“Much of what we see in the universe," said Hugo, "starts out as imaginary. Often you must imagine something before you can come to terms with it.”

—  Clifford D. Simak , Highway of Eternity

Highway of Eternity (1986)

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "Much of what we see in the universe," said Hugo, "starts out as imaginary. Often you must imagine something before you …" by Clifford D. Simak?
Clifford D. Simak photo
Clifford D. Simak 137
American writer, journalist 1904–1988

Related quotes

“if something is there, you can only see it with your eyes open, but if it isn't there, you can see it just as well with your eyes closed. That's why imaginary things are often easier to see than real ones.”

Norton Juster book The Phantom Tollbooth

Source: The Phantom Tollbooth

“There is nothing there. What you see is not what you see. What you see is nothing. Nothing but shapes, lines, colors. What you see is whats in your mind. What you see is something somebody told you to look for. Look out for anything you see! Watch it! Watch out! Take care! Don’t leap before you look out.”

Ad Reinhardt (1913–1967) American painter

1956 - 1967
Source: the 'Ad Reinhardts Papers', Archives of American Art, microfilm no. N/69-103, frame no. 268

Alexander Calder photo

“Yes, I think I am a realist. Because I make what I see. It's only the problem of seeing it. If you can imagine a thing, conjure it up in space - then you can make it, and tout de suite you're a realist. The universe is real but you can't see it. You have to imagine it. Once you imagine it, you can be realistic about reproducing it.”

Alexander Calder (1898–1976) American artist

Question, Léger once called you a realist. How do you feel about this?
1950s - 1960s, interview with Alexander Calder', (1962)

Peter Greenaway photo

“You see how even an illness can be romanticized. Tuberculosis got the treatment: Keats, the Lady of the Camellias, the foggy dew, and so on. We must make romantic literature out of cancer -- can you imagine that?”

Peter Greenaway (1942) British film director

Dear Boullée

Twyla Tharp photo

“Before you can think out of the box, you have to start with a box”

Twyla Tharp (1941) American choreographer

Source: The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life

“We can only know what we can truly imagine. Finally what we see comes from ourselves.”

Marge Piercy Woman on the Edge of Time

Source: Woman on the Edge of Time

Rob Enderle photo

“What we now have is too much focus on short-term revenues and almost no focus on the long-term survival or success of the firm. This is why you don't see anything very innovative out of firms like Apple.”

Rob Enderle (1954) American financial analyst

Why Are Tech Companies Trying to Kill Us? http://technewsworld.com/story/84944.html in Tech News World (13 November 2017)

David Lynch photo

“Black has depth.. you can go into it.. And you start seeing what you're afraid of. You start seeing what you love, and it becomes like a dream.”

David Lynch (1946) American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor

Source: Lynch on Lynch

Natalie Goldberg photo

“Push yourself beyond when you think you are done with what you have to say. […] It is beyond the point when you think you are done that often something strong comes out.”

Natalie Goldberg book Writing Down the Bones

Essay, "Go further". p.112
Writing Down the Bones (1986)

““Didn’t you ever see a cat before?”
“Of course I did,” said the boy. “Hundreds of them. But just because you’ve seen something, it doesn’t mean you stop looking. There’s always something you didn’t see before.””

Lloyd Alexander (1924–2007) American children's writer

Source: Time Cat (1963), Chapter 10 “Odranoel” (pp. 100-101)

Related topics