Quotes about dreams

A collection of quotes on the topic of wise, motivational, future, hope.

Best quotes about dreams

Ludwig Van Beethoven photo

“Music is like a dream. One that I cannot hear.”

Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770–1827) German Romantic composer

Conversations (January 1804)

Kurt Cobain photo

“Wanting to be someone else is a waste of who you are”

Kurt Cobain (1967–1994) American musician and artist

Variant: Wanting to be someone else is the waste of who you are

Marie Antoinette photo

“We had a beautiful dream and that was all.”

Marie Antoinette (1755–1793) last Queen of France prior to the French Revolution

The interest of my son is the only guide I have, and whatever happiness I could achieve by being free of this place I cannot consent to separate my self from him. I could not have any pleasure in the world if I abandoned my children.I do not even have any regrets.
Marie Antoinette to the Chevalier Jarjayes on his persuading her to escape alone from the Tower; Lettres, II. p. 433; also quoted in Marie Antoinette: The Journey (2001) by Antonia Fraser, ISBN 0307277747.

Vincent Van Gogh photo

“I dream my painting, and then I paint my dream.”

Vincent Van Gogh (1853–1890) Dutch post-Impressionist painter (1853-1890)

As quoted in Marry Your Muse: Making a Lasting Commitment to Your Creativity (1997) by Jan Phillips, p. 176
Undated

Paul Valéry photo

“The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up.”

Paul Valéry (1871–1945) French poet, essayist, and philosopher
Arthur Rimbaud photo

“A thousand Dreams within me softly burn”

Arthur Rimbaud (1854–1891) French Decadent and Symbolist poet
Edgar Allan Poe photo

“All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.”

"A Dream Within a Dream" (1849).
Context: You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.

C.G. Jung photo

“Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”

C.G. Jung (1875–1961) Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist who founded analytical psychology
Billy Wilder photo

Quotes about dreams

Andrzej Majewski photo

“A slave dreams of freedom, a free man dreams of wealth, the wealthy dream of power, and the powerful dream of freedom.”

Andrzej Majewski (1966) Polish writer and photographer

Niewolnik marzy o wolności, człowiek wolny o bogactwie, bogacz o władzy, a władca o wolności.
Aphorisms. Magnum in Parvo (2000)

Bob Marley photo

“Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life.”

Bob Marley (1945–1981) Jamaican singer, songwriter, musician
Tom Hiddleston photo
Michael Jackson photo
Liam Payne photo

“Dreams are like stars; you may never touch them, but if you follow them, they will lead you to your destiny.”

Liam Payne (1993) English singer and songwriter

https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/6422617.Liam_Payne

Osamu Dazai photo
Yoko Ono photo

“A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.”

Yoko Ono (1933) Japanese artist, author, and peace activist

A line written by Ono many years before, and quoted by Lennon in December 1980, as quoted in All We Are Saying : The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono (2000) by John Lennon, Yōko Ono, David Sheff, p. 16.
Source: Grapefruit: A Book of Instructions and Drawings

Sathya Sai Baba photo
Martin Luther King, Jr. photo

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation, where they won´t be judged by the color of their skin, but by the contente of their character.”

Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–1968) American clergyman, activist, and leader in the American Civil Rights Movement

Variant: I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

Dr. Seuss photo

“You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.”

Dr. Seuss (1904–1991) American children's writer and illustrator, co-founder of Beginner Books

Variant: You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.

Mehmed II photo

“Tell the your emperor; Where my power has reached, Emperor's dreams can not reach!”

Mehmed II (1432–1481) Ottoman sultan

While Constantinople was besieged, Mehmed's response to the Byzantine ambassador

Mwanandeke Kindembo photo
Tupac Shakur photo
Billie Eilish photo
Kālidāsa photo
John C. Maxwell photo
Mahmoud Darwich photo
T. B. Joshua photo
Andrea Dworkin photo
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe photo

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) German writer, artist, and politician

Attributed to Goethe by popular British novelist Marie Corelli in her essay "The Spirit of Work" as published in The Queen's Christmas carol : an anthology of poems, stories, essays, drawings and music / by British authors, artists and composers in 1905 by The Daily Mail of London.
Attributed to Goethe by William Hutchinson Murray, in his book The Scottish Himalayan Expedition (1951), this has been shown to be a misattribution at "German Myth 12: The Famous 'Goethe' Quotation", Answer.com http://german.about.com/library/blgermyth12.htm and "Popular Quotes: Commitment", Goethe Society of North America http://www.goethesociety.org/pages/quotescom.html
Misattributed
Variant: Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.

