--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are those who look at things the…" description: "\"There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why... I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?\" — Robert Kennedy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/377/robert-kennedy-2083_dream_there-are-those-who-look-at-things-the-w_1151298.jpg" --- # There are those who look at things the way they are, and… ![“There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why... I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?” quote by Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/377/robert-kennedy-2083_dream_there-are-those-who-look-at-things-the-w_1151298.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/377/robert-kennedy-2083_dream_there-are-those-who-look-at-things-the-w_1151298.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/377/robert-kennedy-2083_dream_there-are-those-who-look-at-things-the-w_1151298.jpg) > “There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why... I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?” [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Visionary thinking asks “why not?” to imagine possibilities beyond current reality. **In simple terms:** Ask why not to imagine new possibilities. Key Takeaway Dream beyond the present. Themes vision imagination challenge Mood inspirational hopeful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - entrepreneurship - science - artistic creation Key Concepts possibility innovation future thinking Questions to Reflect On - What barriers prevent turning dreams into reality? - How can you test bold ideas safely? A Different Perspective Dreams may lack practical steps. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Why not](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/why-not/) ## Related quotes > [“There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why? I dream of things that never were, and ask why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-those-that-look-at-things-the-way-they-are-and-ask-why-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some look at things that are, and ask why. I dream of things that never were and ask why not?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/some-look-at-things-that-are-and-ask-why-i-dream-of-things-that-never/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [“There are those who look at things the way they are and ask why. I dream of things that never were and ask why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/preeti-shenoy/there-are-those-who-look-at-things-the-way-they-are-and-ask-why-i/) [Preeti Shenoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/preeti-shenoy/) > [Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were and ask why not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/some-men-see-things-as-they-are-and-ask-why-others-dream-things-that/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [I dream of things that are not and ask why not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/i-dream-of-things-that-are-not-and-ask-why-not/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [Some people see things that are and ask, Why? Some people dream of things that never were and ask, Why not? Some people have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/some-people-see-things-that-are-and-ask-why-some-people-dream-of/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [We need men who can dream of things that never were, and ask why not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/we-need-men-who-can-dream-of-things-that-never-were-and-ask-why-not/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-francis-kennedy/i-dream-of-things-that-never-were-and-ask-why-not/) [Robert Francis Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-francis-kennedy/) > [“It's fine to have a dream girl, but you should ask yourself…would you be her dream boy?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-m-arcejaeger/it-s-fine-to-have-a-dream-girl-but-you-should-ask-yourself-would-you/) [R.M. ArceJaeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-m-arcejaeger/) > [That one guy you stare at, wanting to ask him out, but don't know how to ask him, so you dream that he asks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailey-iloveyhu13/that-one-guy-you-stare-at-wanting-to-ask-him-out-but-don-t-know-how/) Kailey\_iloveyhu13 > [We can ask for a dream of guidance on any issue that is facing us, and when we're lucky the dream can take us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moss/we-can-ask-for-a-dream-of-guidance-on-any-issue-that-is-facing-us-and/) [Robert Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moss/) > [As a writer you ask yourself to dream while awake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-bender/as-a-writer-you-ask-yourself-to-dream-while-awake/) [Aimee Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-bender/) > [I always try to find a less frustrating way to look at things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-w-k/i-always-try-to-find-a-less-frustrating-way-to-look-at-things/) [Andrew W.K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-w-k/) > [Some men see what is, and ask 'Why?' I see what might be, and ask 'Why Not?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/some-men-see-what-is-and-ask-why-i-see-what-might-be-and-ask-why-not/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [We are not conscious of most things until we ask ourselves questions about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/we-are-not-conscious-of-most-things-until-we-ask-ourselves-questions/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) ## More by Robert Kennedy > [Wars of any magnitude release powerful social and economic forces which can change the whole face of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/wars-of-any-magnitude-release-powerful-social-and-economic-forces/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [If freedom makes social progress possible, so social progress strengthens and enlarges freedom. The two are inseparable partners in the great adventure of humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/if-freedom-makes-social-progress-possible-so-social-progress/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [Goethe tells us in his greatest poem that Faust lost the liberty of his soul when he said to the passing moment, 'Stay, thou…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/goethe-tells-us-in-his-greatest-poem-that-faust-lost-the-liberty-of/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [The intolerant man will not rely on persuasion, or on the worth of the idea. He would deny to others the very freedom of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/the-intolerant-man-will-not-rely-on-persuasion-or-on-the-worth-of-the/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/let-us-dedicate-ourselves-to-what-the-greeks-wrote-so-many-years-ago/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [President Kennedy's election was such an enlargement. It expanded religious freedom to include the highest office in the land. President Kennedy's administration was such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/president-kennedy-s-election-was-such-an-enlargement-it-expanded/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [Men and women with freed minds may often be mistaken, but they are seldom fooled. They may be influenced, but they cannot be intimidated.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/men-and-women-with-freed-minds-may-often-be-mistaken-but-they-are/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [Prejudice exists and probably will continue to 'but we have tried to make progress and we are making progress. We are not going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/prejudice-exists-and-probably-will-continue-to-but-we-have-tried-to/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [Too much and too long, we seem to have surrendered community excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/too-much-and-too-long-we-seem-to-have-surrendered-community/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [In the final analysis, poverty is a condition of helplessness - of inability to cope with the conditions of existence in our complex society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/in-the-final-analysis-poverty-is-a-condition-of-helplessness-of/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [We know that we cannot live together without rules which tell us what is right and what is wrong, what is permitted and what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/we-know-that-we-cannot-live-together-without-rules-which-tell-us-what/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [Punishment is not prevention. History offers cold comfort to those who think grievance and despair can be subdued by force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/punishment-is-not-prevention-history-offers-cold-comfort-to-those-who/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [The travail of freedom and justice is not easy, but nothing serious and important in life is easy. The history of humanity has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/the-travail-of-freedom-and-justice-is-not-easy-but-nothing-serious/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [The Gross National Product measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our compassion nor our devotion to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/the-gross-national-product-measures-neither-our-wit-nor-our-courage/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [Our future may lie beyond our vision, but it is not completely beyond our control. It is the shaping impulse of America that neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/our-future-may-lie-beyond-our-vision-but-it-is-not-completely-beyond/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) [Explore all 186 Robert Kennedy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) ## 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": "There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why... 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