--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Words stretch the muscles of the…" description: "\"“Words stretch the muscles of the imagination. Continual placid acceptance of ready-made visual images turns the imagination into a couch-potato.”\" — S..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/459/susan-cooper-10642_imagination_words-stretch-the-muscles-of-the-imagina_1229268.jpg" --- # Words stretch the muscles of the imagination. Continual… ![“Words stretch the muscles of the imagination. Continual placid acceptance of ready-made visual images turns the imagination into a couch-potato.” quote by Susan Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/459/susan-cooper-10642_imagination_words-stretch-the-muscles-of-the-imagina_1229268.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/459/susan-cooper-10642_imagination_words-stretch-the-muscles-of-the-imagina_1229268.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/459/susan-cooper-10642_imagination_words-stretch-the-muscles-of-the-imagina_1229268.jpg) > ““Words stretch the muscles of the imagination. Continual placid acceptance of ready-made visual images turns the imagination into a couch-potato.”” [Susan Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cooper/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Imagination must be exercised; passive consumption of images dulls creative muscles. **In simple terms:** Active imagination beats passive viewing. Key Takeaway Engage your mind, avoid visual overload. Themes creativity media mindfulness Mood inspirational thought‑provoking Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - reading - creative writing - media literacy workshops Key Concepts imagination critical thinking visual culture Questions to Reflect On - How can you stimulate imagination without screens? - What habits strengthen mental flexibility? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on visual media can alienate those without access. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) ## Related quotes > [Bend words. Stretch them, squash them, mash them up, fold them. Turn them over or swing them upside down. Make up new words. Leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyo-maclear/bend-words-stretch-them-squash-them-mash-them-up-fold-them-turn-them/) [Kyo Maclear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyo-maclear/) > [People don't really believe in words. Or rather, people believe in words only for a stretch of time. Then they start to look for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/volodymyr-zelensky/people-don-t-really-believe-in-words-or-rather-people-believe-in/) [Volodymyr Zelensky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/volodymyr-zelensky/) > [When a couch potato is sliced up and then deep fried that is couch french fries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/when-a-couch-potato-is-sliced-up-and-then-deep-fried-that-is-couch/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [I'm a couch potato. I love to stay in and just watch a DVD with the missus. Or we all go over to Louis's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zayn-malik/i-m-a-couch-potato-i-love-to-stay-in-and-just-watch-a-dvd-with-the/) [Zayn Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zayn-malik/) > [Laziness isn't merely a physical phenomenon,about being a couch potato,stuffing your face with fries and watching cricket all day. It's a mental thing, too,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shah-rukh-khan/laziness-isn-t-merely-a-physical-phenomenon-about-being-a-couch/) [Shah Rukh Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shah-rukh-khan/) > [When I'm done playing football, I just might be the couch potato dad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-polamalu/when-i-m-done-playing-football-i-just-might-be-the-couch-potato-dad/) [Troy Polamalu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-polamalu/) > [A zen couch potato is a person who contemplates the nature of televised existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-helms/a-zen-couch-potato-is-a-person-who-contemplates-the-nature-of/) [Richard Helms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-helms/) > [I do enjoy my solo time ... I want to stay home and do soundtracks and watch TV in my underwear with a keyboard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-pink/i-do-enjoy-my-solo-time-i-want-to-stay-home-and-do-soundtracks-and/) [Ariel Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-pink/) > [I completely and utterly rely on my mum. Without my mum, I would not be anywhere at all. 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Yeah, I'm a couch potato. I get up and try and eat and then back on the couch. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-garcia/i-m-a-loser-on-sunday-yeah-i-m-a-couch-potato-i-get-up-and-try-and/) [Adam Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-garcia/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) ## More by Susan Cooper > [“Still in the black hemisphere the stars blazed and slowly wheeled; beneath them, Will felt so infinitesimally small that it seemed impossible he should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cooper/still-in-the-black-hemisphere-the-stars-blazed-and-slowly-wheeled/) [Susan Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cooper/) > [The future cannot blame the present, just as the present cannot blame the past. The hope is always here, always alive, but only your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cooper/the-future-cannot-blame-the-present-just-as-the-present-cannot-blame/) [Susan Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cooper/) > [“He was tall, and straight, with a lot of very thick, wild, white hair. In his grim brown face the nose curved fiercely, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cooper/he-was-tall-and-straight-with-a-lot-of-very-thick-wild-white-hair-in/) [Susan Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cooper/) > [“The snow lay thin and apologetic over the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cooper/the-snow-lay-thin-and-apologetic-over-the-world/) [Susan Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cooper/) > [“But those men who know anything at all about the Light also know that there is a fierceness to its power, like the bare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cooper/but-those-men-who-know-anything-at-all-about-the-light-also-know-that/) [Susan Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cooper/) > [“On the day of the dead, when the year too dies, Must the youngest open the oldest hills Through the door of the birds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cooper/on-the-day-of-the-dead-when-the-year-too-dies-must-the-youngest-open/) [Susan Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cooper/) > [“If you are concerned for the future of our civilization, there is no more cheering sight than a boy or girl who is lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cooper/if-you-are-concerned-for-the-future-of-our-civilization-there-is-no/) [Susan Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cooper/) > [“When the dark comes rising, six shall turn it back; Three from the circle, three from the track; Wood, bronze, iron; water, fire, stone;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cooper/when-the-dark-comes-rising-six-shall-turn-it-back-three-from-the/) [Susan Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cooper/) > [“Trance is fragile.