This quote from Daniel C. Dennett's Freedom Evolves highlights an important truth about the process of creativity and the challenges of turning ideas into reality. Imagination is often seen as boundless and effortless—people can conjure up elaborate scenarios, novel inventions, or idealized solutions in their minds without constraint. It's a domain where the limits are set only by the fanciest leaps of thought. However, as Dennett suggests, the real test of invention and creativity lies not merely in imagining possibilities but in grappling with the minutiae that translate those visions into tangible outcomes.

The phrase underscores the gap between high-level concepts and their practical implementation. Often, what seems like a simple or elegant idea becomes complex when you must handle every detail. This applies in countless fields—engineering, writing, policymaking, and beyond. Addressing the nuances, the technical challenges, and unpredictable variables requires effort, patience, and sometimes compromise. When such details are overlooked, imaginative ideas remain just dreams or incomplete sketches.

This viewpoint also reflects on the nature of freedom and responsibility. Freedom to imagine without constraints is easily held, but freedom to act on those imaginings responsibly includes managing consequences and details. Dennett's broader work explores how evolutionary and cognitive processes interact with our ideas of freedom, emphasizing how we navigate complexity to achieve meaningful outcomes. Ultimately, this quote reminds us that while creativity begins in imagination, mastery lies in execution—the painstaking journey of attending to every detail to bring ideas to life.