---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Real life is nothing but a dream, a dream…"
description: "\"“Real life is nothing but a dream, a dream to eventually approach an ideal that is as distant and high as possible, so high as to extinguish matter.”\" ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d3/d-rthe-binkert-44028_dream_real-life-is-nothing-but-a-dream-a-dream_2931182.jpg"
---

#  Real life is nothing but a dream, a dream to eventually…

![“Real life is nothing but a dream, a dream to eventually approach an ideal that is as distant and high as possible, so high as to extinguish matter.” quote by Dörthe Binkert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d3/d-rthe-binkert-44028_dream_real-life-is-nothing-but-a-dream-a-dream_2931182.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d3/d-rthe-binkert-44028_dream_real-life-is-nothing-but-a-dream-a-dream_2931182.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d3/d-rthe-binkert-44028_dream_real-life-is-nothing-but-a-dream-a-dream_2931182.jpg)

> ““Real life is nothing but a dream, a dream to eventually approach an ideal that is as distant and high as possible, so high as to extinguish matter.””

[Dörthe Binkert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-rthe-binkert/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Life is likened to a dream striving toward an ever‑more distant ideal, suggesting that pursuit of lofty goals can render material existence insignificant.

**In simple terms:** Life is a dream chasing distant ideals.

Key Takeaway

Pursue meaningful aspirations.

Themes

dreams ideals existentialism

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

existential motivational

When to use this quote

- creative work
- spiritual practice
- goal setting

Key Concepts

philosophy metaphysics

Questions to Reflect On

- What ideal drives you?
- How do you balance dream and reality?

A Different Perspective

Idealism may lead to perpetual dissatisfaction.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dream A Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream-a-dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-dream/) [Real life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-life/)

## Related quotes

> [“Instead they dream of furniture Of buying a new hat Of owning matching silverware Could you imagine that? Yes there are places in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-clayton/instead-they-dream-of-furniture-of-buying-a-new-hat-of-owning/)

[Dallas Clayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-clayton/)

> [They say it only takes an instant to have a dream; a dream can be compressed into hardtack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gao-xingjian/they-say-it-only-takes-an-instant-to-have-a-dream-a-dream-can-be/)

[Gao Xingjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gao-xingjian/)

> [“I want to dream a dream so wonderful that I'll wake up sorry that it wasn't a memory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-helm/i-want-to-dream-a-dream-so-wonderful-that-i-ll-wake-up-sorry-that-it/)

Robin Helm

> [“…but he realized he would never reconcile himself to life as something other than a prelude. What’s life’s meaning then? What is it? What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-biuts/but-he-realized-he-would-never-reconcile-himself-to-life-as-something/)

[Lara Biuts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-biuts/)

> [“I dream a dream that won't let me sleep. and yet I can't let it go either. Hope &amp; fears are playing a tug-of-war,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jyoti-arora/i-dream-a-dream-that-won-t-let-me-sleep-and-yet-i-can-t-let-it-go/)

[Jyoti Arora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jyoti-arora/)

> [Dream a dream so big that unless God intervenes it will fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hudson-taylor/dream-a-dream-so-big-that-unless-god-intervenes-it-will-fail/)

[Hudson Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hudson-taylor/)

> [Even after being in the industry for so long, I still have a dream - a dream to work with my daughter Sanah.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/supriya-pathak/even-after-being-in-the-industry-for-so-long-i-still-have-a-dream-a/)

[Supriya Pathak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/supriya-pathak/)

> [“Happiness is a dream. A dream fulfilled by those who seek it the most.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-parker/happiness-is-a-dream-a-dream-fulfilled-by-those-who-seek-it-the-most/)

[Sheila Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-parker/)

> [A goal without a plan is a dream; a dream without action is fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-goal-without-a-plan-is-a-dream-a-dream-without-action-is-fantasy/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“easy to dream a dream, though its harder to live it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wale/easy-to-dream-a-dream-though-its-harder-to-live-it/)

[Wale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wale/)

> [I dream a dream that dreams back at me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/i-dream-a-dream-that-dreams-back-at-me/)

[Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/)

> [A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-dream-you-dream-alone-is-only-a-dream-a-dream-you-dream-together-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [How could God give me a dream, a dream of going to Notre Dame, a dream of becoming somebody, and I'm a dummy, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-ruettiger/how-could-god-give-me-a-dream-a-dream-of-going-to-notre-dame-a-dream/)

[Rudy Ruettiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-ruettiger/)

> [Most people dream a dream when they are asleep. But to be a writer, you have to dream while you are awake, intentionally. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/most-people-dream-a-dream-when-they-are-asleep-but-to-be-a-writer-you/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“Yesterday, I had a dream... A dream I have had since long ago. In that dream, we had yet to turn 13. We were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/makoto-shinkai/yesterday-i-had-a-dream-a-dream-i-have-had-since-long-ago-in-that-2/)

[Makoto Shinkai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/makoto-shinkai/)

## More by Dörthe Binkert

> [“His life now had only the one side, the bright side; he had achieved this with great effort. Yet deep down, he knew that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-rthe-binkert/his-life-now-had-only-the-one-side-the-bright-side-he-had-achieved/)

[Dörthe Binkert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-rthe-binkert/)

> [“She admired all these women who were mothers. My God, you had to be devilishly careful not to say the wrong thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-rthe-binkert/she-admired-all-these-women-who-were-mothers-my-god-you-had-to-be/)

