"It is far more difficult to murder a phantom than a reality"
- Virginia Woolf
About this Quote
This quote by Virginia Woolf speaks to the power of the imagination and the trouble of attempting to manage it. Woolf is suggesting that it is much harder to eliminate a concept or concept than it is to eliminate a physical truth. This is because ideas and principles are intangible and can exist in the minds of many individuals, making them tough to get rid of. Woolf is likewise suggesting that the power of the imagination is greater than the power of physical truth. The idea of a phantom, or something that is not real, is more effective than something that is real because it can exist in the minds of many individuals and can be difficult to manage. Woolf is recommending that the power of the imagination is greater than the power of physical reality and that it is much more difficult to eliminate a concept or principle than it is to eliminate a physical reality.
"The head of the CIA, it seems to me, would think long and hard before he admitted that former employees of his had been involved in the murder of the President of the United States-even if they weren't acting on behalf of the Agency when they did it"
"It's frightening how easy it is to commit murder in America. Just a drink too much. I can see myself doing it. In England, one feels all the social restraints holding one back. But here, anything can happen"