Zhuangzi photo
Richelle Mead photo
C.G. Jung photo
Patañjali photo
Dolly Parton photo

“If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.”

Dolly Parton (1946) American singer-songwriter and actress

Variant: If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.

Elvis Presley photo

“Ambition is a dream with a V8 engine”

Elvis Presley (1935–1977) American singer and actor

Variant: Ambition is a dream with a V8 engine.

John Quincy Adams photo
Bram Stoker photo
Ome Shushiki photo

“Dead my old fine hopes
And dry my dreaming but still…
Iris, blue each spring”

Ome Shushiki (1669–1725) Japanese waka poet in the middle of the Edo period

Source: Japanese Haiku

John Lennon photo
Katie McGrath photo
Dwayne Johnson photo
Karl Popper photo
John Wesley photo

“Never dream of forcing men into the ways of God. Think yourself, and let think.”

John Wesley (1703–1791) Christian theologian

Sermon 37 "The Nature of Enthusiasm"
Sermons on Several Occasions (1771)
Context: Beware you are not a fiery, persecuting enthusiast. Do not imagine that God has called you (just contrary to the spirit of Him you style your Master) to destroy men’s lives, and not to save them. Never dream of forcing men into the ways of God. Think yourself, and let think. Use no constraint in matters of religion. Even those who are farthest out of the way never compel to come in by any other means than reason, truth, and love.

Terence McKenna photo
Billie Eilish photo

“I had a dream
I got everything I wanted
Not what you'd think
And if I'm being honest
It might have been a nightmare
To anyone who might care”

Billie Eilish (2001) American singer-songwriter

"everything i wanted" · First live performance, Mexico City (12 December 2019) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgdG91aCsPU
Singles (2017 - )

Louise Erdrich photo

“So what is wild? What is wilderness? What are dreams but an internal wilderness and what is desire but a wildness of the soul?”

Louise Erdrich (1954) writer from the United States

Source: The Blue Jay's Dance: A Birth Year

Harriet Tubman photo
Fernando Pessoa photo
Anthony Robbins photo
Theodor Herzl photo

“If you will it, it is no dream.”

Theodor Herzl (1860–1904) Austro-Hungarian journalist and writer
Colin Powell photo
A.A. Milne photo
Samuel Taylor Coleridge photo
Marilyn Manson photo
Tupac Shakur photo
Tove Jansson photo

“I only want to live in peace, plant potatoes and dream!”

Tove Jansson (1914–2001) Finnish children's writer and illustrator

Source: Moomin: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip, Vol. 1

Ronald Reagan photo

“Socialists ignore the side of man that is of the spirit. They can provide shelter, fill your belly with bacon and beans, treat you when you are ill, all the things that are guaranteed to a prisoner or a slave. They don't understand that we dream — yes, even of some time owning a yacht.”

Ronald Reagan (1911–2004) American politician, 40th president of the United States (in office from 1981 to 1989)

As quoted in Stories in His Own Hand: The Everyday Wisdom of Ronald Reagan (2001) https://books.google.com/books?id=9ut8fnmwVkwC&pg=PA91 edited by Kiron K. Skinner, Annelise Graebner Anderson, and Martin Anderson. p. 91
Post-presidency (1989–2004)

E.E. Cummings photo
Ram Dass photo
H. Jackson Brown, Jr. photo
Murasaki Shikibu photo

“Real things in the darkness seem no realer than dreams.”

Source: Tale of Genji, The Tale of Genji, trans. Arthur Waley, Ch. 1: Kiritsubo

H.P. Lovecraft photo

“For I have always been a seeker, a dreamer, and a ponderer on seeking and dreaming…”

H.P. Lovecraft (1890–1937) American author

Source: Night Ocean et autres nouvelles

Fernando Pessoa photo
Suman Pokhrel photo

“Tonight, may I get so drunk in love that
I do not see any dreams!”

Suman Pokhrel (1967) Nepali poet, lyricist, playwright, translator and artist

<span class="plainlinks"> May I Not See Dreams http://learningandcreativity.com/may-i-not-see-dreams-poetry-month-special/</span>
From Poetry

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk photo

“There are two Mustafa Kemals: One is me, the flesh-and-blood, mortal Mustafa Kemal … The second Mustafa Kemal,… I can not express it with the word “me”, it is not “me”, it is “we”. That is an intellectual and challenging society, struggling in every corner of the homeland for new ideas, new life and the great ideal. I represent their dream. My attempts are to satisfy the things they long. That Mustafa Kemal is you, all of you. That is the non provisional Mustafa Kemal that must live and succeed.”

