--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you have a dream, you can spend a…" description: "\"If you have a dream, you can spend a lifetime studying, planning, and getting ready for it. What you should be doing is getting started.\" — Drew Houston" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/drew-houston-14131_dream_if-you-have-a-dream-you-can-spend-a-life_567615.jpg" --- # If you have a dream, you can spend a lifetime studying… ![“If you have a dream, you can spend a lifetime studying, planning, and getting ready for it. What you should be doing is getting started.” quote by Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/drew-houston-14131_dream_if-you-have-a-dream-you-can-spend-a-life_567615.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/drew-houston-14131_dream_if-you-have-a-dream-you-can-spend-a-life_567615.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/drew-houston-14131_dream_if-you-have-a-dream-you-can-spend-a-life_567615.jpg) > “If you have a dream, you can spend a lifetime studying, planning, and getting ready for it. What you should be doing is getting started.” [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Dreams require action; endless preparation delays achievement, so begin now. **In simple terms:** Start doing, don’t just plan. Key Takeaway Take the first concrete step toward your goal. Themes action initiative productivity Mood energetic pragmatic Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - launching a startup - learning a new skill - writing a book - starting a workout routine Key Concepts goal‑setting execution motivation Questions to Reflect On - What small action can you take today? - How do you balance planning with doing? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on speed can cause sloppy work or burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Getting started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-started/) [Lifetime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifetime/) [Planning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planning/) ## Related quotes > [This might be another tattoo that I'm planning on getting this summer~](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-might-be-another-tattoo-that-i-m-planning-on-getting-this-summer/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm no politician. I'm an historian who has learned through a lifetime of studying that nothing in the world beats universal education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-ambrose/i-m-no-politician-i-m-an-historian-who-has-learned-through-a-lifetime/) [Stephen Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-ambrose/) > [My dream is to spend my whole career in PSG.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-moura/my-dream-is-to-spend-my-whole-career-in-psg/) [Lucas Moura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-moura/) > [It does not cost anything to dream. Spend your time enjoying your big dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/it-does-not-cost-anything-to-dream-spend-your-time-enjoying-your-big/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [“When we spend a lifetime trying to distance ourselves from the parts of our lives that don’t fit with who we think we’re supposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/when-we-spend-a-lifetime-trying-to-distance-ourselves-from-the-parts/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [“All of us have photographic memories, but spend a lifetime learning how to block off the things that are really in there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/all-of-us-have-photographic-memories-but-spend-a-lifetime-learning/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I'd rather spend a lifetime with the one I love, than to waste my life chasing after someone I don't care about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-d-rather-spend-a-lifetime-with-the-one-i-love-than-to-waste-my-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [That's what counts for you as a player if you are on a high salary and you are earning, let's say, enough money, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ballack/that-s-what-counts-for-you-as-a-player-if-you-are-on-a-high-salary/) [Michael Ballack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ballack/) > [You can't possibly spend a lifetime with anybody and know them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-blackhurst/you-can-t-possibly-spend-a-lifetime-with-anybody-and-know-them/) [Rod Blackhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-blackhurst/) > [Once an individual is given a taste of the gratification that comes from triumph, and the tools to bring it about, they will spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-menkes/once-an-individual-is-given-a-taste-of-the-gratification-that-comes/) [Justin Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-menkes/) > [We don't realise that we are actually perfect just the way we are. We are born perfect, but spend a lifetime trying to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-moorjani/we-don-t-realise-that-we-are-actually-perfect-just-the-way-we-are-we/) [Anita Moorjani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-moorjani/) > [I suggest that you become obsessed about the things you want; otherwise, you are going to spend a lifetime being obsessed with making up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-cardone/i-suggest-that-you-become-obsessed-about-the-things-you-want/) [Grant Cardone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-cardone/) > [Spend a lifetime in hard work with a humble mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-webster-hawthorne/spend-a-lifetime-in-hard-work-with-a-humble-mind/) [Charles Webster Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-webster-hawthorne/) > [If we spend a lifetime searching for the meaning of life, we will truly miss out on everything meaningful and beautiful around