--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If one admits that the influence of the…" description: "\"If one admits that the influence of the outside world is essentially beneficial, the lack of such influence during sleep would tend to diminish the val..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b16/erich-fromm-367_absence_if-one-admits-that-the-influence-of-the_2596825.jpg" --- # If one admits that the influence of the outside world is… ![“If one admits that the influence of the outside world is essentially beneficial, the lack of such influence during sleep would tend to diminish the value of our dream activity so as to render it inferior to the mental activity that takes place when we are awake, when we are exposed to these…” quote by Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b16/erich-fromm-367_absence_if-one-admits-that-the-influence-of-the_2596825.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b16/erich-fromm-367_absence_if-one-admits-that-the-influence-of-the_2596825.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b16/erich-fromm-367_absence_if-one-admits-that-the-influence-of-the_2596825.jpg) > “If one admits that the influence of the outside world is essentially beneficial, the lack of such influence during sleep would tend to diminish the value of our dream activity so as to render it inferior to the mental activity that takes place when we are awake, when we are exposed to these beneficial influences of surrounding reality. But how can one say that the influence of reality is exclusively beneficial. Could it not also be damaging, and could its absence not give access to qualities superior to those that we have when awake?” [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Dreams may lack external reality’s influence, making them seem less valuable, yet reality can also harm; sleep might reveal superior inner qualities. **In simple terms:** Dreams lack outside influence; reality can be both helpful and harmful. Key Takeaway Consider sleep as a source of unique insight. Themes psychology dreams reality duality Mood contemplative curious analytical Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - creative problem solving - personal reflection - meditative practice - psychotherapy - artistic inspiration Key Concepts consciousness benefit harm inner potential Questions to Reflect On - What qualities emerge in dreams that waking life suppresses? - How does external reality limit inner growth? A Different Perspective Dreams are not merely inferior; they can offer distinct, valuable perspectives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) [Access](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/access/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Our dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-dreams/) [Outside world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outside-world/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Men are apt to be much more influenced by words than by the actual facts of the surrounding reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-pavlov/men-are-apt-to-be-much-more-influenced-by-words-than-by-the-actual/) [Ivan Pavlov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-pavlov/) > [I know ideals aren't realities, but they do influence reality - social, legal, political, cultural.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/i-know-ideals-aren-t-realities-but-they-do-influence-reality-social/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [“What causes all the hatred? 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There are people who instinctively look for every chance to be a “victim” and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hawke/there-are-two-different-kinds-of-people-in-the-world-there-are-people/) [Christopher Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hawke/) > [“Is, then, the man-made reality outside ourselves not the most significant factor for the development of the very best in us, and must we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/is-then-the-man-made-reality-outside-ourselves-not-the-most/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [I mean, my dream would be to act in something, or even do kind of a guest role, and couple that with writing something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laufey/i-mean-my-dream-would-be-to-act-in-something-or-even-do-kind-of-a/) [Laufey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laufey/) > [My dream actress to work with would be Amy Adams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adwoa-aboah/my-dream-actress-to-work-with-would-be-amy-adams/) [Adwoa Aboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adwoa-aboah/) > [Name it... and if you can dream it... you can achieve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/name-it-and-if-you-can-dream-it-you-can-achieve-it/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [The Dream Act and the DISCLOSE Act, to name two, had majorities in both chambers during Obama's first term, but they were filibustered to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-melber/the-dream-act-and-the-disclose-act-to-name-two-had-majorities-in-both/) [Ari Melber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-melber/) > [So we still need a permanent fix. The president would sign the Dream Act tomorrow, the next day, the day after that. That's ultimately…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-plouffe/so-we-still-need-a-permanent-fix-the-president-would-sign-the-dream/) [David Plouffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-plouffe/) > [The threshold of the Dream Act is not high enough. One year of community college is not enough... No, I do not support the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-baumgartner/the-threshold-of-the-dream-act-is-not-high-enough-one-year-of/) [Michael Baumgartner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-baumgartner/) > [A dream acting role would be Matt Damon in the Bourne series. 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Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/) [Browse all 2,057 Absence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If one admits that the influence of the outside world is essentially beneficial, the lack of such influence during sleep would tend to diminish the value of our dream activity so as to render it inferior to the mental activity that takes place when we are awake, when we are exposed to these beneficial influences of surrounding reality. But how can one say that the influence of reality is exclusively beneficial. 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