--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: During our dreams we do not know we are…" description: "\"During our dreams we do not know we are dreaming. We may even dream of interpreting a dream. Only on waking do we know it was a dream. Only after the g..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db4/zhuangzi-1341_awakening_during-our-dreams-we-do-not-know-we-are_2918592.jpg" --- # During our dreams we do not know we are dreaming. We may… ![“During our dreams we do not know we are dreaming. We may even dream of interpreting a dream. Only on waking do we know it was a dream. Only after the great awakening will we realize that this is the great dream.” quote by Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db4/zhuangzi-1341_awakening_during-our-dreams-we-do-not-know-we-are_2918592.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db4/zhuangzi-1341_awakening_during-our-dreams-we-do-not-know-we-are_2918592.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db4/zhuangzi-1341_awakening_during-our-dreams-we-do-not-know-we-are_2918592.jpg) > “During our dreams we do not know we are dreaming. We may even dream of interpreting a dream. Only on waking do we know it was a dream. Only after the great awakening will we realize that this is the great dream.” [Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Dreams blur reality; awakening reveals life as a larger dream. **In simple terms:** Life is a dream we awaken from. Key Takeaway Seek deeper awareness. Themes philosophy dreams reality awakening Mood contemplative mysterious Type philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - meditation - creative writing - psychotherapy - spiritual retreats Key Concepts Daoism mindfulness existential inquiry Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate illusion from truth? - What practices help maintain clarity after awakening? A Different Perspective Awakening can be unsettling. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Awakening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awakening/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreaming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreaming/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) ## Related quotes > [The mantra of perfect day :going to bed with a dream & waking up with a purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/the-mantra-of-perfect-day-going-to-bed-with-a-dream-waking-up-with-a/) [DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/) > [He who dreams ... does not know he is dreaming... . Only when he awakens does he know he has dreamt. But there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/he-who-dreams-does-not-know-he-is-dreaming-only-when-he-awakens-does/) [Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) > [Hope is the dream of a waking man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/hope-is-the-dream-of-a-waking-man/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [The question was put to him, what hope is; and his answer was, "The dream of a waking man."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/the-question-was-put-to-him-what-hope-is-and-his-answer-was-the-dream/) [Diogenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/) > [“Dreamlike it was, and yet no dream, for there was no waking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/dreamlike-it-was-and-yet-no-dream-for-there-was-no-waking/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [We dream in our waking moments, and walk in our sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/we-dream-in-our-waking-moments-and-walk-in-our-sleep/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [The perfect day is going to bed with a dream and waking up with a purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-mclean/the-perfect-day-is-going-to-bed-with-a-dream-and-waking-up-with-a/) [A. J. McLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-mclean/) > [At last awake from life, that insane dream we take for waking now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/at-last-awake-from-life-that-insane-dream-we-take-for-waking-now/) [Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/) > [The whole world is a dream; even this (the waking state) is a dream ... What you dreamt last night does not exist now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarada-devi/the-whole-world-is-a-dream-even-this-the-waking-state-is-a-dream-what/) [Sarada Devi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarada-devi/) > [We men of study, whose heads are in our books, have need to be straightly looked after! We dream in our waking moments, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/we-men-of-study-whose-heads-are-in-our-books-have-need-to-be/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“This was no regular dream; this was a waking dream. Who was I? It had to have happened in my lifetime. I could feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-truly/this-was-no-regular-dream-this-was-a-waking-dream-who-was-i-it-had-to/) B. Truly > [Hope is the dream of the waking man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/hope-is-the-dream-of-the-waking-man/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Nothing like being in a dream, then waking up to a nightmare.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/nothing-like-being-in-a-dream-then-waking-up-to-a-nightmare/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) > [If I knew then what I know now, I would still be dreaming BIG today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-storey/if-i-knew-then-what-i-know-now-i-would-still-be-dreaming-big-today/) [Tim Storey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-storey/) > [The closer you get to the meaning. The sooner you'll know that you're dreaming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/black-sabbath/the-closer-you-get-to-the-meaning-the-sooner-you-ll-know-that-you-re/) [Black Sabbath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/black-sabbath/) ## More by Zhuangzi > [Sorrow and happiness are the heresies of virtue; joy and anger lead astray from TAO; love and hate cause loss of virtue. The heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/sorrow-and-happiness-are-the-heresies-of-virtue-joy-and-anger-lead/) [Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) > [The enlightened attention rejects nothing nor welcomes anything-like a mirror it responds equally to all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/the-enlightened-attention-rejects-nothing-nor-welcomes-anything-like/) [Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) > [If a man is crossing the river and an empty boat collides with his skiff, even though he is a bad tempered man he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/if-a-man-is-crossing-the-river-and-an-empty-boat-collides-with-his/) [Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) > [Calculate what man knows and it cannot compare to what he doesn't know. Calculate the time he is alive and it cannot compare to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/calculate-what-man-knows-and-it-cannot-compare-to-what-he-doesn-t/) [Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) > [Heaven cannot but be high. Earth cannot but be broad. The sun and moon cannot but revolve. All creation cannot but flourish. To do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/heaven-cannot-but-be-high-earth-cannot-but-be-broad-the-sun-and-moon/) [Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) > [If