--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our reading can affect our imaginations…" description: "\"Our reading can affect our imaginations in ways of which we are not consciously aware. It is quite common...to re-read something after a gap of many ye..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3e/tom-shippey-50056_common_our-reading-can-affect-our-imaginations_2783317.jpg" --- # Our reading can affect our imaginations in ways of which… ![“Our reading can affect our imaginations in ways of which we are not consciously aware. It is quite common...to re-read something after a gap of many years and realize that it has been there all along, without any memory of where it was first encountered. But it may have been working away all the…” quote by Tom Shippey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3e/tom-shippey-50056_common_our-reading-can-affect-our-imaginations_2783317.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3e/tom-shippey-50056_common_our-reading-can-affect-our-imaginations_2783317.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3e/tom-shippey-50056_common_our-reading-can-affect-our-imaginations_2783317.jpg) > “Our reading can affect our imaginations in ways of which we are not consciously aware. It is quite common...to re-read something after a gap of many years and realize that it has been there all along, without any memory of where it was first encountered. But it may have been working away all the time.” [Tom Shippey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shippey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reading subtly influences imagination over time, often without conscious awareness, resurfacing later with fresh insight. **In simple terms:** Reading changes imagination without us noticing. Key Takeaway Pay attention to how past reads shape current thoughts. Themes memory imagination literature subconscious reflection Mood nostalgic curious reflective Type literary psychological When to use this quote - re‑reading novels - long‑term study - creative writing - teaching literature - personal journaling Key Concepts latent influence cumulative effect cognitive resonance Questions to Reflect On - What books have quietly reshaped your worldview? - How can you become more aware of these hidden influences? A Different Perspective Not all readers notice these shifts, making the effect hard to measure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [With a full century of contrary proof in our possession and despite our demonstrated capacity for cooperative teamwork, some among us seem to accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/with-a-full-century-of-contrary-proof-in-our-possession-and-despite/) [Dwight D. 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What imaginations they had.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/dullness-only-humans-could-have-invented-it-what-imaginations-they-had/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Even when we allow our imaginations to run wild on the joys of heaven, we find that our minds are incapable of conceiving what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/even-when-we-allow-our-imaginations-to-run-wild-on-the-joys-of-heaven/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) ## More by Tom Shippey > [The cry that 'fantasy is escapist' compared to the novel is only an echo of the older cry that novels are 'escapist' compared with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shippey/the-cry-that-fantasy-is-escapist-compared-to-the-novel-is-only-an/) [Tom Shippey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shippey/) > [While persistence offers no guarantees, it does give 'luck' a chance to operate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shippey/while-persistence-offers-no-guarantees-it-does-give-luck-a-chance-to/) [Tom Shippey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shippey/) > [Many sci-fi authors, we know, are as clever and tricky as so many Coyotes. 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