--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The dream is not a map. A poem is not the…" description: "\"The dream is not a map. A poem is not the territory. The dreamer reclines in a barbershop carpeted with Afro turf. In the dark some soul yells. It hurt..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/191/harryette-mullen-54354_afros_the-dream-is-not-a-map-a-poem-is-not-the_1099880.jpg" --- # The dream is not a map. A poem is not the territory. The… ![“The dream is not a map. A poem is not the territory. The dreamer reclines in a barbershop carpeted with Afro turf. In the dark some soul yells. It hurts to walk barefoot on cowrie shells.” quote by Harryette Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/191/harryette-mullen-54354_afros_the-dream-is-not-a-map-a-poem-is-not-the_1099880.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/191/harryette-mullen-54354_afros_the-dream-is-not-a-map-a-poem-is-not-the_1099880.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/191/harryette-mullen-54354_afros_the-dream-is-not-a-map-a-poem-is-not-the_1099880.jpg) > “The dream is not a map. A poem is not the territory. The dreamer reclines in a barbershop carpeted with Afro turf. In the dark some soul yells. It hurts to walk barefoot on cowrie shells.” [Harryette Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harryette-mullen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Dreams and poems are symbolic, not literal guides; reality differs from imagination and perception. **In simple terms:** Dreams and poems are symbols, not literal guides. Key Takeaway Recognize the gap between imagination and reality. Themes creativity perception reality identity interpretation Mood contemplative reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - art criticism - personal reflection - writing workshops - therapy sessions Key Concepts symbolism subjectivity cognitive dissonance Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate symbolic insight from literal instruction? - When does imagination become a hindrance? A Different Perspective Dreams may still influence decisions despite their metaphorical nature. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Barbershop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barbershop/) [Barefoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barefoot/) [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreamer/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Poem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poem/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Territory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/territory/) ## Related quotes > [I worked in a barbershop. I used to make the waves in the brother's hair, you know? Like, Nat King Cole, Sugar Ray Robinson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clinton/i-worked-in-a-barbershop-i-used-to-make-the-waves-in-the-brother-s/) [George Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clinton/) > [Never get involved with a business that you can't really be hands-on - that if your employees quit, you can't run yourself. If I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fat-joe/never-get-involved-with-a-business-that-you-can-t-really-be-hands-on/) [Fat Joe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fat-joe/) > [I think, at the L.A. County Museum of Art, I saw my first example of Kerry James Marshall, who had a very sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/i-think-at-the-l-a-county-museum-of-art-i-saw-my-first-example-of/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [Black movies don't have real names, they have names like Barbershop. That's not a name, that's just a location.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-rock/black-movies-don-t-have-real-names-they-have-names-like-barbershop/) [Chris Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-rock/) > [Bernie Sanders has done a great job of, social media black kids know about him. Young black people progressives know about him. Through barbershops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/killer-mike/bernie-sanders-has-done-a-great-job-of-social-media-black-kids-know/) [Killer Mike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/killer-mike/) > [I had been a huge fan of the Barbershop films and was really excited they're finally doing the female version.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mena-suvari/i-had-been-a-huge-fan-of-the-barbershop-films-and-was-really-excited/) [Mena Suvari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mena-suvari/) > [For me, it's all about the haircut. I don't have a lot of hair to style, so I keep it nice and fresh and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinny-guadagnino/for-me-it-s-all-about-the-haircut-i-don-t-have-a-lot-of-hair-to-style/) [Vinny Guadagnino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinny-guadagnino/) > [There's things people say in the barbershop they won't even say in their own living room, because it's just one of those zones where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ice-cube/there-s-things-people-say-in-the-barbershop-they-won-t-even-say-in/) [Ice Cube](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ice-cube/) > [In the barbershop, there's democracy. You're a professor; you're an engineer; you're a garbage man, have at it. You got something to say, get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/in-the-barbershop-there-s-democracy-you-re-a-professor-you-re-an/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [Wait, hold on here. Is this a barbershop? Is this a barbershop? If we can't talk straight in a barbershop, then where can we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cedric-the-entertainer/wait-hold-on-here-is-this-a-barbershop-is-this-a-barbershop-if-we-can/) [Cedric The Entertainer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cedric-the-entertainer/) > [It's unsettling, to lose the safety of the familiar, even when what's disrupted is an ordinary routine. When I began this poem, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-doty/it-s-unsettling-to-lose-the-safety-of-the-familiar-even-when-what-s/) [Mark Doty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-doty/) > [Barbershop conversations are irrefutable proof that heads exist for the sake of hair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/barbershop-conversations-are-irrefutable-proof-that-heads-exist-for/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [I like all paintings. I always look at the paintings, good or bad, in barbershops, furniture stores, provincial hotels. I'm like a drinker who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/i-like-all-paintings-i-always-look-at-the-paintings-good-or-bad-in/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [He wandered into the Newsroom and asked for a job the same way he’d walk into a barbershop and ask for a haircut, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/he-wandered-into-the-newsroom-and-asked-for-a-job-the-same-way-he-d/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [A