--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Dreams of innocence are just that; they…" description: "\"Dreams of innocence are just that; they usually depend on a denial of reality that can be its own form of hubris.\" — Michael Pollan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/956/michael-pollan-408_denial_dreams-of-innocence-are-just-that-they-u_1277067.png" --- # Dreams of innocence are just that; they usually depend on… ![“Dreams of innocence are just that; they usually depend on a denial of reality that can be its own form of hubris.” quote by Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/956/michael-pollan-408_denial_dreams-of-innocence-are-just-that-they-u_1277067.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/956/michael-pollan-408_denial_dreams-of-innocence-are-just-that-they-u_1277067.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/956/michael-pollan-408_denial_dreams-of-innocence-are-just-that-they-u_1277067.png) > “Dreams of innocence are just that; they usually depend on a denial of reality that can be its own form of hubris.” [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Innocence often relies on denying reality, which can become a form of arrogance. **In simple terms:** Denial of reality is hubris. Key Takeaway Balance innocence with realistic awareness. Themes innocence denial hubris reality Mood thoughtful philosophical Type reflective analytical When to use this quote - personal growth - ethical decisions - creative projects Key Concepts philosophy psychology self-deception Questions to Reflect On - When is denial protective? - How to recognize healthy skepticism? A Different Perspective Denial can protect mental health in some contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Denial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/denial/) [Denial Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/denial-reality-696824/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Dreams Innocence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams-innocence-3393380/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Hubris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hubris/) [Innocence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innocence/) [Innocence Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innocence-just-2414392/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) ## Related quotes > [“Youthful dreams are precious things. They ought not to be dashed as foolish and unrealistic just because they are young dreams. Innocence ought not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/youthful-dreams-are-precious-things-they-ought-not-to-be-dashed-as/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [To deny that human beings are filled with anti-social passions betrays a denial of reality and a lack of self-awareness. One has to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/to-deny-that-human-beings-are-filled-with-anti-social-passions/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [Denying that race matters is irrational in the face of segregation and all of the other forms of obvious racial inequity in society... Maintaining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-diangelo/denying-that-race-matters-is-irrational-in-the-face-of-segregation/) [Robin DiAngelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-diangelo/) > [A denial of the reality of demonical possessions on the part of anyone who believes the Gospel narrative to be true and inspired may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-mckendree-bounds/a-denial-of-the-reality-of-demonical-possessions-on-the-part-of/) [Edward McKendree Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-mckendree-bounds/) > [Religion is a belief in invisible beings, inaudible voices, intangible entities, undetectable forces, and events and judgments that happen after we die. It therefore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-christina/religion-is-a-belief-in-invisible-beings-inaudible-voices-intangible/) [Greta Christina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-christina/) > [The presumption of innocence is not just a legal concept. In commonplace terms, it rests on that generosity of spirit which assumes the best,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingman-brewster-jr/the-presumption-of-innocence-is-not-just-a-legal-concept-in/) [Kingman Brewster, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingman-brewster-jr/) > [I was very lighthearted. This often the way when the abandonment of personal responsibility is enforced: neither wronged innocence or just guilt can seriously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/i-was-very-lighthearted-this-often-the-way-when-the-abandonment-of/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [But before we face experience, that miserable enemy, let us have some more innocence, just for a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/but-before-we-face-experience-that-miserable-enemy-let-us-have-some/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [“I DON’T WANT TO REPEAT MY INNOCENCE. I JUST WANT THE PLEASURE OF LOSING IT AGAIN.” Excerpt From: Kunze, Lauren. “The Ivy.” HarperCollins. iBooks.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-kunze/i-don-t-want-to-repeat-my-innocence-i-just-want-the-pleasure-of/) [Lauren Kunze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-kunze/) > [“When we mistake what we can know for all there is to know, a healthy appreciation of one’s ignorance in the face of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/when-we-mistake-what-we-can-know-for-all-there-is-to-know-a-healthy/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“In the same way that the picturesque designers were always careful to include some reminder of our mortality in their gardens -- a ruin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/in-the-same-way-that-the-picturesque-designers-were-always-careful-to/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [The entire history of baby formula has been the history of one overlooked nutrient after another...and still to this day babies fed on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/the-entire-history-of-baby-formula-has-been-the-history-of-one/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [That is the most accurate, predictive model for his behavior…I think Obama gets up every morning with a worldview that is fundamentally wrong about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/that-is-the-most-accurate-predictive-model-for-his-behavior-i-think/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [“Giving anyone the benefit of the doubt is expected. Innocent until proven guilty; that’s the law. But denial of reality is simply, well, pitiful.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-befumo/giving-anyone-the-benefit-of-the-doubt-is-expected-innocent-until/) [Joseph Befumo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-befumo/) > [Hope is the denial of reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-weis/hope-is-the-denial-of-reality/) [Margaret Weis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-weis/) ## More by Michael Pollan > [“In the same way that the picturesque designers were always careful to include some reminder of our mortality in their gardens -- a ruin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/in-the-same-way-that-the-picturesque-designers-were-always-careful-to/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [My hope is that if people have the knowledge, and if they actually see where their food comes from and have access to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/my-hope-is-that-if-people-have-the-knowledge-and-if-they-actually-see/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [The problem is that we let special-occasion food become everyday food. That goes for soda and french fries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/the-problem-is-that-we-let-special-occasion-food-become-everyday-food/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Every peasant cuisine has incredible ingenious tricks for getting a lot of nutrition out of a small amount of ingredients. There are people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/every-peasant-cuisine-has-incredible-ingenious-tricks-for-getting-a/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“In ancient Greece, the word for “cook,” “butcher,” and “priest” was the same—mageiros—and the word shares an etymological root with “magic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/in-ancient-greece-the-word-for-cook-butcher-and-priest-was-the-same/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [In the end I'm still a writer. I'm still a journalist, and my first responsibility is to my readers. That's where I have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/in-the-end-i-m-still-a-writer-i-m-still-a-journalist-and-my-first/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Seeds have the power to preserve species, to enhance cultural as well as genetic diversity, to counter economic monopoly and to check the advance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/seeds-have-the-power-to-preserve-species-to-enhance-cultural-as-well/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“The bubble logic driving tulipomania has since acquired a name: “the greater fool theory.” Although by any conventional measure it is folly to pay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/the-bubble-logic-driving-tulipomania-has-since-acquired-a-name-the/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“Of the seven deadly sins, surely it is pride that most afflicts the gardener.