--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Because inside we still carry the dreams…" description: "\"“Because inside we still carry the dreams of what could have been, of what should have been, of what we wish could still be. This doesn't mean we aren'..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/lisa-see-2200_dreams_because-inside-we-still-carry-the-dreams_2729912.jpg" --- # Because inside we still carry the dreams of what could… ![“Because inside we still carry the dreams of what could have been, of what should have been, of what we wish could still be. This doesn't mean we aren't content. We are content, but the romantic longings of our girlhood have never entirely left us. It's like Yen-Yen said all those years ago: 'I…” quote by Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/lisa-see-2200_dreams_because-inside-we-still-carry-the-dreams_2729912.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/lisa-see-2200_dreams_because-inside-we-still-carry-the-dreams_2729912.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/lisa-see-2200_dreams_because-inside-we-still-carry-the-dreams_2729912.jpg) > ““Because inside we still carry the dreams of what could have been, of what should have been, of what we wish could still be. This doesn't mean we aren't content. We are content, but the romantic longings of our girlhood have never entirely left us. It's like Yen-Yen said all those years ago: 'I look in the mirror and I'm surprised by what I see.' I look in the mirror and still expect to see my Shanghai-girl self- not the wife and mother I've become.”” [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator feels lingering youthful aspirations and identity conflict, balancing contentment with unfulfilled dreams of a past self. **In simple terms:** She still dreams of who she could have been. Key Takeaway Embrace past dreams while honoring present self. Themes identity dreams contentment female experience cultural heritage Mood nostalgic contemplative hopeful Type literary psychological cultural When to use this quote - career planning - family dynamics - creative pursuits - mental health Key Concepts self‑reflection generational expectations role conflict Questions to Reflect On - How can you integrate past aspirations into current life? - What does “content” truly mean for you? A Different Perspective Idealizing the past may hinder present satisfaction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Mirror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mirror/) [Wife And Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wife-and-mother/) ## Related quotes > [I always look in the mirror to see somthing beautiful but all I see is me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/13-yearold/i-always-look-in-the-mirror-to-see-somthing-beautiful-but-all-i-see/) 13 Yearold > [ If you look into the mirror, you see that \[every part of you\] belongs there and you belong there, as you are. You begin… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/if-you-look-into-the-mirror-you-see-that-every-part-of-you-belongs/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [I don't like to look at myself in the mirror, which is why my eye makeup is always crooked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-guinness/i-don-t-like-to-look-at-myself-in-the-mirror-which-is-why-my-eye/) [Daphne Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-guinness/) > [If you want to meet someone who can fix any situation you don't like, who can bring you happiness in spite of what other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/if-you-want-to-meet-someone-who-can-fix-any-situation-you-don-t-like/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [When I look in the mirror all I see is the other half of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dyllan/when-i-look-in-the-mirror-all-i-see-is-the-other-half-of-me/) [Dyllan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dyllan/) > [When you look in the mirror at the end of the day, make sure you feel good about what you see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-faison/when-you-look-in-the-mirror-at-the-end-of-the-day-make-sure-you-feel/) [Frankie Faison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-faison/) > [Sometimes you gotta look yourself in the mirror and say, 'You are the prettiest princess in all the land.' I do it once a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-barakat/sometimes-you-gotta-look-yourself-in-the-mirror-and-say-you-are-the/) [Jack Barakat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-barakat/) > [You don't even want to look in the mirror after you've had a baby, because your stomach is just hanging there like a Shar-Pei.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-crawford/you-don-t-even-want-to-look-in-the-mirror-after-you-ve-had-a-baby/) [Cindy Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-crawford/) > [It's not a prerequisite for an actor to be obsessed about his looks. I know there are people who don't look in the mirror…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hrithik-roshan/it-s-not-a-prerequisite-for-an-actor-to-be-obsessed-about-his-looks-i/) [Hrithik Roshan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hrithik-roshan/) > [Look in the mirror and tell yourself how wonderful you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-hay/look-in-the-mirror-and-tell-yourself-how-wonderful-you-are/) [Louise Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-hay/) > [Look in the mirror, and laugh at yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-glassman/look-in-the-mirror-and-laugh-at-yourself/) [Bernie Glassman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-glassman/) > [“You recognize your lower self when you look in a mirror, but only recognize your higher self when you look inside your soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/you-recognize-your-lower-self-when-you-look-in-a-mirror-but-only/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [“Being happy and being able to look yourself in the mirror while doing it is a delicate balance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-ingro/being-happy-and-being-able-to-look-yourself-in-the-mirror-while-doing/) [Jessica