---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm a painter in my dreams, you know."
description: "\"I'm a painter in my dreams, you know.\" — Kurt Vonnegut"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84d/kurt-vonnegut-41_artist_i-m-a-painter-in-my-dreams-you-know-2511_2511675.jpg"
---

#  I'm a painter in my dreams, you know.

![“I'm a painter in my dreams, you know.” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84d/kurt-vonnegut-41_artist_i-m-a-painter-in-my-dreams-you-know-2511_2511675.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84d/kurt-vonnegut-41_artist_i-m-a-painter-in-my-dreams-you-know-2511_2511675.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84d/kurt-vonnegut-41_artist_i-m-a-painter-in-my-dreams-you-know-2511_2511675.jpg)

> “I'm a painter in my dreams, you know.”

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Imagining oneself as an artist in dreams highlights the power of imagination to shape identity and creativity.

**In simple terms:** Dreams as a canvas for self‑expression.

Key Takeaway

Embrace creative dreaming.

Themes

creativity identity imagination

Mood

playful reflective

Type

literary inspirational

When to use this quote

- Writing
- visual arts
- personal development

Key Concepts

Self‑concept artistic expression

Questions to Reflect On

- What does being a painter in your dreams reveal about you?
- How can you bring dream‑art into reality?

A Different Perspective

Dreams may not translate into tangible outcomes.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Painter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painter/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/)

## Related quotes

> [“Follow your dreams, they know the way. Let your own story come out. Put something wonderful in the world that wasn't there before.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-dobrev-s-instagram/follow-your-dreams-they-know-the-way-let-your-own-story-come-out-put/)

Nina Dobrev's Instagram

> [Tell me your dreams so I know it's real..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghib-clitso/tell-me-your-dreams-so-i-know-it-s-real/)

[Raghib Clitso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghib-clitso/)

> [When chasing your dreams is all you know, catching up to them is amazing!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-chasing-your-dreams-is-all-you-know-catching-up-to-them-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Everyone has ocean's to fly, if they have the heart to do it. Is it reckless? Maybe. But what do dreams know of boundaries?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelia-earhart/everyone-has-ocean-s-to-fly-if-they-have-the-heart-to-do-it-is-it/)

[Amelia Earhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelia-earhart/)

> [We are slumberous poppies, Lords of Lethe downs, Some awake and some asleep, Sleeping in our crowns. What perchance our dreams may know, Let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/we-are-slumberous-poppies-lords-of-lethe-downs-some-awake-and-some/)

[Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/)

> [Chase your dreams but always know the road that will lead you home again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/chase-your-dreams-but-always-know-the-road-that-will-lead-you-home/)

[Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/)

> [“Some dreams tell us what we wish to believe. Some dreams tell us what we fear. Some dreams are of what we know though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/some-dreams-tell-us-what-we-wish-to-believe-some-dreams-tell-us-what/)

[Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/)

> [What do dreams know of boundaries?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-swank/what-do-dreams-know-of-boundaries/)

[Hilary Swank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-swank/)

> [i wait. with all my dreams, i know her heart, and i know i'm almost there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/i-wait-with-all-my-dreams-i-know-her-heart-and-i-know-i-m-almost-there/)

[Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/)

> [I see you in my dreams and know you are there, but I still feel like I have lived my whole lifetime just waiting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/i-see-you-in-my-dreams-and-know-you-are-there-but-i-still-feel-like-i/)

[Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/)

> [The people who live the life of their dreams know that it's not about how much money they have, but how much passion, willingness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mastin-kipp/the-people-who-live-the-life-of-their-dreams-know-that-it-s-not-about/)

[Mastin Kipp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mastin-kipp/)

> [“There’s nothing more pathetic than dreaming dreams you know can never come true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/there-s-nothing-more-pathetic-than-dreaming-dreams-you-know-can-never/)

[Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/)

> [“Everyone has oceans to fly, if they have the heart to do it. Is it reckless? Maybe. But what do dreams know of boundaries?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelia-earhart/everyone-has-oceans-to-fly-if-they-have-the-heart-to-do-it-is-it/)

[Amelia Earhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelia-earhart/)

