---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The simple truth of things is that bad…"
description: "\"The simple truth of things is that bad dreams are far better than bad wakings.\" — Stephen King"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fa/stephen-king-13_bad-dream_the-simple-truth-of-things-is-that-bad-d_2690214.jpg"
---

#  The simple truth of things is that bad dreams are far…

![“The simple truth of things is that bad dreams are far better than bad wakings.” quote by Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fa/stephen-king-13_bad-dream_the-simple-truth-of-things-is-that-bad-d_2690214.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fa/stephen-king-13_bad-dream_the-simple-truth-of-things-is-that-bad-d_2690214.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fa/stephen-king-13_bad-dream_the-simple-truth-of-things-is-that-bad-d_2690214.jpg)

> “The simple truth of things is that bad dreams are far better than bad wakings.”

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

## About This Quote

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

Bad dreams are preferable because they are temporary and can be processed, unlike waking life’s ongoing hardships.

**In simple terms:** Bad dreams are better than waking hardships.

Key Takeaway

Accept dreams as a warning sign.

Themes

psychology dreams coping acceptance

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- nighttime anxiety
- creative brainstorming
- stress relief
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

Freud cognitive processing emotional resilience

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you use dream insights to improve waking life?
- What does this say about confronting reality?

A Different Perspective

Dreams may be unsettling and not always provide clear solutions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bad dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-dream/) [Bad dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-dreams/) [Bad Wakings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-wakings-2651978/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Dreams Far](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams-far-2651979/) [Far Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/far-better/) [Simple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple/) [Simple truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple-truth/) [Simple truths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple-truths/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Waking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waking/)

## Related quotes

> [“there isn’t nobody that can live a natural life without having a few bad dreams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/there-isn-t-nobody-that-can-live-a-natural-life-without-having-a-few/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [So Mo began filling the silence with words. He lured them out of the pages as if they had only been waiting for his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/so-mo-began-filling-the-silence-with-words-he-lured-them-out-of-the/)

[Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/)

> [“And you?” Brigan said. “You seem to do a lot of nighttime rambling.” “I have bad dreams.” “Dreams of pretend terrors? Or things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/and-you-brigan-said-you-seem-to-do-a-lot-of-nighttime-rambling-i-have/)

[Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/)

> [If you change your bed on Friday the 13th, you will see bad dreams throughout the night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-change-your-bed-on-friday-the-13th-you-will-see-bad-dreams/)

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

> [Lights come and go in the night sky. Men, troubled at last by the things they build, may toss in their sleep and dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/lights-come-and-go-in-the-night-sky-men-troubled-at-last-by-the/)

[Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/)

> [“… we have bad dreams because our brain is trying to protect us… If we can figure out a way to beat the imaginary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-poblocki/we-have-bad-dreams-because-our-brain-is-trying-to-protect-us-if-we/)

[Dan Poblocki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-poblocki/)

> [“I don't trust nobody and nobody trusts me, I'll be the actress starring in your bad dreams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/i-don-t-trust-nobody-and-nobody-trusts-me-i-ll-be-the-actress/)

[Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/)

> [I have read a great deal about what animals dream, but none of it has ever really satisfied me. I believe they dream exactly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cleveland-amory/i-have-read-a-great-deal-about-what-animals-dream-but-none-of-it-has/)

[Cleveland Amory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cleveland-amory/)

> [I suppose when the things that give you bad dreams live inside you, there's no point in trying to stop them. They're going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-dokey/i-suppose-when-the-things-that-give-you-bad-dreams-live-inside-you/)

[Cameron Dokey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-dokey/)

> [“By now you must have guessed: I come from another planet. But I will never say to you, Take me to your leaders. Even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/by-now-you-must-have-guessed-i-come-from-another-planet-but-i-will/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [When you are having bad dreams, turn your pillow over. The good dreams are on the other side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohit/when-you-are-having-bad-dreams-turn-your-pillow-over-the-good-dreams/)

[Rohit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rohit/)

> [“I only have two kinds of dreams: the bad and the terrible. Bad dreams I can cope with. They're just nightmares, and they end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-only-have-two-kinds-of-dreams-the-bad-and-the-terrible-bad-dreams-i/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [I hate having bad dreams about the people I love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hate-having-bad-dreams-about-the-people-i-love/)

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

> [“Don't let what's happened spoil your life; it doesn't have to. If help is offered, take it if you want it. But in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-d-james-3/don-t-let-what-s-happened-spoil-your-life-it-doesn-t-have-to-if-help/)

[P D James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-d-james-3/)

> [“The only bad dreams are those not worth chasing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-bad-dreams-are-those-not-worth-chasing/)

