dreams

Poor people are not those who
are without a cent, but those
who are without a dream.

Harry Kemp

 
It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting. . . Before a dream is realized, the Soul of the World tests everything that was learned along the way.  It does this not because it is evil, but so that we can, in addition to realizing our dreams master the lessons we have learned as we have moved toward that dream. That’s the point at which most people give up. . . Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself.  And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of search is a second’s encounter with God and with eternity.

Paulo Coelho

  
Here is the big picture:  Life is too short to not pursue your dreams.  Someday your life will near its end and all you will be able to do is look backwards.  You can reflect with joy or regret.  Those who dream, who set goals and act on them to live out their dreams are those who live lives of joy and have a sense of peace when they near the end of their lives.  They have finished well, for themselves and for their families.  Remember:  These are the dreams and goals that are born out of your heart and mind.  These are the goals that are unique to you and come from who you were created to be and gifted to become.

Jim Rohn
  

Dreams are renewable.  No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born.

Dale E. Turner

  
Allow yourself to dream again.  If I were your fairy godmother and I could sprinkle fairy dust on you and grant you one wish, what would it be?  It's time to stop talking about not having a dream and start figuring out what it is and how to achieve it.  Be your own fairy godmother.

Lucinda Bassett

  

All men and women are born, live, suffer, and die; what distinguishes us
one from another is our dreams, whether they be dreams about worldly
or unworldly things, and what we do to make them come about.

Joseph Epstein

   

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I was not looking for my dreams to interpret my life,
but rather for my life to interpret my dreams.

Susan Sontag

   

Nothing is as real as a dream.  The world can change around you,
but your dream will not.  Responsibilities need not erase
it.  Duties need not obscure it.  Because the dream is
within you, no one can take it away.

Tom Clancy

    

We grow through our dreams.  All great men and women are dreamers.
Some, however, allow their dreams to die.  You should nurse your dreams
and protect them through bad times and tough times to the sunshine
and light which always come through.

Woodrow Wilson


also attributed to Woodrow Wilson:

All big people are dreamers.  They see things in the soft haze of a spring day or in red
fire of a long winter's evening. Some of us let great dreams die, but others nourish
and protect them, nurse
them through bad days till they bring them to the sunshine
and light which comes always
to those who sincerely hope that their dreams will come true.

    dreams

Dreamers and doers--the world generally divides people into those
two general classifications, but the world is often wrong.  There are
people who win the admiration of their fellow people.  They are the
people worth while.  Dreaming is just another name for thinking,
planning, devising--another way of saying that a person exercises
his or her soul.  A steadfast soul, holding steadily to a dream ideal,
plus a sturdy will determined to succeed in any venture, can make
any dream come true. Use your mind and your will.  They work
together for you beautifully if you'll only give them a chance.

B.N. Mills
   

Unfortunately, as we get older, reason and logic push wishes and dreams
to the side.  It's as if adulthood pulls the whimsy right out from under our
noses.  Yet most people who accomplish the seemingly impossible are
quick to point out that sometimes dreams really do come true.  Think of
the difference between moving mountains and believing in moving
mountains.  That will is not unlike the famous train who thought it could
and, finally, did get over the mountain.  The trains that came before
didn't believe it was possible to get to the other side. . . . If you dream
about something coming true, it's a kind of wish fulfillment.
And even then, that may be all we have.

Leslie Levine
Ice Cream for Breakfast

  

Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.

Gloria Steinem

   

   
Hold fast to your dreams!
Within your heart
Keep one still, secret spot
Where dreams may go
And, sheltered so,
May thrive and grow
Where doubt and fear are not.
O keep a place apart,
Within your heart,
For little dreams to go!

Louise Driscoll
   

Keep your dreams alive.  Understand to achieve anything requires faith
and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication.
Remember all things are possible for those who believe.

Gail Devers

    

Stop telling yourself that dreams don’t matter, that they are
only dreams and that you should be more sensible.

Julia Cameron

   

   

   
Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what
it will bring back:  a new life, a new friend, a new love, a new country.

Anaïs Nin
  

There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve:  the fear of failure.