> [I believe that dreams - day dreams, you know, with your eyes wide open and your brain machinery whizzing - are likely to lead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-frank-baum/i-believe-that-dreams-day-dreams-you-know-with-your-eyes-wide-open/)

[L. Frank Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-frank-baum/)

> [“The universe always helps us fight for our dreams, no matter how foolish they may be. Our dreams are our own, and only we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-universe-always-helps-us-fight-for-our-dreams-no-matter-how/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

## More by Kurt Vonnegut

> [“You must bloom as a writer and I must bloom as a painter. Everything else about us is uninteresting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-must-bloom-as-a-writer-and-i-must-bloom-as-a-painter-everything/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“People aren't supposed to look back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/people-aren-t-supposed-to-look-back/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“Have a good nap, did you?” said the porter. “Yes,” said Billy. “Man,” said the porter, “you sure had a hard-on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/have-a-good-nap-did-you-said-the-porter-yes-said-billy-man-said-the/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“I told him that if we doubted that we are demons in Hell, he should read The Mysterious Stranger, which Mark Twain wrote in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-told-him-that-if-we-doubted-that-we-are-demons-in-hell-he-should/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [ “Thomas Jefferson High School \[..\] His high school was named after a slave owner who was also one of the world’s greatest theoreticians on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/thomas-jefferson-high-school-his-high-school-was-named-after-a-slave/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“I had a certain amount of skill as a dramatist, and Dr. Goebbels wanted me to use it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-had-a-certain-amount-of-skill-as-a-dramatist-and-dr-goebbels-wanted/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around. Lucky me, lucky mud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-was-some-of-the-mud-that-got-to-sit-up-and-look-around-lucky-me/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“The town was Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A., Earth, Solar System, Milky Way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-town-was-newport-rhode-island-u-s-a-earth-solar-system-milky-way/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“Her face was one of a kind, a surprising variation that made observers think, Yes--that would be another very nice way for people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/her-face-was-one-of-a-kind-a-surprising-variation-that-made-observers/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“You finally fell in love, I see,” said Salo. “Only an Earthling year ago,” said Constant. “It took us that long to realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-finally-fell-in-love-i-see-said-salo-only-an-earthling-year-ago/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“Like all Earthlings at the point of death, Mary Young sent faint reminders of herself to those who had known her. She released a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/like-all-earthlings-at-the-point-of-death-mary-young-sent-faint/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“And contrast Mary Kathleen, if you will, with my wife Ruth, the Ophelia of the death camps, who believed that even the most intelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-contrast-mary-kathleen-if-you-will-with-my-wife-ruth-the-ophelia/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [Someday, someday, this crazy world will have to end, And our God will take things back that He to us did lend. And if,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/someday-someday-this-crazy-world-will-have-to-end-and-our-god-will/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“They were going back to the slaughterhouse for souvenirs of the war.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/they-were-going-back-to-the-slaughterhouse-for-souvenirs-of-the-war/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“There are plenty of good reasons for fighting," I said, "but no good reason ever to hate without reservation, to imagine that God Almighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-are-plenty-of-good-reasons-for-fighting-i-said-but-no-good/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

[Explore all 2,089 Kurt Vonnegut quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

## More Artist quotes

> [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/)

[Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/)

> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/)

[Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/)

> [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/)

Taf Teh

> [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/)

[St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/)

[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

> [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/)

[Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/)

> [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/)

[Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/)

> [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/)

[Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/)

> [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/)

[Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/)

[Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I'm a painter in my dreams, you know.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Kurt Vonnegut"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-m-a-painter-in-my-dreams-you-know/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Artist"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-m-a-painter-in-my-dreams-you-know/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84d/kurt-vonnegut-41_artist_i-m-a-painter-in-my-dreams-you-know-2511_2511675.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84d/kurt-vonnegut-41_artist_i-m-a-painter-in-my-dreams-you-know-2511_2511675.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84d/kurt-vonnegut-41_artist_i-m-a-painter-in-my-dreams-you-know-2511_2511675.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I'm a painter in my dreams, you know.” — Kurt Vonnegut",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Kurt Vonnegut",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I'm a painter in my dreams,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-m-a-painter-in-my-dreams-you-know/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-m-a-painter-in-my-dreams-you-know/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
