As great scientists have said and as all children know, it is above all by the imagination that we achieve perception, and compassion, and hope.

Le Guin argues that imagination is not escapism but a primary human faculty that makes real understanding possible. By linking “great scientists” with “all children,” she collapses the divide between rigorous inquiry and playful creativity: both depend on the ability to form models, envision alternatives, and enter perspectives beyond immediate sensation. In her view, imagination enables perception (seeing patterns and meanings), compassion (inhabiting another’s experience), and hope (conceiving futures different from the present). The line reflects her long-standing defense of fiction—especially speculative fiction—as a serious mode of knowledge and ethical training.