us. Live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ash-sweeney/if-we-spend-a-lifetime-searching-for-the-meaning-of-life-we-will/) [Ash Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ash-sweeney/) > [People spend a lifetime looking for more, when they could have spent a lifetime enjoying what life has offered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-spend-a-lifetime-looking-for-more-when-they-could-have-spent-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Drew Houston > [The only way to learn on a zero dollar budget is to talk to people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/the-only-way-to-learn-on-a-zero-dollar-budget-is-to-talk-to-people/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [You become the average of the five people you hang out with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/you-become-the-average-of-the-five-people-you-hang-out-with/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [You must maximize the probability that someone shows up at front door of your store or website and ends up with a solved problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/you-must-maximize-the-probability-that-someone-shows-up-at-front-door/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [Even if it doesn't work out, the experience is so valuable to so many employers that your worst case scenario is, 'Ok, so that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/even-if-it-doesn-t-work-out-the-experience-is-so-valuable-to-so-many/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [If you're going to go to the moon, you don't shoot the rocket right at the moon. You have to go at it obliquely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/if-you-re-going-to-go-to-the-moon-you-don-t-shoot-the-rocket-right-at/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [The happiest and most successful people I know don't just love what they do, they're obsessed with solving an important problem, something that matters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/the-happiest-and-most-successful-people-i-know-don-t-just-love-what/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [Don't worry about failure; you only have to be right once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/don-t-worry-about-failure-you-only-have-to-be-right-once/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [No one is born a CEO, but no one tells you that. The magazine stories make it sound like Mark Zuckerberg woke up one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/no-one-is-born-a-ceo-but-no-one-tells-you-that-the-magazine-stories/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [Learn early, learn often.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/learn-early-learn-often/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [One of the great things about moving to Silicon Valley is that you're surrounded by all these people who've done it before. This place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/one-of-the-great-things-about-moving-to-silicon-valley-is-that-you-re/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [Where you live matters: there's only one MIT. And there's only one Hollywood and only one Silicon Valley. This isn't a coincidence: for whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/where-you-live-matters-there-s-only-one-mit-and-there-s-only-one/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [Dropbox is my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/dropbox-is-my-life/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [When you’re in school, every little mistake is a permanent crack in your windshield. But in the real world, if you’re not swerving around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/when-you-re-in-school-every-little-mistake-is-a-permanent-crack-in/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [When I think about it, the happiest and most successful people I know don't just love what they do, they're obsessed with solving something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/when-i-think-about-it-the-happiest-and-most-successful-people-i-know/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [There are 30,000 days in your life. When I was 24, I realized I'm almost 9,000 days down. There are no warm-ups, no practice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/there-are-30-000-days-in-your-life-when-i-was-24-i-realized-i-m/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) [Explore all 47 Drew Houston quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) ## 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": "If you have a dream, you can spend a lifetime studying, planning, and getting ready for it. What you should be doing is getting started.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Drew Houston" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/if-you-have-a-dream-you-can-spend-a-lifetime-studying-planning-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dream" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/if-you-have-a-dream-you-can-spend-a-lifetime-studying-planning-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/drew-houston-14131_dream_if-you-have-a-dream-you-can-spend-a-life_567615.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/drew-houston-14131_dream_if-you-have-a-dream-you-can-spend-a-life_567615.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/drew-houston-14131_dream_if-you-have-a-dream-you-can-spend-a-life_567615.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you have a dream, you can spend a lifetime studying, planning, and getting ready for it. What you should…” — Drew Houston", "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": "Drew Houston", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you have a dream, you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/if-you-have-a-dream-you-can-spend-a-lifetime-studying-planning-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/if-you-have-a-dream-you-can-spend-a-lifetime-studying-planning-and/#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 } } ] } ```