--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Think of it as a parallel universe. But…" description: "\"“Think of it as a parallel universe. But maybe it’s the real one, and we’re in a dream.”\" — Joe Haldeman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc4/joe-haldeman-12112_dream_think-of-it-as-a-parallel-universe-but-m_3139267.jpg" --- # Think of it as a parallel universe. But maybe it’s the… ![“Think of it as a parallel universe. But maybe it’s the real one, and we’re in a dream.” quote by Joe Haldeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc4/joe-haldeman-12112_dream_think-of-it-as-a-parallel-universe-but-m_3139267.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc4/joe-haldeman-12112_dream_think-of-it-as-a-parallel-universe-but-m_3139267.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc4/joe-haldeman-12112_dream_think-of-it-as-a-parallel-universe-but-m_3139267.jpg) > ““Think of it as a parallel universe. But maybe it’s the real one, and we’re in a dream.”” [Joe Haldeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-haldeman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reality may be subjective; what we perceive as dream could be another version of existence. **In simple terms:** Our perception of reality can be uncertain. Key Takeaway Question your assumptions about reality. Themes perception reality alternatives Mood curious thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal reflection - creative writing - philosophical debate Key Concepts philosophy science fiction existentialism Questions to Reflect On - How do you distinguish dream from reality? - What would change if you accepted alternate realities? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Maybe Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maybe-real-869485/) [Parallel universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parallel-universe/) [Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics/) [Real Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-dream-539901/) [Think Parallel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-parallel-4341176/) [Universe Maybe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe-maybe-737138/) ## Related quotes > [I still think in a parallel universe, I became a mathematician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/i-still-think-in-a-parallel-universe-i-became-a-mathematician/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [Maybe we were together in another life...in a parallel universe, maybe our paths are not supposed to cross twice, maybe your arms are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-nicks/maybe-we-were-together-in-another-life-in-a-parallel-universe-maybe/) [Stevie Nicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-nicks/) > [We need a theory that goes before the Big Bang, and that's String Theory. String Theory says that perhaps two universes collided to create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/we-need-a-theory-that-goes-before-the-big-bang-and-that-s-string/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [Because we can't comprehend it, and that's what allows us to do it again. And it is the normal, it's the average person that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-geldof/because-we-can-t-comprehend-it-and-that-s-what-allows-us-to-do-it/) [Bob Geldof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-geldof/) > [“Maybe that's where it started and they brought it back from the desert, some kind of contagious psychic wound, guilt based. Maybe it's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-calhoun/maybe-that-s-where-it-started-and-they-brought-it-back-from-the/) [Kenneth Calhoun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-calhoun/) > [“answer. It is also then that I wish I believed in some sort of life after life, that in another universe, maybe on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/answer-it-is-also-then-that-i-wish-i-believed-in-some-sort-of-life/) [Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/) > [Nothing that I can do will change the structure of the universe. But maybe, by raising my voice I can help the greatest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/nothing-that-i-can-do-will-change-the-structure-of-the-universe-but/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I feel that a lot of human spirituality stems from the belief that we are unique and special in the universe, but maybe we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-honnold/i-feel-that-a-lot-of-human-spirituality-stems-from-the-belief-that-we/) [Alex Honnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-honnold/) > [Maybe it's important to open up I people- people who are right there with you, not some thousand miles away in another universe. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-lee-o-malley/maybe-it-s-important-to-open-up-i-people-people-who-are-right-there/) [Bryan Lee O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-lee-o-malley/) > [I dno't really wanna say this, But I keep you on my mind daily got me going crazy uh. I been thinking lately maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baeza/i-dno-t-really-wanna-say-this-but-i-keep-you-on-my-mind-daily-got-me/) [Baeza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baeza/) > [Maybe the most real thing the end. To realize when it's too late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-heller/maybe-the-most-real-thing-the-end-to-realize-when-it-s-too-late/) [Peter Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-heller/) > [We listened to 'Beverly Hills.' I wanted to maybe even do a real 'Africa'-type version of that, I was thinking about for a minute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-porcaro/we-listened-to-beverly-hills-i-wanted-to-maybe-even-do-a-real-africa/) [Steve Porcaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-porcaro/) > [“Maybe that's what being real friends are all about - putting up with the hard lessons - both taught and learned together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-knowles/maybe-that-s-what-being-real-friends-are-all-about-putting-up-with/) [Jo Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-knowles/) > [“Maybe that's all real love was--just something that happened quickly and vanished, a kind of gesture to a stranger or a fleeting moment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steffan-piper/maybe-that-s-all-real-love-was-just-something-that-happened-quickly/) [Steffan Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steffan-piper/) > [“Maybe real love is being able to ask, Do I have greens in my teeth?