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cooper/trance-is-fragile/) [Susan Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cooper/) > [“Somewhere in Barney's mind, as a spark flickers and finds tinder and blazes up into a flame, a small light of resentment flared suddenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cooper/somewhere-in-barney-s-mind-as-a-spark-flickers-and-finds-tinder-and/) [Susan Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cooper/) > [“The Herdsman passed, nodding, the bright star Arcturus at his knee; the Bull roared by, bearing the great sun Aldebaran and the small group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cooper/the-herdsman-passed-nodding-the-bright-star-arcturus-at-his-knee-the/) [Susan Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cooper/) > [Will picked a single blossom from a gorse bush beside him; it shone bright yellow on his grubby hand. "People are very complicated," he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cooper/will-picked-a-single-blossom-from-a-gorse-bush-beside-him-it-shone/) [Susan Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cooper/) > [“It says, loving doesn't change just because someone isn't there, or because time gets in the way, or even death. It's always with you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cooper/it-says-loving-doesn-t-change-just-because-someone-isn-t-there-or/) [Susan Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cooper/) > [“Now especially since man has the strength to destroy the world, it is the responsibility of man to keep it alive, in all its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cooper/now-especially-since-man-has-the-strength-to-destroy-the-world-it-is/) [Susan Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cooper/) > [“Great-Uncle Merry, coming back towards the car from the Grey House, had suddenly stopped in his tracks in the middle of the road. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cooper/great-uncle-merry-coming-back-towards-the-car-from-the-grey-house-had/) [Susan Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cooper/) [Explore all 64 Susan Cooper quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cooper/) ## More Imagination quotes > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/a-rock-pile-ceases-to-be-a-rock-pile-the-moment-a-single-man/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [Imagination is the greatest nation in the world!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/imagination-is-the-greatest-nation-in-the-world/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [Merkel has realized that the euro is not working, but she cannot change the narrative she has created because that narrative has caught the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/merkel-has-realized-that-the-euro-is-not-working-but-she-cannot/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [Life is what you make it¦If one refuses to use ones imagination..it will be boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-what-you-make-it-if-one-refuses-to-use-ones-imagination-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Jonah Lehrer is one of the most talented explainers of science that we’ve got. What a pleasure it is to follow his investigation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/jonah-lehrer-is-one-of-the-most-talented-explainers-of-science-that/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [If you've got creativity, imagination, and intelligence, and you want to be hypnotised, then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-barry/if-you-ve-got-creativity-imagination-and-intelligence-and-you-want-to/) [Keith Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-barry/) > [“The power of imagination is strongest in the place of solitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/the-power-of-imagination-is-strongest-in-the-place-of-solitude/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [A beard is something that is almost like a mirror to the viewer. When someone sees you wearing a beard, they're seeing something in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/a-beard-is-something-that-is-almost-like-a-mirror-to-the-viewer-when/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [I like fantasy, but I don't live and breathe fantasy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-schmidt-hissrich/i-like-fantasy-but-i-don-t-live-and-breathe-fantasy/) [Lauren Schmidt Hissrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-schmidt-hissrich/) > [While the world of reality has its limits, the world of your imagination is without boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/while-the-world-of-reality-has-its-limits-the-world-of-your/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Edgy is fine - I'm not a prude by any stretch of the imagination - but what's wrong with a good ol' belly laugh?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-burnett/edgy-is-fine-i-m-not-a-prude-by-any-stretch-of-the-imagination-but/) [Carol Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-burnett/) > [With VR, we have this same vision, which is create this ultimate platform for sharing your imagination. Our huge community of 300,000 developers creates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baszucki/with-vr-we-have-this-same-vision-which-is-create-this-ultimate/) [David Baszucki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baszucki/) > [I like the idea of letting the music do its own work and the stories being more expressionful - if that's a word -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-flynn/i-like-the-idea-of-letting-the-music-do-its-own-work-and-the-stories/) [Johnny Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-flynn/) [Browse all 9,060 Imagination quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Words stretch the muscles of the imagination. 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