--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Stay a dreamer, and you'll never have…" description: "\"“Stay a dreamer, and you'll never have your dream; get down in the nitty-gritty, and when you get your dream you see what horseshit it was in the first..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/norman-spinrad-17982_dream_stay-a-dreamer-and-you-ll-never-have-you_267930.jpg" --- # Stay a dreamer, and you'll never have your dream; get down… ![“Stay a dreamer, and you'll never have your dream; get down in the nitty-gritty, and when you get your dream you see what horseshit it was in the first place.” quote by Norman Spinrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/norman-spinrad-17982_dream_stay-a-dreamer-and-you-ll-never-have-you_267930.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/norman-spinrad-17982_dream_stay-a-dreamer-and-you-ll-never-have-you_267930.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/norman-spinrad-17982_dream_stay-a-dreamer-and-you-ll-never-have-you_267930.jpg) > ““Stay a dreamer, and you'll never have your dream; get down in the nitty-gritty, and when you get your dream you see what horseshit it was in the first place.”” [Norman Spinrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-spinrad/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Dreaming without action leads to disappointment; practical work reveals the reality of aspirations, often harsher than imagined. **In simple terms:** Dreams without action are futile; reality can be disappointing. Key Takeaway Combine vision with practical steps to achieve realistic goals. Themes dreams reality disillusionment Mood thoughtful realistic Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career planning - creative projects - personal development Key Concepts goal setting pragmatism expectation management Questions to Reflect On - Are your dreams grounded in reality? - How do you handle disappointment when goals fall short? A Different Perspective Idealistic visions may ignore practical constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreamer/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [First place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-place/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) ## Related quotes > [In some ways, the challenge of staying political is to stay a dreamer at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-hollibaugh/in-some-ways-the-challenge-of-staying-political-is-to-stay-a-dreamer/) [Amber Hollibaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-hollibaugh/) > [Be a practical dreamer backed by action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/be-a-practical-dreamer-backed-by-action/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [I think of myself not just as a dreamer, but as a dream chaser.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-brightman/i-think-of-myself-not-just-as-a-dreamer-but-as-a-dream-chaser/) [Sarah Brightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-brightman/) > [“From this point forward, you don’t even know how to quit in life.” ~ Aaron Lauritsen, ‘100 Days Drive”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-lauritsen/from-this-point-forward-you-don-t-even-know-how-to-quit-in-life-aaron/) [Aaron Lauritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-lauritsen/) > [To be sure, the ancient belief that the dream reveals the future is not entirely devoid of truth. By representing to us a wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/to-be-sure-the-ancient-belief-that-the-dream-reveals-the-future-is/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [“A BURNING DESIRE TO BE, AND TO DO is the starting point from which the dreamer must take off.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/a-burning-desire-to-be-and-to-do-is-the-starting-point-from-which-the/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [To recognize great talent, we must encourage dreamers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-west/to-recognize-great-talent-we-must-encourage-dreamers/) Benjamin West > [I'm a dreamer and continue to dream of what can and will be, "Expecting great things from God, Attempting great things for God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carey/i-m-a-dreamer-and-continue-to-dream-of-what-can-and-will-be-expecting/) [William Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carey/) > [“I am a M.A.G.I.C. child.. Motivated And Growing In Christ! …I hope you too are a M.A.G.I.C. dreamer!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/i-am-a-m-a-g-i-c-child-motivated-and-growing-in-christ-i-hope-you-too/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“Every discipline is a dream, every dream is service.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/every-discipline-is-a-dream-every-dream-is-service/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“No sir, I’m a dreamer”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dorian-scrubs/no-sir-i-m-a-dreamer/) [John Dorian- scrubs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dorian-scrubs/) > [My father was a dreamer who was always broke. He wanted to be a cartoonist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mort-walker/my-father-was-a-dreamer-who-was-always-broke-he-wanted-to-be-a/) [Mort Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mort-walker/) > [“The writer and the dreamer have so much in common: They can't control the plot, they are always part of the story or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/the-writer-and-the-dreamer-have-so-much-in-common-they-can-t-control/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [“They had been dreamers. Her father always said that this was why they had been easy to conquer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-rutkoski/they-had-been-dreamers-her-father-always-said-that-this-was-why-they/) [Marie Rutkoski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-rutkoski/) > [There is usually no dreamer so unworldly as the anthologist. He wanders in a vast garden, lost in wonder, unable to decide often