--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Only in their dreams can men be truly…" description: "\"“Only in their dreams can men be truly free. 'Twas always thus, and always thus will be.”\" — Tom Schulman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acd/tom-schulman-34584_dream_only-in-their-dreams-can-men-be-truly-fr_2701546.png" --- # Only in their dreams can men be truly free. 'Twas always… ![“Only in their dreams can men be truly free. 'Twas always thus, and always thus will be.” quote by Tom Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acd/tom-schulman-34584_dream_only-in-their-dreams-can-men-be-truly-fr_2701546.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acd/tom-schulman-34584_dream_only-in-their-dreams-can-men-be-truly-fr_2701546.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acd/tom-schulman-34584_dream_only-in-their-dreams-can-men-be-truly-fr_2701546.png) > ““Only in their dreams can men be truly free. 'Twas always thus, and always thus will be.”” [Tom Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-schulman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Only in dreams can men achieve true freedom; reality remains constrained by societal norms. **In simple terms:** Dreams offer freedom unattainable in waking life. Key Takeaway Cultivate imagination for personal liberty. Themes freedom dreams reality Mood contemplative philosophical Type existential inspirational When to use this quote - creative writing - therapy sessions - philosophical debates Key Concepts existentialism psychology societal constraints Questions to Reflect On - What freedoms do you seek? - How can imagination influence reality? A Different Perspective Dreams may be escapist. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) ## Related quotes > [But only in their dreams can men be truly free. It was always thus and always thus will be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/but-only-in-their-dreams-can-men-be-truly-free-it-was-always-thus-and/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [“But only in their dreams can men be truly free. 'Twas always, and always thus will be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-only-in-their-dreams-can-men-be-truly-free-twas-always-and-always/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Freedom cannot be labeled nor won nor envied. Only when one doesn't realize what freedom is, is one truly free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-j-niko/freedom-cannot-be-labeled-nor-won-nor-envied-only-when-one-doesn-t/) D.J. Niko > [“Every time that the wind blows it bears with it more of the dreams of men than of the clouds of heaven.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/every-time-that-the-wind-blows-it-bears-with-it-more-of-the-dreams-of/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Dream the dreams of other men, you'll be no ones rival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-vedder/dream-the-dreams-of-other-men-you-ll-be-no-ones-rival/) [Eddie Vedder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-vedder/) > [“The men were thorough sportsmen, loving horse-racing, foot-racing, and gambling. They were graceful winners, and good losers in games of chance. And they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-bird-linderman/the-men-were-thorough-sportsmen-loving-horse-racing-foot-racing-and/) [Frank Bird Linderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-bird-linderman/) > [“Don't dream the small dreams of other men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/don-t-dream-the-small-dreams-of-other-men/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [All those large dreams by which men long live well Are magic-lanterned on the smoke of hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-empson/all-those-large-dreams-by-which-men-long-live-well-are-magic/) [William Empson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-empson/) > [It is said that men may not be the dreams of the god, but rather that the gods are the dreams of men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-said-that-men-may-not-be-the-dreams-of-the-god-but-rather-that/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [The Golden Age is the most implausible of all dreams. But for it men have given up their life and strength; for the sake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/the-golden-age-is-the-most-implausible-of-all-dreams-but-for-it-men/) [Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/) > [The dreams of men, the seed of commonwealth, the germs of empires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-dreams-of-men-the-seed-of-commonwealth-the-germs-of-empires/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [Except the Christ be born again tonight In dreams of all men, saints and sons of shame, The world will never see his kingdom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vachel-lindsay/except-the-christ-be-born-again-tonight-in-dreams-of-all-men-saints/) [Vachel Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vachel-lindsay/) > [“Few men truly like seeing beauty burn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/few-men-truly-like-seeing-beauty-burn/) [Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/) > [In tragedy great men are more truly great than in history. We see them only in the crises which unfold them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/in-tragedy-great-men-are-more-truly-great-than-in-history-we-see-them/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [It is remarkable that soldiers by profession, men truly and unquestionably brave, seldom advise war but in cases of extreme necessity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/it-is-remarkable-that-soldiers-by-profession-men-truly-and/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) ## More by Tom Schulman > [“I close my eyes, and this image floats beside me. A sweaty toothed mad man with a stare that pounds my brain. His hands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-schulman/i-close-my-eyes-and-this-image-floats-beside-me-a-sweaty-toothed-mad/) [Tom Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-schulman/) > [“I brought them up here to illustrate the point of conformity: the difficulty in maintaining your own beliefs in the face of others. Now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-schulman/i-brought-them-up-here-to-illustrate-the-point-of-conformity-the/) [Tom Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-schulman/) > [I want to know my whole story works before I start working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-schulman/i-want-to-know-my-whole-story-works-before-i-start-working/) [Tom Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-schulman/) > [“Believe it or not each and every one of us in this room is one day going to stop breathing, turn cold, and die”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-schulman/believe-it-or-not-each-and-every-one-of-us-in-this-room-is-one-day/) [Tom Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-schulman/) > [Make your lives extraordinary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-schulman/make-your-lives-extraordinary/) [Tom Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-schulman/) > [“TODD: Well, listen, Neil. I-I appreciate this concern, but I-I'm not like you.All right? You, you, you say things and people listen. I'm, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-schulman/todd-well-listen-neil-i-i-appreciate-this-concern-but-i-i-m-not-like/) [Tom Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-schulman/) > [When you read, don't just consider what the author thinks, consider what you think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-schulman/when-you-read-don-t-just-consider-what-the-author-thinks-consider/) [Tom Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-schulman/) > [Truth like a blanket that always leaves your feet cold screenwriter of Dead Poets' Society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-schulman/truth-like-a-blanket-that-always-leaves-your-feet-cold-screenwriter/) [Tom Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-schulman/) > [Law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-schulman/law-business-engineering-these-are-noble-pursuits-and-necessary-to/) [Tom Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-schulman/) > [“So avoid using the word ‘very’ because it’s lazy. A man is not very tired, he is exhausted. Don’t use very sad, use morose.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-schulman/so-avoid-using-the-word-very-because-it-s-lazy-a-man-is-not-very-2/) [Tom Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-schulman/) > [Mr. Anderson thinks that everything inside of him is worthless and embarrassing. Isn't that right, Todd? And that's your worse fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-schulman/mr-anderson-thinks-that-everything-inside-of-him-is-worthless-and/) [Tom Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-schulman/) > [“We don't read and write poetry because it is cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-schulman/we-don-t-read-and-write-poetry-because-it-is-cute-we-read-and-write/) [Tom Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-schulman/) > [Let me dispel a few rumors so they don't fester into facts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-schulman/let-me-dispel-a-few-rumors-so-they-don-t-fester-into-facts/) [Tom Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-schulman/) [Explore all 14 Tom Schulman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-schulman/) ## 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": "“Only in their dreams can men be truly free. 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