---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: dreams with a painful content are to be…"
description: "\"“dreams with a painful content are to be analyzed as the fulfillments of wishes. Nor will it seem a matter of chance that in the course of interpretati..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45c/sigmund-freud-360_dream_dreams-with-a-painful-content-are-to-be_463906.jpg"
---

#  dreams with a painful content are to be analyzed as the…

![“dreams with a painful content are to be analyzed as the fulfillments of wishes. Nor will it seem a matter of chance that in the course of interpretation one always happens upon subjects of which one does not like to speak or think. The disagreeable sensation which such dreams arouse is simply…” quote by Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45c/sigmund-freud-360_dream_dreams-with-a-painful-content-are-to-be_463906.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45c/sigmund-freud-360_dream_dreams-with-a-painful-content-are-to-be_463906.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45c/sigmund-freud-360_dream_dreams-with-a-painful-content-are-to-be_463906.jpg)

> ““dreams with a painful content are to be analyzed as the fulfillments of wishes. Nor will it seem a matter of chance that in the course of interpretation one always happens upon subjects of which one does not like to speak or think. The disagreeable sensation which such dreams arouse is simply identical with the antipathy which endeavors—usually with success—to restrain us from the treatment or discussion of such subjects, and which must be overcome by all of us, if, in spite of its unpleasantness, we find it necessary to take the matter in hand. But this disagreeable sensation, which occurs also in dreams, does not preclude the existence of a wish; every one has wishes which he would not like to tell to others, which he does not want to admit even to himself.””

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

## About This Quote

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

Dreams with painful content reveal hidden wishes; analysis uncovers suppressed desires we avoid acknowledging.

**In simple terms:** Painful dreams hide secret wishes.

Key Takeaway

Face and explore uncomfortable desires.

Themes

psychology dreams self-awareness

Mood

introspective thoughtful

Type

analytical psychological

When to use this quote

- therapy sessions
- personal reflection
- creative writing
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

Freudian theory repression wish fulfillment

Questions to Reflect On

- What hidden wish might your discomfort be protecting?
- How can you safely confront suppressed thoughts?

A Different Perspective

Dream analysis may misinterpret symbolic content as literal wishes.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Disagreeable Sensation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disagreeable-sensation-2455917/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Dreams Arouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams-arouse-4023169/) [Dreams Painful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams-painful-1224082/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Sensation Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sensation-dreams-4023170/)

## Related quotes

> [I just want that sensation you have in dreams when you fly to be real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-montgomery/i-just-want-that-sensation-you-have-in-dreams-when-you-fly-to-be-real/)

[Janet Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-montgomery/)

> [I know of no more disagreeable sensation than to be left feeling generally angry without anybody in particular to be angry at.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-moore-colby/i-know-of-no-more-disagreeable-sensation-than-to-be-left-feeling/)

[Frank Moore Colby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-moore-colby/)

> [There is a mortifying experience in particular, which does not fail to wreak itself also in the general history; I mean "the foolish face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/there-is-a-mortifying-experience-in-particular-which-does-not-fail-to/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [“Sometimes, though not often, he had dreams, and they were more painful than the dreams of other boys. For hours he could not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-barrie/sometimes-though-not-often-he-had-dreams-and-they-were-more-painful/)

[J.M. Barrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-barrie/)

> [“It’s the mornings after the spider-and-heights dreams that are the most painful, that it takes sometimes three coffees and two showers and sometimes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/it-s-the-mornings-after-the-spider-and-heights-dreams-that-are-the/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

> [Dreams are not easy. Dreams are painful. They force work and commitment. They are challenging and motivating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/dreams-are-not-easy-dreams-are-painful-they-force-work-and-commitment/)

[Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/)

> [Dreams are always crushing when they don't come true. But it's the simple dreams that are often the most painful because they seem so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/dreams-are-always-crushing-when-they-don-t-come-true-but-it-s-the/)

[Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/)

> [It seems to be my fate to discover only the obvious: that children have sexual feelings, which every nurse maid knows; and that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/it-seems-to-be-my-fate-to-discover-only-the-obvious-that-children/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [Dreams are often most profound when they seem the most crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/dreams-are-often-most-profound-when-they-seem-the-most-crazy/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [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/)

> [“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/)

> [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/)

> [“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/)

