---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Artists are the traditional interpreters…"
description: "\"Artists are the traditional interpreters of dreams and nightmares.\" — Doris Lessing"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/doris-lessing-501_art_artists-are-the-traditional-interpreters_2010343.png"
---

#  Artists are the traditional interpreters of dreams and…

![“Artists are the traditional interpreters of dreams and nightmares.” quote by Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/doris-lessing-501_art_artists-are-the-traditional-interpreters_2010343.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/doris-lessing-501_art_artists-are-the-traditional-interpreters_2010343.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/doris-lessing-501_art_artists-are-the-traditional-interpreters_2010343.png)

> “Artists are the traditional interpreters of dreams and nightmares.”

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

## About This Quote

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

Artists translate subconscious visions into tangible forms, allowing society to explore hidden fears and hopes.

**In simple terms:** Artists turn dreams into art for us.

Key Takeaway

Value artistic interpretation.

Themes

creativity psychology culture

Mood

inquisitive inspired

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- gallery visits
- therapy
- education

Key Concepts

symbolism collective unconscious

Questions to Reflect On

- What dreams have shaped your art?
- How do nightmares influence creativity?

A Different Perspective

Not all dreams are universal; interpretation varies.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artists Traditional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artists-traditional-2250721/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Dreams and nightmares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams-and-nightmares/) [Dreams Nightmares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams-nightmares-551569/) [Interpreter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interpreter/) [Interpreters Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interpreters-dreams-3586390/) [Nightmare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nightmare/) [Nightmares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nightmares/) [Traditional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traditional/)

## Related quotes

> [I have very vivid dreams and nightmares, and my biggest fear is of some kind of dystopian future where we're advanced in every way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryce-dallas-howard/i-have-very-vivid-dreams-and-nightmares-and-my-biggest-fear-is-of/)

[Bryce Dallas Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryce-dallas-howard/)

> [“A staccato script of letters and digits beamed from an alternate world. Then they ceased communicating altogether. and began to liase in dreams and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/a-staccato-script-of-letters-and-digits-beamed-from-an-alternate/)

[Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/)

> [War is eternity jammed into frantic minutes that will fill a lifetime with dreams and nightmares.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cory/war-is-eternity-jammed-into-frantic-minutes-that-will-fill-a-lifetime/)

[John Cory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cory/)

> [When it comes to Dreams it's always come the Nightmares before you can reach your Dreams that's why it's called Dreams and Nightmares.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-myers-jr/when-it-comes-to-dreams-it-s-always-come-the-nightmares-before-you/)

[Michael Myers Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-myers-jr/)

> [“I seek wisdom in my dreams and nightmares, but in the end they teach me nothing but desire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-gene-petit/i-seek-wisdom-in-my-dreams-and-nightmares-but-in-the-end-they-teach/)

[Brandon Gene Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-gene-petit/)

> [I think there are a lot of artists that are very traditional. I think someone can be a fan of someone like Josh Turner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kelley/i-think-there-are-a-lot-of-artists-that-are-very-traditional-i-think/)

[Charles Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kelley/)

> [Artists and the traditional record company model are at odds. The music business has notoriously taken from the artist. That shouldn't be the narrative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-stoute/artists-and-the-traditional-record-company-model-are-at-odds-the/)

[Steve Stoute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-stoute/)

> [I overcame the nightmares because of my dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-salk/i-overcame-the-nightmares-because-of-my-dreams/)

[Jonas Salk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-salk/)

> [I work with my dreams or nightmares.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cronenberg/i-work-with-my-dreams-or-nightmares/)

[David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cronenberg/)

> [“idea! Maybe your dreams are nightmares. Make a list of the things you are doing where you can avoid your worst”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-altucher/idea-maybe-your-dreams-are-nightmares-make-a-list-of-the-things-you/)

[James Altucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-altucher/)

> [I have had dreams and I have had nightmares, but I have conquered my nightmares because of my dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-salk/i-have-had-dreams-and-i-have-had-nightmares-but-i-have-conquered-my/)

[Jonas Salk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-salk/)

