---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We dream in our waking moments, and walk…"
description: "\"We dream in our waking moments, and walk in our sleep.\" — Nathaniel Hawthorne"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74d/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_dream_we-dream-in-our-waking-moments-and-walk_2343252.jpg"
---

#  We dream in our waking moments, and walk in our sleep.

![“We dream in our waking moments, and walk in our sleep.” quote by Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74d/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_dream_we-dream-in-our-waking-moments-and-walk_2343252.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74d/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_dream_we-dream-in-our-waking-moments-and-walk_2343252.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74d/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_dream_we-dream-in-our-waking-moments-and-walk_2343252.jpg)

> “We dream in our waking moments, and walk in our sleep.”

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote juxtaposes dreaming while awake with moving through life during sleep, suggesting a blurred line between imagination and reality.

**In simple terms:** Dreams influence waking life and vice versa.

Key Takeaway

Recognize how imagination shapes daily actions.

Themes

imagination reality dreams consciousness

Mood

thoughtful inspirational

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- artistic creation
- problem solving
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

Psychology philosophy creative process

Questions to Reflect On

- How do your dreams affect your decisions?
- Can you balance imagination with practical action?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on fantasy may detach one from practical responsibilities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [There's always going to be those awkward moments when you walk past someone and remember the times you once had with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-always-going-to-be-those-awkward-moments-when-you-walk-past/)

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

> [The mantra of perfect day :going to bed with a dream &amp; waking up with a purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/the-mantra-of-perfect-day-going-to-bed-with-a-dream-waking-up-with-a/)

[DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/)

> [We men of study, whose heads are in our books, have need to be straightly looked after! We dream in our waking moments, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/we-men-of-study-whose-heads-are-in-our-books-have-need-to-be/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [If you talk in your sleep, don't mention my name. If you walk in your sleep, forget where you came.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-presley/if-you-talk-in-your-sleep-don-t-mention-my-name-if-you-walk-in-your/)

[Elvis Presley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-presley/)

> [Cats thrive when they can walk around and sleep in a patch of sunlight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ostrosky-stern/cats-thrive-when-they-can-walk-around-and-sleep-in-a-patch-of-sunlight/)

[Beth Ostrosky Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ostrosky-stern/)

> [“Love doesn't happen in an instant. It creeps up on you and then it turns your life upside down. It colors your waking moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-swarup/love-doesn-t-happen-in-an-instant-it-creeps-up-on-you-and-then-it-2/)

[Vikas Swarup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikas-swarup/)

> [Love doesn't happen in an instant. It creeps up on you and then it turns your life upside-down. It colours your waking moments and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-swarup/love-doesn-t-happen-in-an-instant-it-creeps-up-on-you-and-then-it/)

[Vikas Swarup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikas-swarup/)

> [I think it's time for me to get out, because at the moment I'm only thinking about fishing 21 hours a day, and they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-hunt/i-think-it-s-time-for-me-to-get-out-because-at-the-moment-i-m-only/)

[Rex Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-hunt/)

> [Hope is the dream of the waking man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/hope-is-the-dream-of-the-waking-man/)

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

> [The whole world is a dream; even this (the waking state) is a dream ... What you dreamt last night does not exist now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarada-devi/the-whole-world-is-a-dream-even-this-the-waking-state-is-a-dream-what/)

[Sarada Devi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarada-devi/)

> [At last awake from life, that insane dream we take for waking now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/at-last-awake-from-life-that-insane-dream-we-take-for-waking-now/)

[Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/)

> [The perfect day is going to bed with a dream and waking up with a purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-mclean/the-perfect-day-is-going-to-bed-with-a-dream-and-waking-up-with-a/)

[A. J. McLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-mclean/)

> [“Dreamlike it was, and yet no dream, for there was no waking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/dreamlike-it-was-and-yet-no-dream-for-there-was-no-waking/)

[J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/)

> [“This was no regular dream; this was a waking dream. Who was I? It had to have happened in my lifetime. I could feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-truly/this-was-no-regular-dream-this-was-a-waking-dream-who-was-i-it-had-to/)

B. Truly

> [The question was put to him, what hope is; and his answer was, "The dream of a waking man."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/the-question-was-put-to-him-what-hope-is-and-his-answer-was-the-dream/)

[Diogenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/)

## More by Nathaniel Hawthorne

> [“there was something of the women molded into the great, stalwart frame of Hollingsworth; nor was he ashamed of it; as men often are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-was-something-of-the-women-molded-into-the-great-stalwart-frame/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [The trees reflected in the river - they are unconscious of a spiritual world so near to them. So are we.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-trees-reflected-in-the-river-they-are-unconscious-of-a-spiritual/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [“The dismaying thing about the classic totalitarian mind is that any given gear, though mutilated, will have at its circumference unbroken sequences of teeth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-dismaying-thing-about-the-classic-totalitarian-mind-is-that-any/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [“My heart was a habitation large enough for many guests, but lonely and chill, and without a household fire, I longed to kindle one!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/my-heart-was-a-habitation-large-enough-for-many-guests-but-lonely-and/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [Wherever there is a heart and an intellect, the diseases of the physical frame are tinged with the peculiarities of these.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/wherever-there-is-a-heart-and-an-intellect-the-diseases-of-the/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [The founders of a new colony, whatever Utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized it among their earliest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-founders-of-a-new-colony-whatever-utopia-of-human-virtue-and/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [Generosity is the flower of justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/generosity-is-the-flower-of-justice/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [“he seemed to be in quest for mental food, not heart sustenance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/he-seemed-to-be-in-quest-for-mental-food-not-heart-sustenance/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [“Unfathomable to mere mortals is the lore of fiends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/unfathomable-to-mere-mortals-is-the-lore-of-fiends/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [“Possibly, he was in a state of second growth and recovery, and was constantly assimilating nutriment for his spirit and intellect from sights, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/possibly-he-was-in-a-state-of-second-growth-and-recovery-and-was/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [“What wonder, then, should we be frightened by the aspect of a monster, which, after all,—though we can point to every feature of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/what-wonder-then-should-we-be-frightened-by-the-aspect-of-a-monster/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [As the architecture of a country always follows the earliest structures, American architecture should be a refinement of the log-house. The Egyptian is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/as-the-architecture-of-a-country-always-follows-the-earliest/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [What we call real estate - the solid ground to build a house on - is the broad foundation on which nearly all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/what-we-call-real-estate-the-solid-ground-to-build-a-house-on-is-the/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [“The bookworm of great libraries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-bookworm-of-great-libraries/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [There are many things in this world that a child must not ask about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-are-many-things-in-this-world-that-a-child-must-not-ask-about/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

[Explore all 526 Nathaniel Hawthorne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

## 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": "We dream in our waking moments, and walk in our sleep.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Nathaniel Hawthorne"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/we-dream-in-our-waking-moments-and-walk-in-our-sleep/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dream"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/we-dream-in-our-waking-moments-and-walk-in-our-sleep/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74d/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_dream_we-dream-in-our-waking-moments-and-walk_2343252.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74d/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_dream_we-dream-in-our-waking-moments-and-walk_2343252.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74d/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_dream_we-dream-in-our-waking-moments-and-walk_2343252.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We dream in our waking moments, and walk in our sleep.” — Nathaniel Hawthorne",
                "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": "Nathaniel Hawthorne",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We dream in our waking moments,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/we-dream-in-our-waking-moments-and-walk-in-our-sleep/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/we-dream-in-our-waking-moments-and-walk-in-our-sleep/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
