Age Quote by Elizabeth Bishop
“Dreams were the worst. Of course I dreamed of food and love, but they were pleasant rather than otherwise. But then I'd dream of things like slitting a baby's throat, mistaking it for a baby goat. I'd have nightmares of other islands stretching away from mine, infinities of islands, islands spawning islands, like frogs' eggs turning into polliwogs of islands, knowing that I had to live on each and every one, eventually, for ages, registering their flora, their fauna, their geography.”
About This Quote
Source Poem: "The Dream" (excerpt), 1934
The speaker describes dreams that oscillate between pleasant desires and grotesque, overwhelming visions, reflecting the mind's capacity to generate both comfort and terror.
In simple terms: Dreams can be both comforting and terrifying.
Key Takeaway
Acknowledge both sides of imagination.
Themes
dreams
duality
imagination
fear
creativity
Mood
uneasy
reflective
Type
literary
psychological
When to use this quote
- nightmares
- creative writing
- mental health
- self‑reflection
Key Concepts
psychology
subconscious
symbolism
Questions to Reflect On
- What do the disturbing images symbolize for you?
- How can you use unsettling dreams for personal insight?
A Different Perspective
Dreams may reveal deeper anxieties that simple pleasant fantasies hide.