man goes to a barbershop and asks, How many ahead of me? Five. The man leaves. He comes back the next day and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henny-youngman/a-man-goes-to-a-barbershop-and-asks-how-many-ahead-of-me-five-the-man/) [Henny Youngman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henny-youngman/) ## More by Harryette Mullen > [“Poetry is language playing with itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harryette-mullen/poetry-is-language-playing-with-itself/) [Harryette Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harryette-mullen/) > [“Walking the path, I stop to pick up bleached bark from a tree, curled into a scroll of ancient wisdom I am unable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harryette-mullen/walking-the-path-i-stop-to-pick-up-bleached-bark-from-a-tree-curled/) [Harryette Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harryette-mullen/) > [“I regret to say I'm unable to reply to your unexpressed desires.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harryette-mullen/i-regret-to-say-i-m-unable-to-reply-to-your-unexpressed-desires/) [Harryette Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harryette-mullen/) > [The spirit of tanka interests me more than following rigid conventions. As I understand it, the tradition allows a variety of approaches, from simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harryette-mullen/the-spirit-of-tanka-interests-me-more-than-following-rigid/) [Harryette Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harryette-mullen/) > [I’ll be emotionally disturbed for as long as it takes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harryette-mullen/i-ll-be-emotionally-disturbed-for-as-long-as-it-takes/) [Harryette Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harryette-mullen/) [Explore all 6 Harryette Mullen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harryette-mullen/) ## More Afros quotes > [Adam Clayton Powell's entire political career has to be looked at in the entire context of the American history and the history of, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/adam-clayton-powell-s-entire-political-career-has-to-be-looked-at-in/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [I always thought he gave me that name because I have a kind of outgoing or sunny disposition. And in those days I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/surya-das/i-always-thought-he-gave-me-that-name-because-i-have-a-kind-of/) [Surya Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/surya-das/) > [Malcolm X broke with the N.O.I. in March 1964, and in that last 11 chaotic months, he spent most of the time outside of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manning-marable/malcolm-x-broke-with-the-n-o-i-in-march-1964-and-in-that-last-11/) [Manning Marable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manning-marable/) > [The final test of Afro-American studies will be the extent to which they rid the minds of whites and blacks alike of false learning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-saunders-redding/the-final-test-of-afro-american-studies-will-be-the-extent-to-which/) [Jay Saunders Redding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-saunders-redding/) > [When I say Afro-American aesthetic, I'm not just talking about the United States, I'm talking about the Americas. People in the Latin countries read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/when-i-say-afro-american-aesthetic-i-m-not-just-talking-about-the/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [The miscegenation laws of the South only operate against the legitimate union of the races; they leave the white man free to seduce all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-miscegenation-laws-of-the-south-only-operate-against-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The hearts of Afro-American women are too warm and too large for race hatred. Long suffering has so chastened them that they are developing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-barrier-williams/the-hearts-of-afro-american-women-are-too-warm-and-too-large-for-race/) Fannie Barrier Williams > [I had the afro when I was in high school. I had the flattop during a short period in the early '90s. And I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-meadows/i-had-the-afro-when-i-was-in-high-school-i-had-the-flattop-during-a/) [Tim Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-meadows/) > [Even his hair was bigger—a massive globe of blue-black frizz so thick that his lobster-claw horns appeared to be drowning as they tried to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/even-his-hair-was-bigger-a-massive-globe-of-blue-black-frizz-so-thick/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Music really influenced me when I was growing up. I did go through a Jimi Hendrix phase. My hair was naturally quite afro, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mccrory/music-really-influenced-me-when-i-was-growing-up-i-did-go-through-a/) [Helen McCrory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mccrory/) > [The Afro-American is not a bestial race. If this work can contribute in any way towards proving this, and at the same time arouse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-b-wells/the-afro-american-is-not-a-bestial-race-if-this-work-can-contribute/) [Ida B. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-b-wells/) > [Afro-Caribbean influences are in me as a creative being the same way Spanish influences were in Picasso's work. I think the notion of labels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-fagan/afro-caribbean-influences-are-in-me-as-a-creative-being-the-same-way/) Garth Fagan > [The common goal of 22 million Afro-Americans is respect as human beings, the God-given right to be a human being. Our common goal is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/the-common-goal-of-22-million-afro-americans-is-respect-as-human/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [In Italy, I had an Afro, and a lot of the kids came up and felt my hair. It really was funny. I wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugar-ray-leonard/in-italy-i-had-an-afro-and-a-lot-of-the-kids-came-up-and-felt-my-hair/) [Sugar Ray Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugar-ray-leonard/) > [The separating of a section of America for Afro- Americans is similar to expecting a heaven in the sky somewhere after you die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/the-separating-of-a-section-of-america-for-afro-americans-is-similar/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) Browse all 77 Afros quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The dream is not a map. A poem is not the territory. The dreamer reclines in a barbershop carpeted with Afro turf. In the dark some soul yells. 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