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/maybe-real-love-is-being-able-to-ask-do-i-have-greens-in-my-teeth/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) ## More by Joe Haldeman > [“-I die. Before I die my body turns hair-side-in. People come from everywhere to see the insides of themselves. But the sight makes them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-haldeman/i-die-before-i-die-my-body-turns-hair-side-in-people-come-from/) [Joe Haldeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-haldeman/) > [“love was an unstable reaction with a half-life of about eight months. Bullshit, I said, and accused him of wearing cultural blinders; thirty centuries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-haldeman/love-was-an-unstable-reaction-with-a-half-life-of-about-eight-months/) [Joe Haldeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-haldeman/) > [“It was the cat, who had the usual talent for hiding from people who like cats and cleaving unto those who have sinus trouble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-haldeman/it-was-the-cat-who-had-the-usual-talent-for-hiding-from-people-who/) [Joe Haldeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-haldeman/) > [“I die. I breathe in and breahe in and cannot exhale. I explode all over my friends. They forget my name and pretend it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-haldeman/i-die-i-breathe-in-and-breahe-in-and-cannot-exhale-i-explode-all-over/) [Joe Haldeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-haldeman/) > [All experience is memory, and so everything you write about is from memory-unless you're writing about typing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-haldeman/all-experience-is-memory-and-so-everything-you-write-about-is-from/) [Joe Haldeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-haldeman/) > [Relativity propped it up, at least gave it the illusion of being there…the way all reality becomes illusory and observer-oriented when you study general…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-haldeman/relativity-propped-it-up-at-least-gave-it-the-illusion-of-being-there/) [Joe Haldeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-haldeman/) > [“I die. O my hair falls out and my flesh rots and my bones are cracked by the hungry ta!a'an. He drops me behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-haldeman/i-die-o-my-hair-falls-out-and-my-flesh-rots-and-my-bones-are-cracked/) [Joe Haldeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-haldeman/) > [“He's asleep in the harbor, disguised as dog shit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-haldeman/he-s-asleep-in-the-harbor-disguised-as-dog-shit/) [Joe Haldeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-haldeman/) > [“all reality becomes illusory and observer-oriented when you study general relativity. Or Buddhism. Or get drafted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-haldeman/all-reality-becomes-illusory-and-observer-oriented-when-you-study/) [Joe Haldeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-haldeman/) > [“We're headed for Aleph-7. Panty raid." New slang term for the type of operation whose main object was to gather Tauran artifacts, and prisoners…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-haldeman/we-re-headed-for-aleph-7-panty-raid-new-slang-term-for-the-type-of/) [Joe Haldeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-haldeman/) > [Big money seeks out the company of its own, for purposes of reproduction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-haldeman/big-money-seeks-out-the-company-of-its-own-for-purposes-of/) [Joe Haldeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-haldeman/) > [“On Earth, we’d just use glue, but here the only fluid was helium, which has lots of interesting properties, but is definitely not sticky.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-haldeman/on-earth-we-d-just-use-glue-but-here-the-only-fluid-was-helium-which/) [Joe Haldeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-haldeman/) > [“... then unleashed Stargate's 18 sex-starved men on our women, compliant and promiscuous by military custom and law...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-haldeman/then-unleashed-stargate-s-18-sex-starved-men-on-our-women-compliant/) [Joe Haldeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-haldeman/) > [“He had a moustache-and-beard combination that looked like a skinny white caterpillar taking a lap around his mouth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-haldeman/he-had-a-moustache-and-beard-combination-that-looked-like-a-skinny/) [Joe Haldeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-haldeman/) > [“Politicians cover their mistakes with money; cooks cover their mistakes with mayonnaise; doctors cover theirs with dirt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-haldeman/politicians-cover-their-mistakes-with-money-cooks-cover-their/) [Joe Haldeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-haldeman/) [Explore all 56 Joe Haldeman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-haldeman/) ## More Dream quotes > [“Once we become sensitive to dreams, we discover that every dynamic in a dream is manifesting itself in some way in our practical lives”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-johnson/once-we-become-sensitive-to-dreams-we-discover-that-every-dynamic-in/) [Robert A. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-johnson/) > [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [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/) > [“Not that it matters, when you dream, there's no outside or in. Your mind is an unimaginable bloom. A willow catkin as big as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-shapero/not-that-it-matters-when-you-dream-there-s-no-outside-or-in-your-mind/) [Rich Shapero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-shapero/) > [Academically, I was never that interested. I skipped classes. My biggest dream was to have a coffee shop, but I had no idea how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-espinosa/academically-i-was-never-that-interested-i-skipped-classes-my-biggest/) [Daniel Espinosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-espinosa/) > [“As dreams are the healing songs from the wilderness of our unconscious - So wild animals, wild plants, wild landscapes are the healing dreams…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-pendell/as-dreams-are-the-healing-songs-from-the-wilderness-of-our/) [Dale Pendell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-pendell/) > [Alone in a world, With millions of souls Walking in circles Trapped in their dreams unhealthy, unclean walking in circles, now do not disturb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chester-bennington/alone-in-a-world-with-millions-of-souls-walking-in-circles-trapped-in/) [Chester Bennington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chester-bennington/) > [“Doing the work to transform your dreams into reality is like walking across the earth. It can be that hard, and it can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragos-bratasanu/doing-the-work-to-transform-your-dreams-into-reality-is-like-walking/) [Dragos Bratasanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragos-bratasanu/) > [As far as Im concerned, I didnt dream - ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/as-far-as-im-concerned-i-didnt-dream-ever/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [I guess, it's a father's dream for his daughter to be known around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-soberano/i-guess-it-s-a-father-s-dream-for-his-daughter-to-be-known-around-the/) [Liza Soberano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-soberano/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Sometimes life seems like a dream, especially when I look down and see that I forgot to put on my pants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/sometimes-life-seems-like-a-dream-especially-when-i-look-down-and-see/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [“I had a dream. I had an awesome dream.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-had-a-dream-i-had-an-awesome-dream/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“His dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/his-dream-must-have-seemed-so-close-that-he-could-hardly-fail-to/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) [Browse all 26,527 Dream quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Think of it as a parallel universe. 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