--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Pause now to ask yourself the following…" description: "\"Pause now to ask yourself the following question: 'Am I dreaming or awake, right now?' Be serious, really try to answer the question to the best of you..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6f/stephen-laberge-18559_ability_pause-now-to-ask-yourself-the-following_2944980.jpg" --- # Pause now to ask yourself the following question: 'Am I… ![“Pause now to ask yourself the following question: 'Am I dreaming or awake, right now?' Be serious, really try to answer the question to the best of your ability and be ready to justify your answer.” quote by Stephen LaBerge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6f/stephen-laberge-18559_ability_pause-now-to-ask-yourself-the-following_2944980.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6f/stephen-laberge-18559_ability_pause-now-to-ask-yourself-the-following_2944980.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6f/stephen-laberge-18559_ability_pause-now-to-ask-yourself-the-following_2944980.jpg) > “Pause now to ask yourself the following question: 'Am I dreaming or awake, right now?' Be serious, really try to answer the question to the best of your ability and be ready to justify your answer.” [Stephen LaBerge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-laberge/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Invites self‑inquiry into the nature of reality and consciousness. **In simple terms:** Question whether you are dreaming or awake. Key Takeaway Practice self‑reflection on consciousness. Themes mindfulness reality self‑inquiry Mood curious introspective Type spiritual psychological When to use this quote - meditation - dream analysis - daily awareness Key Concepts consciousness studies psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify waking? - What does dreaming reveal? A Different Perspective Distinguishing dream from reality can be elusive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Answers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answers/) [Ask yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ask-yourself/) [Asks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) [Awake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awake/) [Awake Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awake-right-4409048/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreaming Awake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreaming-awake-643825/) [Following](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/following/) [Justify](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justify/) [Lucid dreaming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lucid-dreaming/) [Motivational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivational/) [Pauses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pauses/) [Question](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/question/) [Question Dreaming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/question-dreaming-4409047/) [Ready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ready/) [Right now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-now/) [Serious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serious/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) ## Related quotes > [“I was only testing that you were awake and in your right mind. The sight of you taking a nap against the bookshelf doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/i-was-only-testing-that-you-were-awake-and-in-your-right-mind-the/) [Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/) > [The consciousness of lucid dreaming is a cultural evolution. It's something that we are talking about and learning about, not biological evolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-laberge/the-consciousness-of-lucid-dreaming-is-a-cultural-evolution-it-s/) [Stephen LaBerge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-laberge/) > [There is only one essential difference between consciousness and dreaming, and that is sensory input. Your experience is a dream, so is my experience.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-laberge/there-is-only-one-essential-difference-between-consciousness-and/) [Stephen LaBerge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-laberge/) > [Lucid dreaming has considerable potential for promoting personal growth and self-development, enhancing self-confidence, improving mental and physical health, facilitating creative problem solving and helping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-laberge/lucid-dreaming-has-considerable-potential-for-promoting-personal/) [Stephen LaBerge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-laberge/) > [Your experience is a dream; so is my experience. This stuff about how the frontal cortex is repressed during dreaming, lucid dreaming presents an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-laberge/your-experience-is-a-dream-so-is-my-experience-this-stuff-about-how/) [Stephen LaBerge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-laberge/) > [Lucid dreaming lets you make use of the dream state that comes to you every night to have a stimulating reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-laberge/lucid-dreaming-lets-you-make-use-of-the-dream-state-that-comes-to-you/) [Stephen LaBerge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-laberge/) > [“Dreaming awake is sometimes a dangerous thing. In trying to get to heaven you may end up in the hell. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevan-v-nikolic/dreaming-awake-is-sometimes-a-dangerous-thing-in-trying-to-get-to/) [Stevan V. Nikolic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevan-v-nikolic/) > [“Dreaming or awake, we perceive only events that have meaning to us - Jane Roberts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleatha-romig/dreaming-or-awake-we-perceive-only-events-that-have-meaning-to-us-2/) [Aleatha Romig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleatha-romig/) > [Never stop dreaming even if your awake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teady/never-stop-dreaming-even-if-your-awake/) [$Teady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teady/) > [There hadn’t been one specific moment. It was like gradualy waking up. You go from being asleep to the space between dreaming and awake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-han/there-hadn-t-been-one-specific-moment-it-was-like-gradualy-waking-up/) [Jenny Han](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-han/) > [Dreaming or awake, we perceive only events that have meaning to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-roberts/dreaming-or-awake-we-perceive-only-events-that-have-meaning-to-us/) [Jane Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-roberts/) > [“It was impossible to tell when they actually fell asleep because they started dreaming when they were still awake.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cole/it-was-impossible-to-tell-when-they-actually-fell-asleep-because-they/) [Chris Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cole/) > [What's poetry? It's not real but maybe it's more than real. It's dreaming while you're awake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caryl-churchill/what-s-poetry-it-s-not-real-but-maybe-it-s-more-than-real-it-s/) [Caryl Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caryl-churchill/) > [“When did you know you were in love?" I didn't have an answer to that question. There hadn't been one specific moment. