--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When we are asleep, so it seems to me, we…" description: "\"“When we are asleep, so it seems to me, we sleep surrounded by all the years. I have imagined, sleeping, that I heard the footsteps of the long-dead; I..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e2/gene-wolfe-2530_books_when-we-are-asleep-so-it-seems-to-me-we_1504330.jpg" --- # When we are asleep, so it seems to me, we sleep surrounded… ![“When we are asleep, so it seems to me, we sleep surrounded by all the years. I have imagined, sleeping, that I heard the footsteps of the long-dead; I have held conversations with them, and with the blank-faced people I was yet to meet, conversations that seemed of unbearable poignancy, though…” quote by Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e2/gene-wolfe-2530_books_when-we-are-asleep-so-it-seems-to-me-we_1504330.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e2/gene-wolfe-2530_books_when-we-are-asleep-so-it-seems-to-me-we_1504330.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e2/gene-wolfe-2530_books_when-we-are-asleep-so-it-seems-to-me-we_1504330.jpg) > ““When we are asleep, so it seems to me, we sleep surrounded by all the years. I have imagined, sleeping, that I heard the footsteps of the long-dead; I have held conversations with them, and with the blank-faced people I was yet to meet, conversations that seemed of unbearable poignancy, though when I woke I could remember only a few words, and those not words that possessed, waking, any emotional significance to me. It is said that this is because content is divorced from emotion in sleep, as though the sleeping mind read two books at once, one of tears and lust and laughter, the other words and phrases picked up from old newspapers, from grimy handbills blowing along the street and conversations overheard in barbershops and bars, and the banalities of radio. I think rather that we have forgotten on waking what the words have meant to us, or have not learned as yet what they will mean. But the worst thing is to wake and remember that we have been talking to the dead, having never thought to hear that voice again, having never any expectation of hearing it again before we ourselves are gone.”” [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Dreams blend past, present, and imagined voices, leaving us with fragmented, emotionally detached memories upon waking. **In simple terms:** Dreams mix many voices, but we forget their feeling. Key Takeaway Seek meaning in waking reflections. Themes memory dreams history communication Mood nostalgic thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - creative writing - nighttime reflection - personal introspection Key Concepts psychology temporal perception existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What emotions do you recall from vivid dreams? - How can waking awareness honor dream insights? A Different Perspective Dreams may distort reality, leading to confusion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Emotion Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion-sleep-5522353/) [Forgotten Waking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgotten-waking-5522351/) [Old news](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-news/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/) [Sleeping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleeping/) [Sleeping Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleeping-mind-698365/) [The-dead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/the-dead/) [Waking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waking/) [Waking Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waking-words-5522352/) [Worst thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst-thing/) ## Related quotes > [“Each of us has two minds: a waking mind and a sleeping mind. 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I have imagined, sleeping, that I heard the footsteps of the long-dead; I have held conversations with them, and with the blank-faced people I was yet to meet, conversations that seemed of unbearable poignancy, though when I woke I could remember only a few words, and those not words that possessed, waking, any emotional significance to me. It is said that this is because content is divorced from emotion in sleep, as though the sleeping mind read two books at once, one of tears and lust and laughter, the other words and phrases picked up from old newspapers, from grimy handbills blowing along the street and conversations overheard in barbershops and bars, and the banalities of radio. I think rather that we have forgotten on waking what the words have meant to us, or have not learned as yet what they will mean. 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