--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Then they were all standing and…" description: "\"“Then they were all standing and applauding, yeah, they were giving him a fucking standing O, and in their faces he saw what every poet or would-be poe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afd/stephen-king-13_dreams_then-they-were-all-standing-and-applaudi_1794078.jpg" --- # Then they were all standing and applauding, yeah, they… ![“Then they were all standing and applauding, yeah, they were giving him a fucking standing O, and in their faces he saw what every poet or would-be poet hopes to see when he or she finished reading: the faces of people suddenly awakened from a dream brighter than any reality.” quote by Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afd/stephen-king-13_dreams_then-they-were-all-standing-and-applaudi_1794078.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afd/stephen-king-13_dreams_then-they-were-all-standing-and-applaudi_1794078.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afd/stephen-king-13_dreams_then-they-were-all-standing-and-applaudi_1794078.jpg) > ““Then they were all standing and applauding, yeah, they were giving him a fucking standing O, and in their faces he saw what every poet or would-be poet hopes to see when he or she finished reading: the faces of people suddenly awakened from a dream brighter than any reality.”” [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. The applause and awakened faces represent the ultimate validation poets seek when their words truly resonate with an audience. **In simple terms:** Poets crave audience awakening. Key Takeaway Write to awaken readers. Themes validation audience awakening poetry Mood inspired hopeful reflective Type literary motivational When to use this quote - public reading - literary events - teaching - creative workshops Key Concepts recognition empathy impact Questions to Reflect On - How does audience reaction shape your creative purpose? - What does it mean to awaken a dream? A Different Perspective Not all audiences will be awakened; some may remain indifferent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) ## Related quotes > [“An entire country standing up and applauding the fact that no one was capable of doing anything properly any more. The unreserved celebration of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/an-entire-country-standing-up-and-applauding-the-fact-that-no-one-was/) [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) > [I saw the poet in you when it was obvious that your type of women were all broken and were those who bled internally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/needa-muy/i-saw-the-poet-in-you-when-it-was-obvious-that-your-type-of-women/) [Needa Muy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/needa-muy/) > [“...they wore their hair long like a poet who hopes that romantically flowing locks will make up for a wretched inability to find a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/they-wore-their-hair-long-like-a-poet-who-hopes-that-romantically/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [I think my main concern is because I worry about demagoguery. It's real. You see the people standing up there and applauding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/i-think-my-main-concern-is-because-i-worry-about-demagoguery-it-s/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [Every poet hopes that after-times Shall set some value on his votive lay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-norton/every-poet-hopes-that-after-times-shall-set-some-value-on-his-votive/) [Caroline Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-norton/) > [“There was a look of fear in his eyes, such as people have when they are suddenly awakened. His”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/there-was-a-look-of-fear-in-his-eyes-such-as-people-have-when-they/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Vida was sound asleep when I went back to my room. I turned on the light and it woke her up. She was blinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/vida-was-sound-asleep-when-i-went-back-to-my-room-i-turned-on-the/) [Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) > [“You may feel irritated at being suddenly awakened when you are caught napping; and you may think that if you were to strike me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/you-may-feel-irritated-at-being-suddenly-awakened-when-you-are-caught/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“You may be applauding out of genuine appreciation, but the guy next to you, maybe he didn't particularly care for me, but he doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hacker/you-may-be-applauding-out-of-genuine-appreciation-but-the-guy-next-to/) Christopher Hacker > [“I walked out and I got a standing ovation from all these people, and it's like a creepy thing... either you've become a cultural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-walked-out-and-i-got-a-standing-ovation-from-all-these-people-and/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Celebrating your achievements and applauding your triumphs is a sure way to refuel your enthusiasm and keep yourself motivated for your future endeavors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-roopleen/celebrating-your-achievements-and-applauding-your-triumphs-is-a-sure/) [Dr Roopleen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-roopleen/) > [“Everyone around me is applauding wildly, overjoyed by how quickly something can disappear. Am I the only one who wishes things could come back?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theo-lawrence/everyone-around-me-is-applauding-wildly-overjoyed-by-how-quickly/) [Theo Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theo-lawrence/) > [“I was applauding Mara for her extraordinarily appropriate use of the term 'batsh\*t crazy”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-hodkin/i-was-applauding-mara-for-her-extraordinarily-appropriate-use-of-the/) [Michelle Hodkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-hodkin/) > [The people are applauding you because none of them understands you and applauding me because everybody understands me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-chaplin/the-people-are-applauding-you-because-none-of-them-understands-you/) [Charlie Chaplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-chaplin/) > [“A fart is just your arse applauding.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-connolly/a-fart-is-just-your-arse-applauding/) [Billy Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-connolly/) ## 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... 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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 Dreams quotes > [“Cine a ucis stelele? Cine a surpat drumul spre viitor al celor din morminte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/cine-a-ucis-stelele-cine-a-surpat-drumul-spre-viitor-al-celor-din/) [Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/) > [“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/) > [“Now you’re wet. You’re so wet you’re leaking down your ass. You’re soaking my pillow. I don’t think I’m ever washing it. I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-stoker/now-you-re-wet-you-re-so-wet-you-re-leaking-down-your-ass-you-re/) [Susan Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-stoker/) > [“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/) > [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/) [Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [“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 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/) [Browse all 40,599 Dreams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Then they were all standing and applauding, yeah, they were giving him a fucking standing O, and in their faces he saw what every poet or would-be poet hopes to see when he or she finished reading: the faces of people suddenly awakened from a dream brighter than any reality.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen King" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/then-they-were-all-standing-and-applauding-yeah-they-were-giving-him/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dreams" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/then-they-were-all-standing-and-applauding-yeah-they-were-giving-him/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afd/stephen-king-13_dreams_then-they-were-all-standing-and-applaudi_1794078.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afd/stephen-king-13_dreams_then-they-were-all-standing-and-applaudi_1794078.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afd/stephen-king-13_dreams_then-they-were-all-standing-and-applaudi_1794078.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Then they were all standing and applauding, yeah, they were giving him a fucking standing O, and in their…” — 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": "“Then they were all standing and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/then-they-were-all-standing-and-applauding-yeah-they-were-giving-him/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/then-they-were-all-standing-and-applauding-yeah-they-were-giving-him/#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 } } ] } ```