--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Imagination is a great thing in long dull…" description: "\"Imagination is a great thing in long dull hours, but it's a real curse in a dark alley.\" — Zilpha Keatley Snyder" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1f/zilpha-keatley-snyder-30881_alley_imagination-is-a-great-thing-in-long-dul_2652369.png" --- # Imagination is a great thing in long dull hours, but it's… ![“Imagination is a great thing in long dull hours, but it's a real curse in a dark alley.” quote by Zilpha Keatley Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1f/zilpha-keatley-snyder-30881_alley_imagination-is-a-great-thing-in-long-dul_2652369.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1f/zilpha-keatley-snyder-30881_alley_imagination-is-a-great-thing-in-long-dul_2652369.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1f/zilpha-keatley-snyder-30881_alley_imagination-is-a-great-thing-in-long-dul_2652369.png) > “Imagination is a great thing in long dull hours, but it's a real curse in a dark alley.” [Zilpha Keatley Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zilpha-keatley-snyder/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Imagination helps pass boring times but can become dangerous in threatening places. **In simple terms:** Creative mind can be both aid and curse. Key Takeaway Balance imagination with awareness. Themes creativity danger environment Mood cautious inquisitive Type philosophical warning When to use this quote - long work shifts - nighttime walks - creative projects Key Concepts psychology risk assessment Questions to Reflect On - When does imagination hinder safety? - How to channel imagination positively? A Different Perspective Imagination may cause paranoia. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alley/) [Alleys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alleys/) [Curse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curse/) [Curse Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curse-dark-2360196/) [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Dark Alley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark-alley-938789/) [Dark alleys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark-alleys/) [Dull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dull/) [Dull Hours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dull-hours-477567/) [Great things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-things/) [Hours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hours/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real Curse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-curse-2360195/) ## Related quotes > [If Elmore Leonard met Jim Thompson down a dark alley at midnight they might emerge a week later with thick beards, bloodshot eyes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-colfer/if-elmore-leonard-met-jim-thompson-down-a-dark-alley-at-midnight-they/) [Eoin Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-colfer/) > [Poetry: three mismatched shoes at the entrance of a dark alley.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-simic/poetry-three-mismatched-shoes-at-the-entrance-of-a-dark-alley/) [Charles Simic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-simic/) > [“That dark alley is your testimony, it will encourage others to never give up even when the night seems long and it seems as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hopal-green/that-dark-alley-is-your-testimony-it-will-encourage-others-to-never/) [Hopal Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hopal-green/) > [Retirement wasn't a reward at the end of a well-run career ... it was a void surrounded by endless dull hours, haunted by memories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/retirement-wasn-t-a-reward-at-the-end-of-a-well-run-career-it-was-a/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [You need have no dull hours if you are a sincere lover of books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grenville-kleiser/you-need-have-no-dull-hours-if-you-are-a-sincere-lover-of-books/) [Grenville Kleiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grenville-kleiser/) > [It's better to light a candle than to curse the dark In the eyes of the youth, there are question marks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-naan/it-s-better-to-light-a-candle-than-to-curse-the-dark-in-the-eyes-of/) [K'naan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-naan/) > [“No need to curse the dark. 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Best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zilpha-keatley-snyder/there-was-that-special-smell-made-up-of-paper-ink-and-dust-the-busy/) [Zilpha Keatley Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zilpha-keatley-snyder/) > [“But now and then, beneath the outer numbness, something stirred, like a living pain waiting for the anesthetic to wear away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zilpha-keatley-snyder/but-now-and-then-beneath-the-outer-numbness-something-stirred-like-a/) [Zilpha Keatley Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zilpha-keatley-snyder/) > [Eleven is about the best age for almost anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zilpha-keatley-snyder/eleven-is-about-the-best-age-for-almost-anything/) [Zilpha Keatley Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zilpha-keatley-snyder/) > [It's such a wonderful feeling to watch a child discover that reading is a marvelous adventure rather than a chore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zilpha-keatley-snyder/it-s-such-a-wonderful-feeling-to-watch-a-child-discover-that-reading/) [Zilpha Keatley Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zilpha-keatley-snyder/) > [It's such a wonderful feeling to watch a child discover that reading is a marvelous adventure rather than a chore. 