> [“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/)

> [“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/)

## More by Sigmund Freud

> [Anatomy is destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/anatomy-is-destiny/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [“Woe to you, my Princess, when I come. I will kiss you quite red and feed you till you are plump. And if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/woe-to-you-my-princess-when-i-come-i-will-kiss-you-quite-red-and-feed/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [I take up the standpoint that the tendency to aggression is an innate, independent, instinctual disposition in man, and I come back now to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/i-take-up-the-standpoint-that-the-tendency-to-aggression-is-an-innate/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [“Ko postavlja pitanje o smislu zivota,s njegovim libidom nije nesto u redu.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/ko-postavlja-pitanje-o-smislu-zivota-s-njegovim-libidom-nije-nesto-u/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [“When it comes to the small matters in life one should think long and hard, but when it comes to the big ones -whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/when-it-comes-to-the-small-matters-in-life-one-should-think-long-and/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [We like to forget that in fact everything in our life is chance, from our genesis out of the encounter of spermatozoon and egg…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/we-like-to-forget-that-in-fact-everything-in-our-life-is-chance-from/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [We should picture the instrument that carries our mental functioning as resembling a compound microscope or photographic apparatus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/we-should-picture-the-instrument-that-carries-our-mental-functioning/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [The religions of mankind must be classed among the mass-delusions of this kind. No one, needless to say, who shares a delusion ever recognizes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/the-religions-of-mankind-must-be-classed-among-the-mass-delusions-of/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [It seems to be my fate to discover only the obvious: that children have sexual feelings, which every nurse maid knows; and that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/it-seems-to-be-my-fate-to-discover-only-the-obvious-that-children/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [The first requisite of civilization is that of justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/the-first-requisite-of-civilization-is-that-of-justice/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [“Actually, the substitution of the reality-principle for the pleasure-principle denotes no dethronement of the pleasure-principle, but only a safeguarding of it. A momentary pleasure,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/actually-the-substitution-of-the-reality-principle-for-the-pleasure/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [Dreams are often most profound when they seem the most crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/dreams-are-often-most-profound-when-they-seem-the-most-crazy/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [Against the suffering which may come upon one from human relationships the readiest safeguard is voluntary isolation, keeping oneself aloof from other people. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/against-the-suffering-which-may-come-upon-one-from-human/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [There is to my mind no doubt that the concept of beautiful had its roots in sexual excitation and that its original meaning was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/there-is-to-my-mind-no-doubt-that-the-concept-of-beautiful-had-its/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [The voice of the intellect is soft one, but it does not rest until it has gained a hearing. Ultimately, after endless rebuffs, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/the-voice-of-the-intellect-is-soft-one-but-it-does-not-rest-until-it/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

[Explore all 608 Sigmund Freud quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

## 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": "“dreams with a painful content are to be analyzed as the fulfillments of wishes. Nor will it seem a matter of chance that in the course of interpretation one always happens upon subjects of which one does not like to speak or think. The disagreeable sensation which such dreams arouse is simply identical with the antipathy which endeavors—usually with success—to restrain us from the treatment or discussion of such subjects, and which must be overcome by all of us, if, in spite of its unpleasantness, we find it necessary to take the matter in hand. But this disagreeable sensation, which occurs also in dreams, does not preclude the existence of a wish; every one has wishes which he would not like to tell to others, which he does not want to admit even to himself.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sigmund Freud"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/dreams-with-a-painful-content-are-to-be-analyzed-as-the-fulfillments/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dream"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/dreams-with-a-painful-content-are-to-be-analyzed-as-the-fulfillments/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45c/sigmund-freud-360_dream_dreams-with-a-painful-content-are-to-be_463906.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45c/sigmund-freud-360_dream_dreams-with-a-painful-content-are-to-be_463906.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45c/sigmund-freud-360_dream_dreams-with-a-painful-content-are-to-be_463906.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“dreams with a painful content are to be analyzed as the fulfillments of wishes. Nor will it seem a matter of…” — Sigmund Freud",
                "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": "Sigmund Freud",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“dreams with a painful content are...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/dreams-with-a-painful-content-are-to-be-analyzed-as-the-fulfillments/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/dreams-with-a-painful-content-are-to-be-analyzed-as-the-fulfillments/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
