You are not wrong, who deem That my days have been a dream; Yet if hope has flown away In a night, or in a day, In a vision, or in none, Is it therefore the less gone? All that we see or seem Is but a dream within a dream.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Poe suggests that reality itself may be illusory, like a dream within a dream, questioning the certainty of existence.
- In plain terms
- Nothing we experience is truly solid; it might all be an illusion.
- What can you take from it?
- Question the reality of your surroundings.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What proves you are awake?
- Is life just a dream?
Another view
It offers no concrete way to distinguish dream from reality.
More from Edgar Allan Poe
'Over the Mountains Of the Moon, Down the Valley of the Shadow, Ride, boldly ride,' The shade replied, - 'If you seek for Eldorado!'
Permalink to quote #40 O God! Can I not save One from the pitiless wave? Is all that we see or seem But a dream within a dream?
Permalink to quote #42 Gaily bedight, A gallant knight, In sunshine and in shadow, Had journeyed long, Singing a song, In search of Eldorado.
Permalink to quote #39
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