I don't think the dreams die - I think that people give up. I

“I don't think the dreams die — I think that people give up. I think it gets too hard.” — Tyler Perry

In these words, Tyler Perry, the creator, actor, and visionary whose art was forged in struggle, speaks of one of the most enduring truths of the human spirit — that dreams do not perish on their own. They are eternal seeds planted in the soil of the soul, meant to grow and bear fruit. What dies is not the dream, but the will to endure when the path becomes steep, when storms beat upon the heart, when faith is tested beyond comfort. Perry reminds us that dreams are immortal, but human patience is fragile. The dream waits faithfully; it is we who often turn away, weary and afraid.

The origin of this quote lies in the very story of Tyler Perry’s life — a modern-day parable of persistence. Born into poverty, scarred by abuse, and for years rejected by the world he sought to inspire, Perry once found himself sleeping in his car, his plays unproduced and his name unknown. Yet even then, the dream within him — the vision of creating stories that would uplift, heal, and make people laugh — never died. It was the fire that refused to go out. He pressed onward through humiliation, failure, and despair, until at last the world turned to see what he had been building in silence. His journey is a living embodiment of his own words: the dream never died; it was the man who refused to give up.

Throughout the ages, the wise have known this truth. In ancient Rome, Seneca wrote that “It is not that we are given a short life, but that we waste much of it.” So it is with dreams — they are not denied to us by fate, but abandoned by fear. The dream tests its dreamer; it demands devotion, sacrifice, and endurance. Many begin with fire in their hearts, but when the world grows cold, they forget how to keep the flame alive. Tyler Perry’s words are both a lament and a call to arms — a reminder that the universe grants greatness only to those who can bear the weight of difficulty.

Consider the story of Nelson Mandela, imprisoned for twenty-seven years for his dream of freedom. There were days when hope seemed a cruel illusion, when time itself conspired to erode his spirit. But Mandela’s dream did not die — it waited, steadfast and patient, until the day he walked free, not in bitterness, but in grace. The world called him great, but the truth is simpler: he endured. Like Perry’s teaching, Mandela’s life shows that dreams live as long as the dreamer refuses to yield. It is not the dream that fades — it is our courage that must be rekindled.

When Perry says, “It gets too hard,” he does not speak with judgment, but with understanding. He knows that every human being encounters the valley where faith falters and exhaustion whispers, “It is enough.” The dreamer feels alone, unseen, and unworthy. But these trials are not the end — they are the forge. Hardship is not the sign that the dream has died; it is the moment when the dream begins to take shape within us. As the blacksmith must endure the heat to shape the blade, so must the dreamer bear the pain that shapes destiny. Difficulty is not the death of the dream, but its proof.

There is a quiet heroism in simply continuing — in choosing not to give up when others have fallen away. The dream does not demand perfection; it demands persistence. The seed that survives drought and frost will one day bloom, though no one believed it could. Tyler Perry, who once faced a thousand reasons to quit, speaks as one who has walked through the fire and found truth on the other side: that giving up, not failure, is the only true defeat. The dream never betrays us — we betray it when we stop believing in ourselves.

The lesson, then, is both ancient and eternal: guard your dream as you would your own life, for it is the map to your soul’s purpose. Do not abandon it when the path grows dark, for darkness is where roots grow deep. When you feel weary, rest — but do not quit. When the world turns against you, remember that even the greatest oak was once a seed buried in silence. Every dream, no matter how impossible, belongs to those who are willing to carry it through the storm.

So, my children of endurance and hope, hear the wisdom of Tyler Perry: your dream still lives. It may lie dormant beneath the weight of doubt, but it breathes, waiting for your courage to awaken it again. Do not mistake hardship for ending; it is merely the threshold of transformation. Stand, even trembling, and take another step. For those who persevere when “it gets too hard” are the ones who teach the world what faith truly means — that dreams do not die; they are reborn in the hearts of those who refuse to surrender.