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/of-the-seven-deadly-sins-surely-it-is-pride-that-most-afflicts-the/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Growing corn, which from a biological perspective had always been a process of capturing sunlight to turn into food, has in no small measure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/growing-corn-which-from-a-biological-perspective-had-always-been-a/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Eat with consciousness. When you eat with consciousness, and you know what you're eating, and you eat it in full appreciation of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/eat-with-consciousness-when-you-eat-with-consciousness-and-you-know/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [This is part of human nature, the desire to change consciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/this-is-part-of-human-nature-the-desire-to-change-consciousness/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“...whenever I hear people say clean food is expensive, I tell them it's actually the cheapest food you can buy. That always gets their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/whenever-i-hear-people-say-clean-food-is-expensive-i-tell-them-it-s/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“Imagine if we had a food system that actually produced wholesome food. Imagine if it produced that food in a way that restored the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/imagine-if-we-had-a-food-system-that-actually-produced-wholesome-food/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“CONSULT YOUR GUT.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/consult-your-gut/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) [Explore all 584 Michael Pollan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) ## More Denial quotes > [Because after you've crossed some lines, you just keep crossing them. And there's no escaping from constant escape. Distracting ourselves. Avoiding confrontation. Getting past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/because-after-you-ve-crossed-some-lines-you-just-keep-crossing-them/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [A mistake doesnt make you a fool, but denying it surely makes you one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/a-mistake-doesnt-make-you-a-fool-but-denying-it-surely-makes-you-one/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [It is through suppression that hells are formed in us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-glaspell/it-is-through-suppression-that-hells-are-formed-in-us/) [Susan Glaspell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-glaspell/) > [Atheist’s denial of God’s existence needs just as much substantiation as does the theist’s claim; the atheist must give plausible reasons for rejecting God’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-copan/atheist-s-denial-of-god-s-existence-needs-just-as-much-substantiation/) [Paul Copan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-copan/) > [But we need to be very clear: because of our decades of collective denial, no gradual, incremental options are now available to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/but-we-need-to-be-very-clear-because-of-our-decades-of-collective/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [What you try to bury just ends up burying you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-wagner/what-you-try-to-bury-just-ends-up-burying-you/) [Jane Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-wagner/) > [Its up to any government to decide how to react to the denial of basic human rights anywhere in the world, including Egypt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/its-up-to-any-government-to-decide-how-to-react-to-the-denial-of/) [Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/) > [“Research on organised abuse emphasises the diversity of organised abuse cases, and the ways in which serious forms of child maltreatment cluster in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/research-on-organised-abuse-emphasises-the-diversity-of-organised/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [“Living in denial only makes finding the truth that much harder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-f/living-in-denial-only-makes-finding-the-truth-that-much-harder/) [Jules F](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-f/) > [Sanity can take one of only two forms: that of ignorance, or denial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-r-audette/sanity-can-take-one-of-only-two-forms-that-of-ignorance-or-denial/) [Derek R. Audette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-r-audette/) > [Denial leads to closure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aruho-marwin-machiaveli/denial-leads-to-closure/) [Aruho Marwin Machiaveli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aruho-marwin-machiaveli/) > [People are in denial all the time, hiding things. If I tell you a racist or dirty joke and you laugh, you're telling me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-landau/people-are-in-denial-all-the-time-hiding-things-if-i-tell-you-a/) [Martin Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-landau/) > [It is not a question of who dances but of who or what does not dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-st-denis/it-is-not-a-question-of-who-dances-but-of-who-or-what-does-not-dance/) [Ruth St. Denis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-st-denis/) > [What’s looming in the shadows of our ignorance and denial is a critique of civilization itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lierre-keith/what-s-looming-in-the-shadows-of-our-ignorance-and-denial-is-a/) [Lierre Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lierre-keith/) > [“You can hold on to the smallest doubt and take comfort in it, stay in denial and go on with your carefree life, until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/you-can-hold-on-to-the-smallest-doubt-and-take-comfort-in-it-stay-in/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) [Browse all 1,463 Denial quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/denial/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Dreams of innocence are just that; they usually depend on a denial of reality that can be its own form of hubris.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Pollan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/dreams-of-innocence-are-just-that-they-usually-depend-on-a-denial-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Denial" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/dreams-of-innocence-are-just-that-they-usually-depend-on-a-denial-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/956/michael-pollan-408_denial_dreams-of-innocence-are-just-that-they-u_1277067.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/956/michael-pollan-408_denial_dreams-of-innocence-are-just-that-they-u_1277067.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/956/michael-pollan-408_denial_dreams-of-innocence-are-just-that-they-u_1277067.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Dreams of innocence are just that; they usually depend on a denial of reality that can be its own form of…” — Michael Pollan", "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": "Michael Pollan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Dreams of innocence are just that;...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/dreams-of-innocence-are-just-that-they-usually-depend-on-a-denial-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/dreams-of-innocence-are-just-that-they-usually-depend-on-a-denial-of/#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 } } ] } ```