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-han/when-did-you-know-you-were-in-love-i-didn-t-have-an-answer-to-that/) [Jenny Han](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-han/) > [Many nights he lay there dreaming awake of secret cafés in Mont Marte, where ivory women delved in romantic mysteries with diplomats and soldiers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/many-nights-he-lay-there-dreaming-awake-of-secret-caf-s-in-mont-marte/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) ## More by Stephen LaBerge > [In most of our dreams, our inner eye of reflection is shut and we sleep within our sleep. The exception takes place when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-laberge/in-most-of-our-dreams-our-inner-eye-of-reflection-is-shut-and-we/) [Stephen LaBerge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-laberge/) > [Dreams are a reservoir of knowledge and experience yet they are often overlooked as a vehicle for exploring reality. In the dream state our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-laberge/dreams-are-a-reservoir-of-knowledge-and-experience-yet-they-are-often/) [Stephen LaBerge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-laberge/) > [From early childhood, I was interested in understanding how the world worked, and assumed I would be some kind of physical scientist or chemist.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-laberge/from-early-childhood-i-was-interested-in-understanding-how-the-world/) [Stephen LaBerge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-laberge/) > [Dreams look real, but they're in your mind, so you realize that the physical world is also a construction, which shows that the mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-laberge/dreams-look-real-but-they-re-in-your-mind-so-you-realize-that-the/) [Stephen LaBerge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-laberge/) > [Be true to yourself and you will never fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-laberge/be-true-to-yourself-and-you-will-never-fail/) [Stephen LaBerge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-laberge/) > [Obviously a major malfunction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-laberge/obviously-a-major-malfunction/) [Stephen LaBerge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-laberge/) > [You just don't get funding to go out and find God. Even if you did, you'd have to first define what you mean by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-laberge/you-just-don-t-get-funding-to-go-out-and-find-god-even-if-you-did-you/) [Stephen LaBerge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-laberge/) > [Some people have vivid imagination, some not so vivid, but everybody has vivid dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-laberge/some-people-have-vivid-imagination-some-not-so-vivid-but-everybody/) [Stephen LaBerge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-laberge/) > [Not all lucid dreams are useful but they all have a sense of wonder about them. If you must sleep through a third of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-laberge/not-all-lucid-dreams-are-useful-but-they-all-have-a-sense-of-wonder/) [Stephen LaBerge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-laberge/) > [If you dream you do something, it's as if you actually are doing it from your brain's point of view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-laberge/if-you-dream-you-do-something-it-s-as-if-you-actually-are-doing-it/) [Stephen LaBerge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-laberge/) > [We don't teach our children how to dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-laberge/we-don-t-teach-our-children-how-to-dream/) [Stephen LaBerge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-laberge/) > [Dreams and waking life are both the same kinds of things. The difference is that dreaming is perceiving free of external constraints, whereas perceiving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-laberge/dreams-and-waking-life-are-both-the-same-kinds-of-things-the/) [Stephen LaBerge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-laberge/) > [Your experience is a dream; so is my experience. This stuff about how the frontal cortex is repressed during dreaming, lucid dreaming presents an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-laberge/your-experience-is-a-dream-so-is-my-experience-this-stuff-about-how/) [Stephen LaBerge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-laberge/) > [I have never been awake before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-laberge/i-have-never-been-awake-before/) [Stephen LaBerge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-laberge/) > [In the dream state, the only essential difference from waking is the relative absence of sensory input, which makes dreaming a special case of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-laberge/in-the-dream-state-the-only-essential-difference-from-waking-is-the/) [Stephen LaBerge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-laberge/) [Explore all 34 Stephen LaBerge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-laberge/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/) [Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/) [Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Pause now to ask yourself the following question: 'Am I dreaming or awake, right now?' Be serious, really try to answer the question to the best of your ability and be ready to justify your answer.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen LaBerge" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-laberge/pause-now-to-ask-yourself-the-following-question-am-i-dreaming-or/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ability" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-laberge/pause-now-to-ask-yourself-the-following-question-am-i-dreaming-or/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6f/stephen-laberge-18559_ability_pause-now-to-ask-yourself-the-following_2944980.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6f/stephen-laberge-18559_ability_pause-now-to-ask-yourself-the-following_2944980.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6f/stephen-laberge-18559_ability_pause-now-to-ask-yourself-the-following_2944980.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Pause now to ask yourself the following question: 'Am I dreaming or awake, right now?' Be serious, really…” — Stephen LaBerge", "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 LaBerge", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-laberge/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Pause now to ask yourself the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-laberge/pause-now-to-ask-yourself-the-following-question-am-i-dreaming-or/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-laberge/pause-now-to-ask-yourself-the-following-question-am-i-dreaming-or/#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 } } ] } ```