Why Your Imagination is More Powerful than Knowledge

Albert Einstein, who once said, "Imagination is more powerful than knowledge," was well known for his esteem of the concept of "thinking like a child."

This attitude allowed him to understand the universe in profound ways. He used his imagination to conduct "thought experiments" that helped him see the world from new perspectives.

In some of his more famous "thought experiments," Einstein would imagine himself riding on top of a beam of light and then asking questions about what this experience would be like.

For example, if he had a flashlight and turned it on, would he see a frozen beam of light coming from the flashlight riding beside him? If he held a mirror in front of his face, would he see a reflection? Would he even see the mirror at all?

Einstein understood that his imagination would help him see what is possible, instead of what everyone else thought to be obvious or assumed to be true at the time.

In Einstein's case, he gave his imagination the power, and not the knowledge or theories of the day. In fact, his imagination challenged and revolutionized scientific theory and the way we think about the nature of our universe.

Robert Kennedy said, "Some men see things as they are and ask why. I dream things that never were and ask, why not?"

I believe that imagination is more powerful than knowledge because while knowledge helps you see and understand things as they are, imagination allows you to see things as they could be.

Here are some tips to develop the power of your imagination.

Challenge Your Assumptions

Have you ever observed a child? They are very curious and use their imaginations constantly. They also have the ability to see situations from a completely different perspective. Perhaps it is that they don't make the same assumptions that adults would make in the same situation.


There is a well-known story about a truck that got stuck underneath a low bridge. The adults had tried everything to get it out, from pushing it with another truck to pulling it with chains.

Then, a child came to the scene and said, "Why don't you take the air out of the tires?" It worked!

That child was able to sit back and view the situation from another perspective. He used his imagination to offer a solution. You can do this too by challenging your assumptions.

Pursue a Creative Hobby

Pursuing a creative hobby can also boost your imagination. You can learn how to draw, paint, knit, write, or play an instrument. These pursuits will stimulate your mind and improve your creative thinking.

Do Creativity Exercises

There are countless websites and books you can read to help you boost your creativity.
Creativity exercises help you see situations from many different perspectives, develop your imagination, and use different parts of your brain. You can apply many of the exercises to your work, home improvement projects, relationships, problem solving, or anywhere else you might need an imaginative solution.

I find the creativity section at wannalearn.com to be an excellent resource. It is a portal that offers links for books, dvd's, and websites on the subject of creativity. It is nice to have all that information in one place.

The links section is especially helpful because each of the sites listed have something different to offer. Everybody is different and we all require different activities and explanations to stimulate our creativity.

By Roger Constandse

Rodger Constandse is the editor of a success and personal development blog at http://www.ksuccess.com/blog/ , and the creator of the Goal Setting Challenge http://www.goalsettingchallenge.com/ which helps you set and achieve your goals. Visit http://www.timethoughts.com/ for a free time management mini-course and time saving tips PDF reports.
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