between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-webb/there-is-usually-no-dreamer-so-unworldly-as-the-anthologist-he/) [Mary Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-webb/) ## More by Norman Spinrad > [The saddest day of your life is when you decide to sell out, and nobody wants to buy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-spinrad/the-saddest-day-of-your-life-is-when-you-decide-to-sell-out-and/) [Norman Spinrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-spinrad/) > [When you're in the States and you're a writer and you've got money and you walk into a bank, you're a bum with money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-spinrad/when-you-re-in-the-states-and-you-re-a-writer-and-you-ve-got-money/) [Norman Spinrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-spinrad/) > [It’s trite to say that the world has gotten smaller in the age of globalization, but my travels have told me that it’s wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-spinrad/it-s-trite-to-say-that-the-world-has-gotten-smaller-in-the-age-of/) [Norman Spinrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-spinrad/) > [“Cat Rambo: Where do you think the perennial debate between what is literary fiction and what is genre is sited? Norman Spinrad: I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-spinrad/cat-rambo-where-do-you-think-the-perennial-debate-between-what-is/) [Norman Spinrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-spinrad/) > [Chaos is the enemy of Order but the enemy of Chaos is also the enemy of Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-spinrad/chaos-is-the-enemy-of-order-but-the-enemy-of-chaos-is-also-the-enemy/) [Norman Spinrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-spinrad/) > [“You can't make a revolutionary omelet without breaking heads.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-spinrad/you-can-t-make-a-revolutionary-omelet-without-breaking-heads/) [Norman Spinrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-spinrad/) > [I never learned to read music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-spinrad/i-never-learned-to-read-music/) [Norman Spinrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-spinrad/) > [I've always been interested in the relationship between total external surround, culture, the political matrix, technology, etc., and the internal human consciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-spinrad/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-the-relationship-between-total/) [Norman Spinrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-spinrad/) > [There are certain things that ordinary people have that celebrities don't have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-spinrad/there-are-certain-things-that-ordinary-people-have-that-celebrities/) [Norman Spinrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-spinrad/) > [I write in American slang.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-spinrad/i-write-in-american-slang/) [Norman Spinrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-spinrad/) > [I must admit to being greatly influenced by Joseph Campbell's The Hero With a Thousand Faces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-spinrad/i-must-admit-to-being-greatly-influenced-by-joseph-campbell-s-the/) [Norman Spinrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-spinrad/) > [If it's not American, the French won't go see it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-spinrad/if-it-s-not-american-the-french-won-t-go-see-it/) [Norman Spinrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-spinrad/) > [I believe that interest in heroes is universal and eternal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-spinrad/i-believe-that-interest-in-heroes-is-universal-and-eternal/) [Norman Spinrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-spinrad/) > [“It ain't power that corrupts, it's the changes you put your head through getting it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-spinrad/it-ain-t-power-that-corrupts-it-s-the-changes-you-put-your-head/) [Norman Spinrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-spinrad/) > [Mexico was conquered more by manipulation of myth and archetype.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-spinrad/mexico-was-conquered-more-by-manipulation-of-myth-and-archetype/) [Norman Spinrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-spinrad/) [Explore all 35 Norman Spinrad quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-spinrad/) ## 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": "“Stay a dreamer, and you'll never have your dream; get down in the nitty-gritty, and when you get your dream you see what horseshit it was in the first place.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Norman Spinrad" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-spinrad/stay-a-dreamer-and-you-ll-never-have-your-dream-get-down-in-the-nitty/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dream" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-spinrad/stay-a-dreamer-and-you-ll-never-have-your-dream-get-down-in-the-nitty/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/norman-spinrad-17982_dream_stay-a-dreamer-and-you-ll-never-have-you_267930.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/norman-spinrad-17982_dream_stay-a-dreamer-and-you-ll-never-have-you_267930.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/norman-spinrad-17982_dream_stay-a-dreamer-and-you-ll-never-have-you_267930.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Stay a dreamer, and you'll never have your dream; get down in the nitty-gritty, and when you get your dream…” — Norman Spinrad", "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": "Norman Spinrad", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-spinrad/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Stay a dreamer, and you'll never...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-spinrad/stay-a-dreamer-and-you-ll-never-have-your-dream-get-down-in-the-nitty/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-spinrad/stay-a-dreamer-and-you-ll-never-have-your-dream-get-down-in-the-nitty/#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 } } ] } ```