Paulo Coelho
The Alchemist

  

What is a dream?  It is anything I think should happen and which I, therefore,
exert myself to make happen, whatever the odds against it.  It is the college
education I couldn't get when I was in my twenties but which I am now getting,
one night course at a time.  It is the new fountain in the garden that I take
hours to dig after the regular workday is over.  It is the new deck on the home.
It is anything that takes an effort that is really no effort at all.

Joan Chittister
Seeing with Our Souls

There is no age limit for dreamers.  They are simply the people who keep making
life better for themselves and for everyone around them.

   
Since it doesn’t cost a dime to dream, you’ll never short-change
yourself when you stretch your imagination.

Robert Schuller
 

Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself.
Go forward and make your dreams come true.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

   

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

Langston Hughes

  
Keep your dreams--the tissue of all wings is woven first of them;
from dreams are made the precious and imperishable
things, whose loveliness lives on, and does not fade.

Virna Sheard
   

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All people dream:  but not equally.  Those who dream by night in the
dusty recesses of their minds wake up in the day to find it was vanity,
but the dreamers of the day are dangerous people, for they may
act their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible.

T.E. Lawrence
Seven Pillars of Wisdom
   

You're never given a dream without also being given the power to make it true.

Richard Bach
Illusions

   

The inability to open up to hope is what blocks trust,
and blocked trust is the reason for blighted dreams.

Elizabeth Gilbert

  

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   dreams

I have dreamt in my life, dreams that have stayed with me ever after,
and changed my ideas; they have gone through and through me,
like wine through water, and altered the color of my mind.

Emily Brontë
Wuthering Heights
   

Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations.
I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their
beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.

Louisa May Alcott

  

Be careful what you water your dreams with.  Water them with worry and
fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream.  Water
them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success.  Always be
on the lookout for ways to turn a problem into an opportunity for success.
Always be on the lookout for ways to nurture your dream.

Lao Tzu

  

  
High on the wall, in the castle of your dreams of success, hangs
the picture of what you want to be.  Always keep that picture
hanging there.  See yourself where you intend to be.  Night and
day dream of what you intend to do and what you intend to be,
for your dreams interpret your intentions always. 
All successes are, at first, dreams.

Fred Van Amburgh
   

You must learn to turn your dreams into exactly expressed targets.
Once you have done so, and know just where you are heading, you
are then in a position to see immediately an opportunity when it comes your way.

R.J. Heathorn

   

Dreaming is an act of pure imagination,
attesting in all people a creative power.

Frederick H. Hedge

  
There is hope in dreams, imagination, and in the courage
of those who wish to make those dreams a reality.

Jonas Salk
  

To accomplish great things we must not only act, but also
dream; not only plan, but also believe.

Anatole France

   

If you have a dream and you want to do or be something else, take
a step today toward your goal.  It doesn’t matter whether that means
paging through that college brochure, signing up for that scuba diving
class, or starting your own knitting blog.  Just keep taking one step
forward every day.  When obstacles appear, look for a route around
them and ask for help when needed.  Yes, you may be taking a risk,
and you may fail. But you can always try again, this time a little
smarter.  Not listening to your soul’s desire is a form of death.

Bernie Siegel
No Endings, Only Beginnings

   
As long as we dare to dream and don't get in the way of ourselves,
anything is possible-- there's truly no end to where our dreams can take us.

Hilary Swank
  

            

Yes, life can be mysterious and confusing--but there's much of life that's actually rather dependable and reliable.  Some principles apply to life in so many different contexts that they can truly be called universal--and learning what they are and how to approach them and use them can teach us some of the most important lessons that we've ever learned.
My doctorate is in Teaching and Learning.  I use it a lot when I teach at school, but I also do my best to apply what I've learned to the life I'm living, and to observe how others live their lives.  What makes them happy or unhappy, stressed or peaceful, selfish or generous, compassionate or arrogant?  In this book, I've done my best to pass on to you what I've learned from people in my life, writers whose works I've read, and stories that I've heard.  Perhaps these principles can be a positive part of your life, too!
Universal Principles of Living Life Fully.  Awareness of these principles can explain a lot and take much of the frustration out of the lives we lead.

    
        

    
   

         

Explore all of our quotations pages--these links will take you to the first page of each topic, and those pages will contain links to any additional pages on the same topic (there are five pages on adversity, for example).

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