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881–1938) Turkish army officer, revolutionary, and the first President of Turkey

İki Mustafa Kemal vardır: Biri ben, et ve kemik, geçici Mustafa Kemal... İkinci Mustafa Kemal, onu "ben" kelimesiyle ifade edemem; o, ben değil, bizdir! O, memleketin her köşesinde yeni fikir, yeni hayat ve büyük ülkü için uğraşan aydın ve savaşçı bir topluluktur. Ben, onların rüyasını temsil ediyorum. Benim teşebbüslerim, onların özlemini çektikleri şeyleri tatmin içindir. O Mustafa Kemal sizsiniz, hepinizsiniz. Geçici olmayan, yaşaması ve başarılı olması gereken Mustafa Kemal odur.
As quoted in Ataturk: First President and Founder of the Turkish Republic (2002) by Yüksel Atillasoy, p. 19

Michael Jackson photo

“In a world filled with hate, we must still dare to hope. In a world filled with anger, we must still dare to comfort. In a world filled with despair, we must still dare to dream. And in a world filled with distrust, we must still dare to believe.”

Michael Jackson (1958–2009) American singer, songwriter and dancer

Also used at his funeral (3 Sep. 2009) invitation. Quoted in "Dead stars and classic art will surround Michael Jackson " in CNN.com/entertainment (03 July 2009) http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/09/03/michael.jackson.funeral/index.html#cnnSTCOther1

Alexander Rybak photo
Rabindranath Tagore photo
Elton John photo

“A dream will fly
The moment that you open up your eyes.
A dream is just a riddle,
Ghosts from every corner of your life.”

Elton John (1947) English rock singer-songwriter, composer and pianist

Original Sin
Song lyrics, Songs from the West Coast (2001)

Elvis Presley photo

“When I was a child, ladies and gentlemen, I was a dreamer. I read comic books, and I was the hero of the comic book. I saw movies, and I was the hero in the movie. So every dream I ever dreamed, has come true a hundred times…”

Elvis Presley (1935–1977) American singer and actor

Acceptance speech for the 1970 Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation Award (16 January 1971), published in Elvis — Word for Word: What He Said, Exactly As He Said It (1999) by Jerry Osborne, p. 188
Context: I'd like to thank the Jaycees for electing me as one of their outstanding young men. When I was a child, ladies and gentlemen, I was a dreamer. I read comic books, and I was the hero of the comic book. I saw movies, and I was the hero in the movie. So every dream I ever dreamed, has come true a hundred times... And these gentlemen over here, these are the type of people who care, they're dedicated, and they realize that it is possible that they might be building the kingdom of heaven, it's not just too far fetched, from reality. I'd like to say that I learned very early in life that "Without a song, the day would never end; without a song, a man ain't got a friend; without a song, the road would never bend — without a song." So I keep singing a song. Goodnight. Thank you.

Zhuangzi photo

“Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man.”

Zhuangzi (-369–-286 BC) classic Chinese philosopher

As translated by Lin Yutang
Alternative translations
Once upon a time, I, Chuang Chou, dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, a veritable butterfly, enjoying itself to the full of its bent, and not knowing it was Chuang Chou. Suddenly I awoke, and came to myself, the veritable Chuang Chou. Now I do not know whether it was then I dreamt I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming I am a man. Between me and the butterfly there must be a difference. This is an instance of transformation.
As translated by James Legge, and quoted in The Three Religions of China: Lectures Delivered at Oxford (1913) by William Edward Soothill, p. 75
Once Zhuang Zhou dreamed he was a butterfly, a fluttering butterfly. What fun he had, doing as he pleased! He did not know he was Zhou. Suddenly he woke up and found himself to be Zhou. He did not know whether Zhou had dreamed he was a butterfly or a butterfly had dreamed he was Zhou. Between Zhou and the butterfly there must be some distinction. This is what is meant by the transformation of things.
One night, Zhuangzi dreamed of being a butterfly — a happy butterfly, showing off and doing things as he pleased, unaware of being Zhuangzi. Suddenly he awoke, drowsily, Zhuangzi again. And he could not tell whether it was Zhuangzi who had dreamt the butterfly or the butterfly dreaming Zhuangzi. But there must be some difference between them! This is called 'the transformation of things'.
Once upon a time, Chuang Chou dreamed that he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting about happily enjoying himself. He didn’t know that he was Chou. Suddenly he awoke and was palpably Chou. He didn’t know whether he were Chou who had dreamed of being a butterfly, or a butterfly who was dreaming that he was Chou.
Context: Once upon a time, I, Chuang Chou, dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware that I was Chou. Soon I awaked, and there I was, veritably myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man. Between a man and a butterfly there is necessarily a distinction. The transition is called the transformation of material things.

