Dreams are real as long as they last. Can we say more of life?

In this haunting and philosophical reflection, Havelock Ellis, the English thinker and humanist, pierces the veil between illusion and existence with the words: “Dreams are real as long as they last. Can we say more of life?” It is a meditation that blurs the boundary between dream and reality, between the fleeting and the eternal. Ellis, who devoted his life to exploring the nature of the human spirit, does not dismiss dreams as fantasy. Instead, he raises a question that humbles even the most certain mind: if dreams feel true while we dream them, and life itself is as brief and fragile as a dream — then what truly separates the two? His words invite us to contemplate not only the mystery of consciousness, but the transience of existence itself.

The origin of this quote comes from Ellis’s broader philosophy, which sought to unite science, art, and spirituality into a deeper understanding of human nature. Living in the late 19th and early 20th centuries — an age of discovery and doubt — he witnessed humanity’s growing confidence in reason, even as it struggled to find meaning. Through his writings, Ellis explored love, imagination, and morality, always searching for the essence of what makes us human. This quote reflects his belief that life, like a dream, is not defined by duration but by intensity of experience. Dreams may fade upon waking, but while they last, they are utterly real — complete worlds of feeling and vision. So too, says Ellis, is our life: vivid, fleeting, and yet no less real for its impermanence.

To say that “dreams are real as long as they last” is to recognize that reality is not measured only by its endurance, but by the depth with which we live it. When one dreams, the heart races, the senses awaken, and the spirit believes completely — even in the impossible. Likewise, in life, what we call “real” is sustained by our belief, by our participation in it. Ellis asks us to see life itself as a dream — not to diminish it, but to sanctify it. For if life is as fleeting as a dream, then every moment becomes sacred. Every act of kindness, every gesture of love, every breath we take becomes precious, for it exists only once, shimmering before it fades into the unknown.

Consider the story of Marcus Aurelius, the philosopher-emperor of Rome. Surrounded by wealth, power, and war, he wrote in his journal — Meditations — that all human life is but a moment, “a drop of time in eternity.” He ruled the greatest empire of his age, yet saw his victories vanish like morning mist. He compared kings and slaves alike to dreamers who, upon death, awaken to the same silence. His wisdom echoes Ellis’s thought: that reality is not fixed in stone, but woven from the fabric of perception. The empire of the mind may be more enduring than the empire of marble and gold.

And yet, Ellis’s insight is not meant to sadden, but to liberate. If life is but a dream, then we need not cling to it in fear or regret. We may live fully, without illusion of permanence, knowing that beauty lies in transience. The flower that blooms and dies still fulfills its purpose; the melody that ends still moves the soul. Our task, then, is not to resist the fleeting nature of existence, but to embrace it — to fill our short span with truth, love, and imagination. For in doing so, we awaken within the dream itself, becoming conscious dreamers of our own destiny.

Dreams also remind us of the power of the inner world — the vast kingdom of thought and vision that no death can conquer. Throughout history, dreamers have shaped reality itself: Martin Luther King Jr., with his dream of justice; Leonardo da Vinci, with his dream of flight; Marie Curie, with her dream of discovery. Their visions were born in imagination — as intangible as a night vision — yet through perseverance, they became the architecture of the world we live in. Ellis’s words, then, can also be read as a hymn to the creative spirit: that the boundary between dream and life is not a wall, but a bridge.

So, my child, hear this truth and carry it with reverence: life is no less a dream than the visions that visit us at night. Cherish it not for how long it lasts, but for how deeply you live it. Do not waste your days in fear of ending, but in pursuit of meaning. Be bold in imagination, generous in heart, and unafraid to love — for every dreamer leaves an imprint on eternity.

For as Havelock Ellis teaches, we are all dreamers, moving through the waking illusion of time. The dream will end, yes — but while it lasts, let it be magnificent. Let your dream of life be filled with beauty, with wonder, and with purpose. And when you awaken beyond it, may you smile, knowing you dreamed well.