--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Am I alive and a reality, or am I but a…" description: "\"Am I alive and a reality, or am I but a dream?\" — Edgar Rice Burroughs" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0d/edgar-rice-burroughs-2892_alive_am-i-alive-and-a-reality-or-am-i-but-a-d_1082249.png" --- # Am I alive and a reality, or am I but a dream? ![“Am I alive and a reality, or am I but a dream?” quote by Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0d/edgar-rice-burroughs-2892_alive_am-i-alive-and-a-reality-or-am-i-but-a-d_1082249.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0d/edgar-rice-burroughs-2892_alive_am-i-alive-and-a-reality-or-am-i-but-a-d_1082249.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0d/edgar-rice-burroughs-2892_alive_am-i-alive-and-a-reality-or-am-i-but-a-d_1082249.png) > “Am I alive and a reality, or am I but a dream?” [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote questions existence and reality versus illusion, reflecting existential doubt. **In simple terms:** Questioning whether life is real or a dream. Key Takeaway Contemplate the nature of reality. Themes existentialism philosophy identity Mood curious thoughtful Type philosophical contemplative When to use this quote - personal reflection - creative writing - philosophical discourse Key Concepts consciousness perception reality Questions to Reflect On - What evidence do you have for reality? - How does this doubt affect your daily life? A Different Perspective It may be a rhetorical flourish without a concrete answer. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Alive Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive-reality-2753693/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Reality Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality-dream-521383/) ## Related quotes > [“Learn the art of bringing your dreams alive within your own reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/learn-the-art-of-bringing-your-dreams-alive-within-your-own-reality/) [Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/) > [“REALITY A DREAM UNBORN,SEEKIN MORE GIFTS TO PERFORM”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ljk-1/reality-a-dream-unborn-seekin-more-gifts-to-perform/) [Ljk 1](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ljk-1/) > [“Have you ever had a dream that you were certain was real, only to wake up and realize that everyone and everything in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-p-kauffman/have-you-ever-had-a-dream-that-you-were-certain-was-real-only-to-wake/) [Joseph P. Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-p-kauffman/) > [Perfection cant be achieved in reality hence why we dream about it but, a girl with a great personality to match her beauty is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehde-h-choudhury/perfection-cant-be-achieved-in-reality-hence-why-we-dream-about-it/) [Mehde H Choudhury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehde-h-choudhury/) > [When the nights change so do my nightmares too I dream reality is my dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kid-cudi/when-the-nights-change-so-do-my-nightmares-too-i-dream-reality-is-my/) [Kid Cudi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kid-cudi/) > [They tease me now, telling me it was only a dream. But does it matter whether it was a dream or reality, if the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/they-tease-me-now-telling-me-it-was-only-a-dream-but-does-it-matter/) [Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/) > [“I took a course in art last winter. I learnt the difference between a fine oil painting, and a mechanical thing, like a photograph.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veta-louise-simmons/i-took-a-course-in-art-last-winter-i-learnt-the-difference-between-a/) [Veta Louise Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veta-louise-simmons/) > [The only way we know it's true is that we both dreamed it. That's what reality is. It's a dream everyone has together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/the-only-way-we-know-it-s-true-is-that-we-both-dreamed-it-that-s-what/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [In order to make anything a reality, you have to dream about it first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/in-order-to-make-anything-a-reality-you-have-to-dream-about-it-first/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [Dreams are a reservoir of knowledge and experience yet they are often overlooked as a vehicle for exploring reality. In the dream state our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-laberge/dreams-are-a-reservoir-of-knowledge-and-experience-yet-they-are-often/) [Stephen LaBerge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-laberge/) > [Don't be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-be-afraid-of-the-space-between-your-dreams-and-reality-if-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I wished the dream were real, and this reality a dream. But that wasn't the case. And that was why, whenever I woke up,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyoichi-katayama/i-wished-the-dream-were-real-and-this-reality-a-dream-but-that-wasn-t/) [kyoichi katayama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyoichi-katayama/) > [Keep wondering whether your waking reality is a dream and you will wake up to the real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/keep-wondering-whether-your-waking-reality-is-a-dream-and-you-will/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [Life is real, reality is not a dream. Those who chose to sleep...I wake em up, Cause you're sleepin with your mouth open hummin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-sun/life-is-real-reality-is-not-a-dream-those-who-chose-to-sleep-i-wake/) [King Sun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-sun/) > [You don’t question Providence. If you can’t have the reality, a dream is just as good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-don-t-question-providence-if-you-can-t-have-the-reality-a-dream/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) ## More by Edgar Rice Burroughs > [It must be that I am dreaming, and that I shall awaken in a moment to see that awful knife descending toward my heart-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/it-must-be-that-i-am-dreaming-and-that-i-shall-awaken-in-a-moment-to/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [“If