Ingro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-ingro/) > [When people look in the mirror, sometimes they see are their shells in the mirror, nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-people-look-in-the-mirror-sometimes-they-see-are-their-shells-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I sleep through the next day. Each time I go to the bathroom, I try not to look in the mirror. Once, I catch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-lacour/i-sleep-through-the-next-day-each-time-i-go-to-the-bathroom-i-try-not/) [Nina LaCour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-lacour/) ## More by Lisa See > [“the birth of the twins and what happened to them, although traditional, has transformed me as irreversibly as soaking cloth in a vat of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/the-birth-of-the-twins-and-what-happened-to-them-although-traditional/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [When the sun is shining, think of the time it won't be, because even when you're sitting in your house with the doors shut,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/when-the-sun-is-shining-think-of-the-time-it-won-t-be-because-even/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [Snow Flower was my old same for life. I had a greater and deeper love for her than I could ever feel for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/snow-flower-was-my-old-same-for-life-i-had-a-greater-and-deeper-love/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [“When she reaches the ground, she looks from the old woman to me. A moment of confusion. Then recognition. I know her too, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/when-she-reaches-the-ground-she-looks-from-the-old-woman-to-me-a/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [“huigan—causes us to turn inward and reflect as the liquor coats our tongues, shimmers down our throats, and then rises again as fragrance. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/huigan-causes-us-to-turn-inward-and-reflect-as-the-liquor-coats-our/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [“...maybe writing doesn't require sacrifice. Maybe it's a gift to experience emotions through our brushes, ink, and paper. I wrote out sorrow, fear, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/maybe-writing-doesn-t-require-sacrifice-maybe-it-s-a-gift-to/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [“You can always count on people to crowded your party when you’re in glory but you should never dream of people sending you charcoal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/you-can-always-count-on-people-to-crowded-your-party-when-you-re-in/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [Let those who believe, believe. Let those who doubt, doubt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/let-those-who-believe-believe-let-those-who-doubt-doubt/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [It used to happen in villages and towns in China that they would have - I guess you'd call them beauty contests - where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/it-used-to-happen-in-villages-and-towns-in-china-that-they-would-have/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [“So many mistakes. So many errors. So much tragedy as a result. In that moment I understood that the cruelest words in the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/so-many-mistakes-so-many-errors-so-much-tragedy-as-a-result-in-that/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [“Yes, she had held her family together, but at what cost to herself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/yes-she-had-held-her-family-together-but-at-what-cost-to-herself/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [“When in the world did anyone die from a dream?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/when-in-the-world-did-anyone-die-from-a-dream/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [But, you know, I just did a big trip in the spring to Vietnam and Cambodia and Thailand, and that's when I bought a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/but-you-know-i-just-did-a-big-trip-in-the-spring-to-vietnam-and/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [“Maybe that's what we're all like with our mothers. They seem ordinary until one day they're extraordinary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/maybe-that-s-what-we-re-all-like-with-our-mothers-they-seem-ordinary/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [Model communes are the ones where the leaders lie the best and the biggest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/model-communes-are-the-ones-where-the-leaders-lie-the-best-and-the/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) [Explore all 178 Lisa See quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) ## More Dreams quotes > [“Cine a ucis stelele? Cine a surpat drumul spre viitor al celor din morminte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/cine-a-ucis-stelele-cine-a-surpat-drumul-spre-viitor-al-celor-din/) [Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/) > [“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/) > [“Now you’re wet. You’re so wet you’re leaking down your ass. You’re soaking my pillow. I don’t think I’m ever washing it. I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-stoker/now-you-re-wet-you-re-so-wet-you-re-leaking-down-your-ass-you-re/) [Susan Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-stoker/) > [“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/) > [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/) [Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [“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 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/) [Browse all 40,599 Dreams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Because inside we still carry the dreams of what could have been, of what should have been, of what we wish could still be. This doesn't mean we aren't content. We are content, but the romantic longings of our girlhood have never entirely left us. It's like Yen-Yen said all those years ago: 'I look in the mirror and I'm surprised by what I see.' 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