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It's different.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zilpha-keatley-snyder/trick-or-treating-is-for-candy-and-demonstrations-are-for-things-like/) [Zilpha Keatley Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zilpha-keatley-snyder/) > [Know all the Questions, but not the Answers Look for the Different, instead of the Same Never Walk where there's room for Running Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zilpha-keatley-snyder/know-all-the-questions-but-not-the-answers-look-for-the-different/) [Zilpha Keatley Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zilpha-keatley-snyder/) > [If you try to make your circle closed and exclusively yours, it never grows very much. Only a circle that has lots of room…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zilpha-keatley-snyder/if-you-try-to-make-your-circle-closed-and-exclusively-yours-it-never/) [Zilpha Keatley Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zilpha-keatley-snyder/) > [“Belonging to a place isn't nearly as necessary as belonging to people you love and who love you and need you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zilpha-keatley-snyder/belonging-to-a-place-isn-t-nearly-as-necessary-as-belonging-to-people/) [Zilpha Keatley Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zilpha-keatley-snyder/) > [Belief in mysteries, any manner of mysteries, is the only lasting luxury in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zilpha-keatley-snyder/belief-in-mysteries-any-manner-of-mysteries-is-the-only-lasting/) [Zilpha Keatley Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zilpha-keatley-snyder/) > [“We all invite our own devils, and we must exorcise our own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zilpha-keatley-snyder/we-all-invite-our-own-devils-and-we-must-exorcise-our-own/) [Zilpha Keatley Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zilpha-keatley-snyder/) > [The answers aren't important really... What's important is- knowing all the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zilpha-keatley-snyder/the-answers-aren-t-important-really-what-s-important-is-knowing-all/) [Zilpha Keatley Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zilpha-keatley-snyder/) > [“Belief in mysteries—all manner of mysteries—is the only lasting luxury in life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zilpha-keatley-snyder/belief-in-mysteries-all-manner-of-mysteries-is-the-only-lasting/) [Zilpha Keatley Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zilpha-keatley-snyder/) > [Eleven would have been the best time. Eleven is just about the best age for almost everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zilpha-keatley-snyder/eleven-would-have-been-the-best-time-eleven-is-just-about-the-best/) [Zilpha Keatley Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zilpha-keatley-snyder/) [Explore all 17 Zilpha Keatley Snyder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zilpha-keatley-snyder/) ## More Alley quotes > [Few Americans have ever met their Congresspeople. They don't see them at the grocery store; they don't meet them at the bowling alley. 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Puts you on a Christmas tree, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-hecht/three-years-ago-the-white-hope-of-the-theatre-today-a-mug-that-s-new/) [Ben Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-hecht/) [Browse all 79 Alley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alley/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Imagination is a great thing in long dull hours, but it's a real curse in a dark alley.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Zilpha Keatley Snyder" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zilpha-keatley-snyder/imagination-is-a-great-thing-in-long-dull-hours-but-it-s-a-real-curse/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alley" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zilpha-keatley-snyder/imagination-is-a-great-thing-in-long-dull-hours-but-it-s-a-real-curse/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1f/zilpha-keatley-snyder-30881_alley_imagination-is-a-great-thing-in-long-dul_2652369.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1f/zilpha-keatley-snyder-30881_alley_imagination-is-a-great-thing-in-long-dul_2652369.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1f/zilpha-keatley-snyder-30881_alley_imagination-is-a-great-thing-in-long-dul_2652369.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Imagination is a great thing in long dull hours, but it's a real curse in a dark alley.” — Zilpha Keatley Snyder", "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": "Zilpha Keatley Snyder", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zilpha-keatley-snyder/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Imagination is a great thing in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zilpha-keatley-snyder/imagination-is-a-great-thing-in-long-dull-hours-but-it-s-a-real-curse/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zilpha-keatley-snyder/imagination-is-a-great-thing-in-long-dull-hours-but-it-s-a-real-curse/#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 } } ] } ```