Red and yellow are associated with fire and the blues and greens with water. The warm colors tend to be stimulating and the cool colors relaxing. Colors can actually affect our physiology. Red light increases our adrenaline level which increases our blood pressure, breathing rate and temperature. Be aware of the effect you are trying to create with your quilt and choose your colors appropriately.
Warm colors tend to move forward in a design and the cool colors recede.
Warm colors draw attention. Use the temperature property of color to cause the viewer's eye to move to the portion of the design where you wish to draw attention. Wolfrom's The Magical Effects of Color has an extensive section on color temperature. Mary Coyne Penders' book, Color and Cloth , is also very good for temperature and psychology of color. Symbolism of Color Colors have symbolic meaning.