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Whenever in my dreams, I see the dead, they always appear silent, bothered, strangely depressed, quite unlike their dear bright selves. I am aware of them, without any astonishment, in surroundings they never visited during their earthly existence, in the house of some friend of mine they never knew. They sit apart, frowning at the floor, as if death were a dark taint, a shameful family secret. It is certainly not then - not in dreams - but when one is wide awake, at moments of robust joy and achievement, on the highest terrace of consciousness, that mortality has a chance to peer beyond its own limits, from the mast, from the past and its castle-tower. And although nothing much can be seen through the mist, there is somehow the blissful feeling that one is looking in the right direction.

Vladimir Nabokov#11

ConsciousnessDeathDreamsLifeMemory

About this quote

What does it mean?
In dreams, the deceased appear troubled and silent, contrasting with their vibrant lives. True awareness of mortality comes during moments of joy and high consciousness.
In plain terms
Dead people look sad in dreams, but we understand life best when we are happy and awake.
What can you take from it?
Joy and awareness reveal life's meaning more than dreams of loss.

Where it applies

  • mourning
  • reflection
  • creative work

Putting it to work

  • journaling
  • meditation
  • artistic expression

Questions to consider

  • How do you perceive loved ones in sleep?
  • When do you feel most alive?

Another view

Dreams vary widely and may not universally reflect this specific mood.

More from Vladimir Nabokov

  1. Her intense and pure religiousness took the form of her having equal faith in the existence of another world and in the impossibility of comprehending it in te…

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  2. Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on…

    Permalink to quote #12
  3. The cradle rocks above an abyss, and common sense tells us that our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities of darkness. Although the tw…

    Permalink to quote #9

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