--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Just like a man grieving because he has…" description: "\"Just like a man grieving because he has recently lost in his dreams some thing that he had never had in reality, or hoping that tomorrow he would dream..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf9/vladimir-nabokov-198_dream_just-like-a-man-grieving-because-he-has_1892400.jpg" --- # Just like a man grieving because he has recently lost in… ![“Just like a man grieving because he has recently lost in his dreams some thing that he had never had in reality, or hoping that tomorrow he would dream that he found it again. That is how mathematics is created; it has its fatal flaw.” quote by Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf9/vladimir-nabokov-198_dream_just-like-a-man-grieving-because-he-has_1892400.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf9/vladimir-nabokov-198_dream_just-like-a-man-grieving-because-he-has_1892400.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf9/vladimir-nabokov-198_dream_just-like-a-man-grieving-because-he-has_1892400.jpg) > “Just like a man grieving because he has recently lost in his dreams some thing that he had never had in reality, or hoping that tomorrow he would dream that he found it again. That is how mathematics is created; it has its fatal flaw.” [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Mathematics often arises from longing for unattainable ideas, but that yearning also reveals its inherent limits. **In simple terms:** Math is born from dreaming the impossible, yet that makes it flawed. Key Takeaway Embrace the mystery, but stay aware of its boundaries. Themes creativity mathematics longing Mood reflective inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - research - artistic inspiration - problem solving - theoretical development Key Concepts philosophy epistemology imagination Questions to Reflect On - What unattainable idea drives your work? - How do you balance imagination with practicality? A Different Perspective The dream‑based origin can lead to unrealistic expectations in application. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Fatal flaws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fatal-flaws/) [Flaws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flaws/) [Grieving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grieving/) [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tomorrow/) ## Related quotes > [Anaxagoras said to a man who was grieving because he was dying in a foreign land, "The descent to Hades is the same from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes-laertius/anaxagoras-said-to-a-man-who-was-grieving-because-he-was-dying-in-a/) [Diogenes Laertius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes-laertius/) > [Yet again, the family of a young black man is grieving a life cut short. Yet again, the streets of an American city are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/yet-again-the-family-of-a-young-black-man-is-grieving-a-life-cut/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Does such a thing as "the fatal flaw," that showy dark crack running down the middle of a life, exist outside literature?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/does-such-a-thing-as-the-fatal-flaw-that-showy-dark-crack-running/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [One area of law more than any other besmirches the constitutional vision of human dignity. . . . The barbaric death penalty violates our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-brennan/one-area-of-law-more-than-any-other-besmirches-the-constitutional/) [William J. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-brennan/) > [I am not good at noticing when I'm happy, except in retrospect. My gift, or fatal flaw, is for nostalgia. I have sometimes been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tana-french/i-am-not-good-at-noticing-when-i-m-happy-except-in-retrospect-my-gift/) [Tana French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tana-french/) > [Our contemporary brand of socialism has one fatal flaw. It's too expensive. When you try to shower benefits on so many recipients, you eventually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/our-contemporary-brand-of-socialism-has-one-fatal-flaw-it-s-too/) [James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/) > [Annabeth:My fatal flaw. That's what the Sirens showed me. My fatal flaw is hubris. Percy: the brown stuff they spread on veggie sandwiches? Annabeth:No,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/annabeth-my-fatal-flaw-that-s-what-the-sirens-showed-me-my-fatal-flaw/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Besides the obvious difference, there was not much distinction between losing a best friend and losing a lover: it was all about intimacy. One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/besides-the-obvious-difference-there-was-not-much-distinction-between/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [The fatal flaw of most utopian visions is that they're fundamentally static, and that's not a comfortable place for humans to live. Fourier was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-jennings/the-fatal-flaw-of-most-utopian-visions-is-that-they-re-fundamentally/) [Christine Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-jennings/) > [That is the key to history. Terrific energy is expended - civilizations are built up - excellent institutions devised; but each time something goes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/that-is-the-key-to-history-terrific-energy-is-expended-civilizations/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Liberalism's fatal flaw,... is that it has no permanent norms, only a succession of enthusiasms espoused by minor prophets. Each of these seems like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/liberalism-s-fatal-flaw-is-that-it-has-no-permanent-norms-only-a/) [Joseph Sobran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/) > [During the past fifty years, more mathematics has been created than in all previous ages put together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-stewart/during-the-past-fifty-years-more-mathematics-has-been-created-than-in/) [Ian Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-stewart/) > [“There is, as we shall see, a real and precise difference between the number zero and the concept of a set that posesses no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-barrow/there-is-as-we-shall-see-a-real-and-precise-difference-between-the/) [John D. Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-barrow/) > [We know that nature is described by the best of all possible mathematics because God created it. So there is a chance that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-markovich-polyakov/we-know-that-nature-is-described-by-the-best-of-all-possible-2/) Alexander Markovich Polyakov > [Americans respect talent only insofar as it leads to fame, and we reserve our most fervent admiration for famous people who destroy their lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-king/americans-respect-talent-only-insofar-as-it-leads-to-fame-and-we/) [Florence King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-king/) ## More by Vladimir Nabokov > [And the rest is rust and stardust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/and-the-rest-is-rust-and-stardust/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [There is no science without fancy and no art without fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/there-is-no-science-without-fancy-and-no-art-without-fact/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [“My solemn exasperation was to her the silence of love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/my-solemn-exasperation-was-to-her-the-silence-of-love/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [ “...under no circumstances would he \[Humbert Humbert\] have interfered with the innocence of a child, if there was the least risk of a row.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/under-no-circumstances-would-he-humbert-humbert-have-interfered-with/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [The cradle rocks above an abyss, and common sense tells us that our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/the-cradle-rocks-above-an-abyss-and-common-sense-tells-us-that-our/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [“Ami azt illeti, Vannak kezdtek nagyon tetszeni a fák is, a csodák is meg az Adák is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/ami-azt-illeti-vannak-kezdtek-nagyon-tetszeni-a-f-k-is-a-csod-k-is/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [We live not only in a world of thoughts, but also in a world of things. Words without experience are meaningless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/we-live-not-only-in-a-world-of-thoughts-but-also-in-a-world-of-things/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [“As palavras sem a experiência não teriam qualquer significado.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/as-palavras-sem-a-experi-ncia-n-o-teriam-qualquer-significado/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [“It isn’t possible. I cannot imagine it. Come on over here, you foolish little doe, and tell me on what day I shall die.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/it-isn-t-possible-i-cannot-imagine-it-come-on-over-here-you-foolish/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [“Precautions to be taken in the case Of freak reincarnation: what to do On suddenly discovering that you Are now a young and vulnerable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/precautions-to-be-taken-in-the-case-of-freak-reincarnation-what-to-do/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [And this is the only immortality you and i may share, my Lolita.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/and-this-is-the-only-immortality-you-and-i-may-share-my-lolita/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [“Be true to your Dick.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/be-true-to-your-dick/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [“It is indeed a tricky name. It is often misspelt, because the eye tends to regard the "a" of the first syllable as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/it-is-indeed-a-tricky-name-it-is-often-misspelt-because-the-eye-tends/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [“(T)here exist friendships which develop their own inner duration, their own eons of transparent time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/t-here-exist-friendships-which-develop-their-own-inner-duration-their/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [“She was all rose and honey.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/she-was-all-rose-and-honey/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) [Explore all 883 Vladimir Nabokov quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) ## 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": "Just like a man grieving because he has recently lost in his dreams some thing that he had never had in reality, or hoping that tomorrow he would dream that he found it again. That is how mathematics is created; it has its fatal flaw.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Vladimir Nabokov" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/just-like-a-man-grieving-because-he-has-recently-lost-in-his-dreams/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dream" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/just-like-a-man-grieving-because-he-has-recently-lost-in-his-dreams/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf9/vladimir-nabokov-198_dream_just-like-a-man-grieving-because-he-has_1892400.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf9/vladimir-nabokov-198_dream_just-like-a-man-grieving-because-he-has_1892400.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf9/vladimir-nabokov-198_dream_just-like-a-man-grieving-because-he-has_1892400.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Just like a man grieving because he has recently lost in his dreams some thing that he had never had in…” — Vladimir Nabokov", "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": "Vladimir Nabokov", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Just like a man grieving because...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/just-like-a-man-grieving-because-he-has-recently-lost-in-his-dreams/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/just-like-a-man-grieving-because-he-has-recently-lost-in-his-dreams/#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 } } ] } ```