Mwanandeke Kindembo photo
W.B. Yeats photo

“But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams beneath your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.”

W.B. Yeats (1865–1939) Irish poet and playwright

He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven http://poetry.poetryx.com/poems/1499/
Variant: I have spread my dreams under your feet.
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
Source: The Wind Among the Reeds (1899)
Context: Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with the golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams beneath your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

Muhammad Ali photo

“If you even dream of beating me, you'd better wake up and apologize.”

Muhammad Ali (1942–2016) African American boxer, philanthropist and activist
W.B. Yeats photo

“(In my sleep I dreamed this poem)

Someone I loved once gave me
a box full of darkness.

It took me years to understand
that this, too, was a gift.”

Mary Oliver (1935–2019) American writer

Variant: Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift.
Source: Thirst

Jodi Picoult photo
Richelle Mead photo
Ronald Reagan photo

“America is too great for small dreams.”

Ronald Reagan (1911–2004) American politician, 40th president of the United States (in office from 1981 to 1989)
Elvis Presley photo
Langston Hughes photo
Johnny Depp photo
Tim Burton photo

“Son, are you happy?
I don't mean to pry,
but do you dream of Heaven?
Have you ever wanted to die?”

Tim Burton (1958) American filmmaker

Source: The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories

Mick Jagger photo

“Lose your dreams and you might lose your mind.”

Mick Jagger (1943) British rock musician, member of The Rolling Stones
René Magritte photo
H.P. Lovecraft photo
Les Brown photo

“Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.”

Les Brown (1945) American politician

Variant: Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living out fears.

Helder Camara photo
Frida Kahlo photo

“They thought I was a Surrealist, but I wasn't. I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality.”

Frida Kahlo (1907–1954) Mexican painter

Quoted in Time Magazine, "Mexican Autobiography" (27 April 1953)
1946 - 1953
Variant: I don't paint dreams or nightmares, I paint my own reality.

Fernando Pessoa photo

“I'm nothing,
I'll always be nothing.
I can't even wish to be something.
Aside from that, I've got all the world's dreams inside me.”

Fernando Pessoa (1888–1935) Portuguese poet, writer, literary critic, translator, publisher and philosopher

Não sou nada.
Nunca serei nada.
Não posso querer ser nada.
À parte isso, tenho em mim todos os sonhos do mundo.
Álvaro de Campos (heteronym), Tabacaria ["The Tobacconist's" or "The Tobacco Shop"] (15 January 1928)
Variant translations:
I am nothing.
Never shall be anything.
Cannot will to be anything.
This apart, I have in me all the dreams of the world.
trans. Jonathan Griffin, in Selected Poems (Penguin Books, 1974), p. 111
I am not nothing.
I will never be nothing.
I cannot ever want to be nothing.
Apart from that, I have in me all the dreams of the world.
In Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations (2005), p. 649
I am nothing.
I shall never be anything.
I cannot even wish to be anything.
Apart from this, I have within me all the dreams of the world.
Variant: I am nothing.
I will never be anything.
I cannot wish to be anything.
Bar that, I have in me all the dreams of the world.

Henry Kissinger photo

“If Tehran insists on combining the Persian imperial tradition with contemporary Islamic fervor, then a collision with America — and, indeed, with its negotiating partners of the Six — is unavoidable. Iran simply cannot be permitted to fulfill a dream of imperial rule in a region of such importance to the rest of the world.”

Henry Kissinger (1923–2023) United States Secretary of State

"The Next Steps With Iran" in The Washington Post (31 July 2006), p. A15 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/30/AR2006073000546.html
2000s

Daniel Radcliffe photo
Emil M. Cioran photo

“Anyone can escape into sleep, we are all geniuses when we dream, the butcher's the poet's equal there.”

Emil M. Cioran (1911–1995) Romanian philosopher and essayist

The Temptation to Exist (1956)

Richard Aldington photo

“I dream of silent verses where the rhyme
Glides noiseless as an oar.”

Richard Aldington (1892–1962) English writer and poet

From At the British Museum Collected Poems, 1929

Donald J. Trump photo
The Notorious B.I.G. photo