> [Horror, for me, has to involve some sort of fantasy. Horror is something that is in your dreams or your nightmares.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-peterson/horror-for-me-has-to-involve-some-sort-of-fantasy-horror-is-something/)

[Cassandra Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-peterson/)

> [“Dare I say I miss him? I do. I miss him. I still see him in my dreams. They are nightmares mostly, but nightmares…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/dare-i-say-i-miss-him-i-do-i-miss-him-i-still-see-him-in-my-dreams/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [I don't have dreams, I have nightmares.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-have-dreams-i-have-nightmares/)

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

> [“One of the critical factors that make people’s dreams become nightmares is that they don’t know there is a cost to be paid!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/one-of-the-critical-factors-that-make-people-s-dreams-become/)

[Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/)

## More by Doris Lessing

> [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“In the morning, when she wishes me to wake, she crouches on my chest, and pats my face with her paw. Or, if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/in-the-morning-when-she-wishes-me-to-wake-she-crouches-on-my-chest/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [You know, whenever women make imaginary female kingdoms in literature, they are always very permissive, to use the jargon word, and easy and generous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/you-know-whenever-women-make-imaginary-female-kingdoms-in-literature/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [There is only one real sin and that is to persuade oneself that the second best is anything but second best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/there-is-only-one-real-sin-and-that-is-to-persuade-oneself-that-the/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“She was using the water as she had used the fruit earlier—to calm herself, to assure herself of the possibility of normality. Yet all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/she-was-using-the-water-as-she-had-used-the-fruit-earlier-to-calm/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [I remember World War II when there were very few books, very little paper available. For me to walk into a shop or look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/i-remember-world-war-ii-when-there-were-very-few-books-very-little/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [They can't give a Nobel to someone who's dead so I think they were probably thinking they had better give it to me now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/they-can-t-give-a-nobel-to-someone-who-s-dead-so-i-think-they-were/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“While she strode rapidly through the ward to the door at the other end, she was able to see that every bed or cot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/while-she-strode-rapidly-through-the-ward-to-the-door-at-the-other/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [I do not think that marriage is one of my talents. I've been much happier unmarried than married.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/i-do-not-think-that-marriage-is-one-of-my-talents-i-ve-been-much/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [I haven't got the energy to write now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/i-haven-t-got-the-energy-to-write-now/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [What really fascinates me is this need that is so strong now that if you read a work of the imagination you instantly have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/what-really-fascinates-me-is-this-need-that-is-so-strong-now-that-if/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“The charge that the United Nations are using bacteriological warfare in Korea cannot be dismissed merely because it would be insane.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/the-charge-that-the-united-nations-are-using-bacteriological-warfare/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [What I did have, which others perhaps didn't, was a capacity for sticking at it, which really is the point, not the talent at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/what-i-did-have-which-others-perhaps-didn-t-was-a-capacity-for/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [The human community is evolving... . We can survive anything you care to mention. We are supremely equipped to survive, to adapt and even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/the-human-community-is-evolving-we-can-survive-anything-you-care-to/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [So love is rest? The cosy corner? The little nook? Sometimes it ought to be. Sometimes it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/so-love-is-rest-the-cosy-corner-the-little-nook-sometimes-it-ought-to/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

[Explore all 508 Doris Lessing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

## More Art quotes

> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/)

[Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/)

> [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/)

[Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/)

> [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/)

[Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/)

[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

[Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Artists are the traditional interpreters of dreams and nightmares.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Doris Lessing"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/artists-are-the-traditional-interpreters-of-dreams-and-nightmares/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/artists-are-the-traditional-interpreters-of-dreams-and-nightmares/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/doris-lessing-501_art_artists-are-the-traditional-interpreters_2010343.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/doris-lessing-501_art_artists-are-the-traditional-interpreters_2010343.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/doris-lessing-501_art_artists-are-the-traditional-interpreters_2010343.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Artists are the traditional interpreters of dreams and nightmares.” — Doris Lessing",
                "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": "Doris Lessing",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Artists are the traditional interpreters of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/artists-are-the-traditional-interpreters-of-dreams-and-nightmares/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/artists-are-the-traditional-interpreters-of-dreams-and-nightmares/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
