Who said “Science does not know its debt to imagination.”?

Verified

Ralph Waldo Emerson. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceLetters and Social Aims (1876)

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APA

Emerson, R. W. (n.d.). Science does not know its debt to imagination. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/12743-science-does-not-know-its-debt-to-imagination/

MLA

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “Science does not know its debt to imagination.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/12743-science-does-not-know-its-debt-to-imagination/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “Science does not know its debt to imagination.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/12743-science-does-not-know-its-debt-to-imagination/.

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“Imagination gallops; judgment merely walks.”
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Original (French)

L'imagination galope, le jugement ne va que le pas

VerifiedFrench saying; recorded in James Wood, Dictionary of Quotations (1899), p. 235 · evidenceDetails & citeImagination
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