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

## More by Stephen King

> [Shall there be truth between us, as two men? Not as friends, but as enemies and equals?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/shall-there-be-truth-between-us-as-two-men-not-as-friends-but-as/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“October 3, 2017 The clown, Hagarty said, looked like a cross between Ronald McDonald and that old TV clown, Bozo—or so he thought at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/october-3-2017-the-clown-hagarty-said-looked-like-a-cross-between/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“Eddie saw great things and near misses. Albert Einstein as a child, not quite struck by a run-away milk-wagon as he crossed a street.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/eddie-saw-great-things-and-near-misses-albert-einstein-as-a-child-not/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [It hurt, of course, but more often than not the best things do, I've found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-hurt-of-course-but-more-often-than-not-the-best-things-do-i-ve/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“The idea that creative endeavor and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-intellectual myths of our time... Creative people probably do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-idea-that-creative-endeavor-and-mind-altering-substances-are/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“The sun had burned through and the day had gone from dull to dazzling, yet in the west blask-satin thunderheads continued to stack up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-sun-had-burned-through-and-the-day-had-gone-from-dull-to-dazzling/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“Flakes of snow swirled and danced across the porch. The Overlook faced it as it had for nearly three-quarters of a century, its darkened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/flakes-of-snow-swirled-and-danced-across-the-porch-the-overlook-faced/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“In that instant it all seemed to come clear to him- it came in a grisly flash of light, and he realized that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-that-instant-it-all-seemed-to-come-clear-to-him-it-came-in-a/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [Who gets to be best-liked in any community? Who is the most trusted? Why, the man who does the dirty job, of course, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/who-gets-to-be-best-liked-in-any-community-who-is-the-most-trusted/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“¿Lo ves, tonto? Volvió a regañarse. Tú lo inventaste todo, gato asustado. No fue más que tu imaginación, gato asustado, gato asustado... No te…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/lo-ves-tonto-volvi-a-rega-arse-t-lo-inventaste-todo-gato-asustado-no/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“Death . . . but not for you. That was what Walter, clever as Satan even at the end, had said. A lawyer’s answer . . . so close to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/death-but-not-for-you-that-was-what-walter-clever-as-satan-even-at/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [The ghost story movie that scared me the most was The Changeling with George C. Scott. I think that's sometimes overlooked, but it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-ghost-story-movie-that-scared-me-the-most-was-the-changeling-with/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“Climb aboard, Jonesy. I'm going to send you up where the air is rare and the view is much more than fair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/climb-aboard-jonesy-i-m-going-to-send-you-up-where-the-air-is-rare/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

[Explore all 3,589 Stephen King quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

## More Bad dream quotes

> [“The other day Nan said, 'Nothing can ever be quite the same for any of us again.' It made me feel rebellious. Why shouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/the-other-day-nan-said-nothing-can-ever-be-quite-the-same-for-any-of/)

[L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/)

> [“For a moment Dustfinger felt as if he had never been away- as if he had simply had a bad dream, and the memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/for-a-moment-dustfinger-felt-as-if-he-had-never-been-away-as-if-he/)

[Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/)

> [“Ben and Freda were happy for Cindy. She had recovered from the horrible abuses she had suffered the previous year. Her last bad dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shafter-bailey/ben-and-freda-were-happy-for-cindy-she-had-recovered-from-the/)

[Shafter Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shafter-bailey/)

> [“The only bad dreams are those not worth chasing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-bad-dreams-are-those-not-worth-chasing/)

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

> [Life is perhaps best regarded as a bad dream between two awakenings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/life-is-perhaps-best-regarded-as-a-bad-dream-between-two-awakenings/)

[Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/)

> [The past was like a bad dream; the future was all happy holiday as I moved Southwards week by week, easily, lazily, lingering as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/the-past-was-like-a-bad-dream-the-future-was-all-happy-holiday-as-i/)

[Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/)

> [I pray that fear would just be a dream, a bad dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anastasia-blanchard/i-pray-that-fear-would-just-be-a-dream-a-bad-dream/)

[Anastasia Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anastasia-blanchard/)

> [“Don't let what's happened spoil your life; it doesn't have to. If help is offered, take it if you want it. But in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-d-james-3/don-t-let-what-s-happened-spoil-your-life-it-doesn-t-have-to-if-help/)

[P D James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-d-james-3/)

> [“Tina thought about the idea of how much a person could take. People only survived because they turned the real into the surreal. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-trope/tina-thought-about-the-idea-of-how-much-a-person-could-take-people/)

[Nicole Trope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-trope/)

> [I hate having bad dreams about the people I love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hate-having-bad-dreams-about-the-people-i-love/)

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

> [“I only have two kinds of dreams: the bad and the terrible. Bad dreams I can cope with. They're just nightmares, and they end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-only-have-two-kinds-of-dreams-the-bad-and-the-terrible-bad-dreams-i/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [When you are having bad dreams, turn your pillow over. The good dreams are on the other side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohit/when-you-are-having-bad-dreams-turn-your-pillow-over-the-good-dreams/)

[Rohit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rohit/)

> [“By now you must have guessed: I come from another planet. But I will never say to you, Take me to your leaders. Even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/by-now-you-must-have-guessed-i-come-from-another-planet-but-i-will/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“Sometimes life begins like a bad dream and ends up like a kid's fairytale. The kind our grandmothers used to tell us about sitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-kakalopoulou/sometimes-life-begins-like-a-bad-dream-and-ends-up-like-a-kid-s/)

[Georgia Kakalopoulou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-kakalopoulou/)

> [Close your eyes and pretend it's all a bad dream. That's how I get by. -Jack Sparrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pirates-of-the-caribbean/close-your-eyes-and-pretend-it-s-all-a-bad-dream-that-s-how-i-get-by/)

[Pirates Of The Caribbean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pirates-of-the-caribbean/)

[Browse all 257 Bad dream quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-dream/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The simple truth of things is that bad dreams are far better than bad wakings.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Stephen King"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-simple-truth-of-things-is-that-bad-dreams-are-far-better-than-bad/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bad dream"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-simple-truth-of-things-is-that-bad-dreams-are-far-better-than-bad/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fa/stephen-king-13_bad-dream_the-simple-truth-of-things-is-that-bad-d_2690214.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fa/stephen-king-13_bad-dream_the-simple-truth-of-things-is-that-bad-d_2690214.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fa/stephen-king-13_bad-dream_the-simple-truth-of-things-is-that-bad-d_2690214.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The simple truth of things is that bad dreams are far better than bad wakings.” — Stephen King",
                "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": "Stephen King",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The simple truth of things is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-simple-truth-of-things-is-that-bad-dreams-are-far-better-than-bad/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-simple-truth-of-things-is-that-bad-dreams-are-far-better-than-bad/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
