-majesty-is-that-she-has-kept-hats-alive-in/)

[Philip Treacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-treacy/)

Browse all 1,900 Course quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The future is, of course, imaginary - an unreal place that I create from my expectations, which are made from my remembered experiences, especially repeated experiences.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Siri Hustvedt"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/the-future-is-of-course-imaginary-an-unreal-place-that-i-create-from/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Course"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/the-future-is-of-course-imaginary-an-unreal-place-that-i-create-from/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78d/siri-hustvedt-860_course_the-future-is-of-course-imaginary-an-unr_1292923.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78d/siri-hustvedt-860_course_the-future-is-of-course-imaginary-an-unr_1292923.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78d/siri-hustvedt-860_course_the-future-is-of-course-imaginary-an-unr_1292923.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The future is, of course, imaginary - an unreal place that I create from my expectations, which are made…” — Siri Hustvedt",
                "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": "Siri Hustvedt",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The future is, of course, imaginary...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/the-future-is-of-course-imaginary-an-unreal-place-that-i-create-from/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/the-future-is-of-course-imaginary-an-unreal-place-that-i-create-from/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