man spoke only when he had something worth while to say and said that as quickly as possible, ninety-eight per cent of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/if-man-spoke-only-when-he-had-something-worth-while-to-say-and-said/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [For a time Jack was angry; but when he had been without the jacket for a short while he began to realize that being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/for-a-time-jack-was-angry-but-when-he-had-been-without-the-jacket-for/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [Even brave men, and D'Arnot was a brave man, are sometimes frightened by solitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/even-brave-men-and-d-arnot-was-a-brave-man-are-sometimes-frightened/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [“I am a very old man. How old I do not know. It is possible I am a hundred, maybe more. I cannot tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/i-am-a-very-old-man-how-old-i-do-not-know-it-is-possible-i-am-a/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [“Mine own people do not care for me, John Carter; I am too unlike them. It is a sad fate, since I must live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/mine-own-people-do-not-care-for-me-john-carter-i-am-too-unlike-them/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [“Imagine, if you can, a huge grizzly with ten legs armed with mighty talons and an enormous froglike mouth splitting his head from ear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/imagine-if-you-can-a-huge-grizzly-with-ten-legs-armed-with-mighty/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [This was life! Ah, how he loved it! Civilization held nothing like this in its narrow and circumscribed sphere, hemmed in by restrictions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/this-was-life-ah-how-he-loved-it-civilization-held-nothing-like-this/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [“The path of the mighty beast was guided telepathically by the two people who sat in a huge saddle that was cinched to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/the-path-of-the-mighty-beast-was-guided-telepathically-by-the-two/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [“The whole fabric of our religion is based on superstitious belief in lies that have been foisted upon us for ages by those directly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/the-whole-fabric-of-our-religion-is-based-on-superstitious-belief-in/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [“There was but a single forlorn hope, and I took it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/there-was-but-a-single-forlorn-hope-and-i-took-it/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [“A thousand times rather face the wild hordes of the dead sea bottoms than meet the eyes of this beautiful young girl and tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/a-thousand-times-rather-face-the-wild-hordes-of-the-dead-sea-bottoms/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [“P33- the wail of the living had answered the call of universal motherhood within her wild beast which the dead could not still.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/p33-the-wail-of-the-living-had-answered-the-call-of-universal/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [It never seems to occur to some people, that, like beauty, a sense of humor may sometimes be fatal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/it-never-seems-to-occur-to-some-people-that-like-beauty-a-sense-of/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [“He was a splendid specimen of manhood, standing a good two inches over six feet, broad of shoulder and narrow of hip, with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/he-was-a-splendid-specimen-of-manhood-standing-a-good-two-inches-over/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) [Explore all 140 Edgar Rice Burroughs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) ## More Alive quotes > [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/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) [Adam Ant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ant/) > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-jovan-belcher-didn-t-possess-a-gun-he-and-kasandra-perkins-would/) [Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [The pain of love is the pain of being alive. It is a perpetual wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/the-pain-of-love-is-the-pain-of-being-alive-it-is-a-perpetual-wound/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) > [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [Here Greek and Roman find themselves alive along these crowded shelves; and Shakespeare treads again his stage, and Chaucer paints anew his age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/here-greek-and-roman-find-themselves-alive-along-these-crowded/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) [Browse all 7,282 Alive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Am I alive and a reality, or am I but a dream?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edgar Rice Burroughs" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/am-i-alive-and-a-reality-or-am-i-but-a-dream/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alive" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/am-i-alive-and-a-reality-or-am-i-but-a-dream/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0d/edgar-rice-burroughs-2892_alive_am-i-alive-and-a-reality-or-am-i-but-a-d_1082249.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0d/edgar-rice-burroughs-2892_alive_am-i-alive-and-a-reality-or-am-i-but-a-d_1082249.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0d/edgar-rice-burroughs-2892_alive_am-i-alive-and-a-reality-or-am-i-but-a-d_1082249.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Am I alive and a reality, or am I but a dream?” — Edgar Rice Burroughs", "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": "Edgar Rice Burroughs", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Am I alive and a reality,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/am-i-alive-and-a-reality-or-am-i-but-a-dream/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/am-i-alive-and-a-reality-or-am-i-but-a-dream/#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 } } ] } ```