---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What you call life is but a dream, and…"
description: "\"What you call life is but a dream, and reality is relative.\" — Wayne Gerard Trotman"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79e/wayne-gerard-trotman-3291_dream_what-you-call-life-is-but-a-dream-and-re_2897419.png"
---

#  What you call life is but a dream, and reality is relative.

![“What you call life is but a dream, and reality is relative.” quote by Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79e/wayne-gerard-trotman-3291_dream_what-you-call-life-is-but-a-dream-and-re_2897419.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79e/wayne-gerard-trotman-3291_dream_what-you-call-life-is-but-a-dream-and-re_2897419.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79e/wayne-gerard-trotman-3291_dream_what-you-call-life-is-but-a-dream-and-re_2897419.png)

> “What you call life is but a dream, and reality is relative.”

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

## About This Quote

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

Life may be a dream and reality is subjective, suggesting fluidity between perception and existence.

**In simple terms:** Life is a dream; reality is relative.

Key Takeaway

Question assumptions about reality.

Themes

philosophy perception reality subjectivity

Mood

thoughtful enigmatic

Type

philosophical poetic

When to use this quote

- meditation
- creative work
- spiritual practice

Key Concepts

existential thought mindfulness

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you define reality?
- What grounds you in the present?

A Different Perspective

Relativism can lead to nihilism.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dream reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream-reality/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Dreams and reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams-and-reality/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-dream/) [Life is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Reality Relative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality-relative-1728307/) [Relative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relative/)

## Related quotes

> [If you can dream it, you can make it so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/belva-davis/if-you-can-dream-it-you-can-make-it-so/)

[Belva Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/belva-davis/)

> [If you can dream it, you can do it. Your limits are all within yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/if-you-can-dream-it-you-can-do-it-your-limits-are-all-within-yourself/)

[Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/)

> [The meaning of life is rather simple. Reality is relative. Life, the universe, and everything is all in relation. Life is relation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adkruk/the-meaning-of-life-is-rather-simple-reality-is-relative-life-the/)

[ADkruk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adkruk/)

> [“...she is living on the outskirts of a precious world that is slipping away. On the other side of this window, events take their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-dickner/she-is-living-on-the-outskirts-of-a-precious-world-that-is-slipping/)

[Nicholas Dickner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-dickner/)

> [“A daily dosage of positive energy so corrosive that it wears out every negative doubt as the gap between the dream &amp; reality closes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-tyrone-jones/a-daily-dosage-of-positive-energy-so-corrosive-that-it-wears-out/)

[Curtis Tyrone Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-tyrone-jones/)

> [The dreamers of the day are dangerous... for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-e-lawrence/the-dreamers-of-the-day-are-dangerous-for-they-may-act-their-dream/)

[T. E. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-e-lawrence/)

> [What is wonderful about my art is that dream and reality can become one. There is just one step between the two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yves-saint-laurent/what-is-wonderful-about-my-art-is-that-dream-and-reality-can-become/)

[Yves Saint Laurent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yves-saint-laurent/)

> [I believe in the future resolution of these two states, dream and reality, which are seemingly so contradictory, into a kind of absolute reality,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andr-breton/i-believe-in-the-future-resolution-of-these-two-states-dream-and/)

[Andre Breton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andr-breton/)

> [The secret to #success lies in the gap between dream and reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-michaels/the-secret-to-success-lies-in-the-gap-between-dream-and-reality/)

[Bret Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-michaels/)

> [The point of life is to find the delicate equilibrium between dream and reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-smith/the-point-of-life-is-to-find-the-delicate-equilibrium-between-dream/)

[Lillian Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-smith/)

> [Rhythm is one of the principal translators between dream and reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-sitwell/rhythm-is-one-of-the-principal-translators-between-dream-and-reality-2/)

[Edith Sitwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-sitwell/)

> [Marriage is a strange combination of dream and reality, and we spend our lives as couples trying to negotiate that divide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/marriage-is-a-strange-combination-of-dream-and-reality-and-we-spend/)

[Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/)

> [A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes a lot of hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ozwald-boateng/a-dream-doesn-t-become-reality-through-magic-it-takes-a-lot-of-hard/)

[Ozwald Boateng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ozwald-boateng/)

> [Too much credit is given to the end result. The true lesson is in the struggle that takes place between the dream and reality.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-brooks/too-much-credit-is-given-to-the-end-result-the-true-lesson-is-in-the/)

[Garth Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-brooks/)

> [If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-one-advances-confidently-in-the-direction-of-his-dreams-and-3/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

## More by Wayne Gerard Trotman

> [“And the blind man said to the deaf man, "Do you see what I hear?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/and-the-blind-man-said-to-the-deaf-man-do-you-see-what-i-hear/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

> [“Opportunity knocks but some people are too busy watching TV.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/opportunity-knocks-but-some-people-are-too-busy-watching-tv/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

> [“Fashion is one of the greatest forms of manipulation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/fashion-is-one-of-the-greatest-forms-of-manipulation/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

> [“When you repay evil with evil, you become evil.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/when-you-repay-evil-with-evil-you-become-evil/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

> [“So many things seem impossible until you try.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/so-many-things-seem-impossible-until-you-try/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

> [Today, I attended a friend's birthday party dressed as a ninja. I soon discovered that ninjas are very misunderstood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/today-i-attended-a-friend-s-birthday-party-dressed-as-a-ninja-i-soon/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

> [“To try is to accept the possibility of failure. Simply do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/to-try-is-to-accept-the-possibility-of-failure-simply-do/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

> [“Always dress well, you’ll feel great and get better treatment from strangers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/always-dress-well-you-ll-feel-great-and-get-better-treatment-from/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

> [Armon stared into the wild darkness of his opponent and saw a reflection of his own fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/armon-stared-into-the-wild-darkness-of-his-opponent-and-saw-a/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

> [Change. Adapt. Bend so as not to be broken. Let opportunity guide your actions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/change-adapt-bend-so-as-not-to-be-broken-let-opportunity-guide-your/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

> [“One of the most devastating symptoms of pride is the unwillingness to forgive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/one-of-the-most-devastating-symptoms-of-pride-is-the-unwillingness-to/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

> [“Laughter is much better than anger.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/laughter-is-much-better-than-anger/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

> [“Perfect understanding of the infinite requires limitless intellectual capacity; our undivided attention is better suited for humbler aspirations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/perfect-understanding-of-the-infinite-requires-limitless-intellectual/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

> [“We should respect those able to choose love after enduring a lifetime of hate. It is the least we could do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/we-should-respect-those-able-to-choose-love-after-enduring-a-lifetime/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

> [“May the scribes record it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/may-the-scribes-record-it/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

[Explore all 134 Wayne Gerard Trotman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

## 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": "What you call life is but a dream, and reality is relative.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Wayne Gerard Trotman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/what-you-call-life-is-but-a-dream-and-reality-is-relative/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dream"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/what-you-call-life-is-but-a-dream-and-reality-is-relative/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79e/wayne-gerard-trotman-3291_dream_what-you-call-life-is-but-a-dream-and-re_2897419.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79e/wayne-gerard-trotman-3291_dream_what-you-call-life-is-but-a-dream-and-re_2897419.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79e/wayne-gerard-trotman-3291_dream_what-you-call-life-is-but-a-dream-and-re_2897419.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What you call life is but a dream, and reality is relative.” — Wayne Gerard Trotman",
                "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": "Wayne Gerard Trotman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "What you call life is but...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/what-you-call-life-is-but-a-dream-and-reality-is-relative/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/what-you-call-life-is-but-a-dream-and-reality-is-relative/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