you wish to care for your body, first of all take care of material things, though even when you have all the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/if-you-wish-to-care-for-your-body-first-of-all-take-care-of-material/) [Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) > [As regards the quietude of the sage, he is not quiet because quietness is said to be good. He is quiet because the multitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/as-regards-the-quietude-of-the-sage-he-is-not-quiet-because-quietness/) [Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) > [All existing things are really one. We regard those that are beautiful and rare as valuable, and those that are ugly as foul and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/all-existing-things-are-really-one-we-regard-those-that-are-beautiful/) [Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) > [Now, when ordinary people attempt to find happiness, I am not sure whether the happiness is really happiness or not. I study what ordinary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/now-when-ordinary-people-attempt-to-find-happiness-i-am-not-sure/) [Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) > [Words exist because of meaning; once you’ve gotten the meaning, you can forget the words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/words-exist-because-of-meaning-once-you-ve-gotten-the-meaning-you-can/) [Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) > [Easy is right. Begin right and you are easy. Continue easy and you are right. The right way to go easy is to forget…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/easy-is-right-begin-right-and-you-are-easy-continue-easy-and-you-are/) [Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) > [Hence it demands the emptiness of all the faculties. And when the faculties are empty, then the whole being listens. There is then a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/hence-it-demands-the-emptiness-of-all-the-faculties-and-when-the/) [Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) > [Everything has what is innate,everything has what is necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/everything-has-what-is-innate-everything-has-what-is-necessary/) [Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) > [Where can I find a man who has forgotten words, so I can have a few words with him?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/where-can-i-find-a-man-who-has-forgotten-words-so-i-can-have-a-few/) [Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) > [Standards are different for all things, so the standard set by man is by no means the only 'certain' standard. If you mistake what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/standards-are-different-for-all-things-so-the-standard-set-by-man-is/) [Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) [Explore all 243 Zhuangzi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) ## More Awakening quotes > [It is natural that our minds replay old stories, because that is our own mechanism for trying to work out unresolved problems. Yet rerunning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-brach/it-is-natural-that-our-minds-replay-old-stories-because-that-is-our/) [Tara Brach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-brach/) > [Imitation is the first instinct of the awakening mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/imitation-is-the-first-instinct-of-the-awakening-mind/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [“It is not so much about fighting against the ego; it is more about harmonizing with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-sara/it-is-not-so-much-about-fighting-against-the-ego-it-is-more-about/) [Grace Sara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-sara/) > [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [“Low states are a like a poison to the psyche. Millions of people throughout the world take tranquillizers each day to combat depression, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/belsebuub/low-states-are-a-like-a-poison-to-the-psyche-millions-of-people/) [Belsebuub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/belsebuub/) > [The awakening of the soul to its bondage and its effort to stand up and assert itself - this is called life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-awakening-of-the-soul-to-its-bondage-and-its-effort-to-stand-up/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [My political awakening, if I can be as grand as to call it that, was all about what was happening around me. It wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/my-political-awakening-if-i-can-be-as-grand-as-to-call-it-that-was/) [Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/) > [How often have you sailed in my dreams. And now you come in my awakening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-often-have-you-sailed-in-my-dreams-and-now-you-come-in-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“CWC (Church Women Concerned) enabled us as women in that part of South Africa, to see ourselves as ordinary citizens who found themselves in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sindiwe-magona/cwc-church-women-concerned-enabled-us-as-women-in-that-part-of-south/) Sindiwe Magona > [I feel there is a great spiritual awakening on the planet right now. More than any previous time, people are drawn to meditation, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agapi-stassinopoulos/i-feel-there-is-a-great-spiritual-awakening-on-the-planet-right-now/) [Agapi Stassinopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agapi-stassinopoulos/) > [When I was 20 years old, I got cast in 'Spring Awakening' and got swept up in this experience where it was kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-groff/when-i-was-20-years-old-i-got-cast-in-spring-awakening-and-got-swept/) [Jonathan Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-groff/) > [Motivation is awakening own mind and Inspiration is arising spirit in others to find their own with their heart and soul in all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anuj/motivation-is-awakening-own-mind-and-inspiration-is-arising-spirit-in/) [Anuj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anuj/) > [“Everything we perceive to be solid and static is made up of almost entirely empty space.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-p-kauffman/everything-we-perceive-to-be-solid-and-static-is-made-up-of-almost/) [Joseph P. Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-p-kauffman/) > [Life is perhaps best regarded as a bad dream between two awakenings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/life-is-perhaps-best-regarded-as-a-bad-dream-between-two-awakenings/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) > [“The Illusion - The source of suffering can be linked back to a condition of the mind that creates the illusion of separation--the state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-blanchard/the-illusion-the-source-of-suffering-can-be-linked-back-to-a/) L.M.Blanchard [Browse all 1,440 Awakening quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awakening/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "During our dreams we do not know we are dreaming. We may even dream of interpreting a dream. Only on waking do we know it was a dream. 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