We forget that what matters begins with the imagination.

“We forget that what matters begins with the imagination.” — thus spoke Terry Brooks, and in those few words lies a truth older than the mountains, brighter than the dawn. This is not a simple call to dream, but a sacred reminder: that all things — every creation, every triumph, every act of goodness or evil — first existed not in the world, but in the imagination. Before the sword was forged, before the temple was built, before the poem was sung — there was only the vision, fragile and invisible, dwelling in the quiet fire of the mind. To forget this, as Brooks warns, is to forget the root of our power, the divine inheritance of humankind.

The ancients knew this well. They spoke of the imagination as a bridge between the mortal and the divine. For the gods themselves, it was said, dreamed the world into being. When the Creator whispered light into the void, it was not strength or skill that gave birth to the stars — it was vision. Thus, imagination is the first motion of the soul, the sacred spark that precedes all action. And yet, in our age of iron and noise, we have learned to worship the product and scorn the source. We measure what we can see, count what we can hold, and forget that all that matters once lived unseen in the realm of thought.

Consider the story of the Wright brothers, humble mechanics who looked upon the sky and dared to imagine that man might one day fly. To the practical minds of their time, such a dream was folly, even blasphemy — an insult to the order of nature. But in their small workshop, they nurtured an invisible flame, a vision that had no weight and no proof. Through failure, ridicule, and wind-torn wings, they held fast to their imagination, until one cold December morning, their dream took flight. And in that moment, the air — once the domain of birds and angels — became the new frontier of humankind. What mattered began, indeed, with imagination.

Brooks’ words also carry a quiet sorrow: we forget. We grow older, and the dust of reality settles upon our minds. We trade wonder for routine, creativity for caution. We forget the child within us who saw castles in clouds and stories in shadows. Yet every act of greatness in history was born of such childlike faith — the faith to imagine before knowing, to create before proving. When we lose imagination, we lose not only art, but the very ability to shape destiny. For the imagination is not escape — it is prophecy.

There is also warning in this wisdom. For imagination, if left unguided, can birth both miracles and monsters. The same faculty that builds the cathedral can forge the weapon; the same dream that inspires freedom can justify conquest. Thus, imagination must be bound with wisdom and compassion, so that what begins within us flows outward as healing, not harm. The ancients would say: “Guard your vision, for what you imagine, you become.”

The lesson of Brooks’ quote is clear: if you wish to change your life, or the world, begin not with action, but with imagination. Close your eyes and see the unseen. Picture the life you wish to live, the good you wish to do, the beauty you wish to create — and believe in it fiercely, even when the world does not yet see it. Every invention, every revolution, every work of art began as a single thought that someone dared to trust. Imagination is the seed; courage is the soil; persistence is the sunlight that brings it to bloom.

Therefore, let us return to this forgotten truth. Let us cherish and cultivate imagination as our oldest and most sacred power. Read deeply, dream freely, and look upon the world not as it is, but as it might be. Speak with those who stir your vision rather than those who silence it. Create something — a poem, a plan, a promise — that did not exist before. For in doing so, you take part in the divine work of creation itself.

And so, let these words live within you: everything that matters begins with the imagination. It is the compass of the soul, the first heartbeat of every destiny. Tend to it with reverence. Let your mind dream beyond the horizon, your heart believe beyond reason, and your spirit act upon what your inner eye beholds. For the dreamers are the builders of worlds, and the world, in the end, belongs to those who remember how to imagine.