[Dörthe Binkert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-rthe-binkert/)

> [“That’s what nature teaches you: the inescapable cycle of birth, life, death. We are part of it, like the plants, and the animals. Nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-rthe-binkert/that-s-what-nature-teaches-you-the-inescapable-cycle-of-birth-life/)

[Dörthe Binkert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-rthe-binkert/)

> [“What else is there to sustain us if not our dreams, and what should we strive for if not for their realization?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-rthe-binkert/what-else-is-there-to-sustain-us-if-not-our-dreams-and-what-should-we/)

[Dörthe Binkert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-rthe-binkert/)

> [“She had entered it like a shooting star flashing across the night sky—and she’d evaporate just as quickly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-rthe-binkert/she-had-entered-it-like-a-shooting-star-flashing-across-the-night-sky/)

[Dörthe Binkert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-rthe-binkert/)

> [“After all, what is art if not a true image and a criterion for the perfection of the human soul?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-rthe-binkert/after-all-what-is-art-if-not-a-true-image-and-a-criterion-for-the/)

[Dörthe Binkert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-rthe-binkert/)

> [“I am of the opinion that every person, whether man or woman, discovers his own talents and aptitudes and that we as human beings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-rthe-binkert/i-am-of-the-opinion-that-every-person-whether-man-or-woman-discovers/)

[Dörthe Binkert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-rthe-binkert/)

> [“And once men have their own money, Emma thought not for the first time, they become unpredictable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-rthe-binkert/and-once-men-have-their-own-money-emma-thought-not-for-the-first-time/)

[Dörthe Binkert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-rthe-binkert/)

[Explore all 9 Dörthe Binkert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-rthe-binkert/)

## More Dream quotes

> [“Once we become sensitive to dreams, we discover that every dynamic in a dream is manifesting itself in some way in our practical lives”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-johnson/once-we-become-sensitive-to-dreams-we-discover-that-every-dynamic-in/)

[Robert A. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-johnson/)

> [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/)

[John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/)

> [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/)

[Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/)

> [“Not that it matters, when you dream, there's no outside or in. Your mind is an unimaginable bloom. A willow catkin as big as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-shapero/not-that-it-matters-when-you-dream-there-s-no-outside-or-in-your-mind/)

[Rich Shapero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-shapero/)

> [Academically, I was never that interested. I skipped classes. My biggest dream was to have a coffee shop, but I had no idea how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-espinosa/academically-i-was-never-that-interested-i-skipped-classes-my-biggest/)

[Daniel Espinosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-espinosa/)

> [“As dreams are the healing songs from the wilderness of our unconscious - So wild animals, wild plants, wild landscapes are the healing dreams…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-pendell/as-dreams-are-the-healing-songs-from-the-wilderness-of-our/)

[Dale Pendell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-pendell/)

> [Alone in a world, With millions of souls Walking in circles Trapped in their dreams unhealthy, unclean walking in circles, now do not disturb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chester-bennington/alone-in-a-world-with-millions-of-souls-walking-in-circles-trapped-in/)

[Chester Bennington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chester-bennington/)

> [“Doing the work to transform your dreams into reality is like walking across the earth. It can be that hard, and it can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragos-bratasanu/doing-the-work-to-transform-your-dreams-into-reality-is-like-walking/)

[Dragos Bratasanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragos-bratasanu/)

> [As far as Im concerned, I didnt dream - ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/as-far-as-im-concerned-i-didnt-dream-ever/)

[Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/)

> [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/)

[Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/)

> [I guess, it's a father's dream for his daughter to be known around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-soberano/i-guess-it-s-a-father-s-dream-for-his-daughter-to-be-known-around-the/)

[Liza Soberano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-soberano/)

> [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/)

[Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/)

> [Sometimes life seems like a dream, especially when I look down and see that I forgot to put on my pants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/sometimes-life-seems-like-a-dream-especially-when-i-look-down-and-see/)

[Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/)

> [“I had a dream. I had an awesome dream.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-had-a-dream-i-had-an-awesome-dream/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“His dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/his-dream-must-have-seemed-so-close-that-he-could-hardly-fail-to/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

[Browse all 26,527 Dream quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Real life is nothing but a dream, a dream to eventually approach an ideal that is as distant and high as possible, so high as to extinguish matter.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Dörthe Binkert"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-rthe-binkert/real-life-is-nothing-but-a-dream-a-dream-to-eventually-approach-an/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dream"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-rthe-binkert/real-life-is-nothing-but-a-dream-a-dream-to-eventually-approach-an/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d3/d-rthe-binkert-44028_dream_real-life-is-nothing-but-a-dream-a-dream_2931182.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d3/d-rthe-binkert-44028_dream_real-life-is-nothing-but-a-dream-a-dream_2931182.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d3/d-rthe-binkert-44028_dream_real-life-is-nothing-but-a-dream-a-dream_2931182.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Real life is nothing but a dream, a dream to eventually approach an ideal that is as distant and high as…” — Dörthe Binkert",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Dörthe Binkert",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-rthe-binkert/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Real life is nothing but a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-rthe-binkert/real-life-is-nothing-but-a-dream-a-dream-to-eventually-approach-an/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-rthe-binkert/real-life-is-nothing-but-a-dream-a-dream-to-eventually-approach-an/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
