I had dreams, but I didn't have the sense that they would

Here is a poetic, ancient-style interpretation of the quote by Greta Gerwig:

The Dream and the Distance

There are those who dream, and there are those who believe. Between them lies a river vast and dark, flowing through the valley of human doubt. When Greta Gerwig spoke the words, “I had dreams, but I didn’t have the sense that they would necessarily work out. They seemed very far-fetched,” she gave voice to an eternal truth — that the heart may hold visions the mind dares not trust. It is the burden and the blessing of every soul that seeks to build something greater than the world has yet seen. For dreams are not promises; they are whispers, flickering lights on a horizon still hidden by the fog of fear.

In the dawn of youth, one often beholds the stars and imagines walking among them. Yet, as the world presses its weight upon the spirit, those lights grow faint. Gerwig’s confession is not of weakness, but of honesty — the kind born from walking the edge between hope and humility. To dream, while knowing the dream might never bloom, is to practice the noblest form of courage. For faith without certainty is the truest faith of all.

Consider the tale of Leonardo da Vinci, whose sketches of flying machines gathered dust for centuries before humankind could lift itself skyward. He too dreamed, though he could not know that his visions would one day find wings in another age. His genius was not in completion but in conception — in daring to dream, even when reason whispered, “It cannot be.” Like Gerwig, he held no assurance of triumph, only the compulsion to create. Yet through that persistence, his spirit crossed time itself.

So too must each soul bear its far-fetched visions with reverence, even when the path ahead appears impossible. The world, in its blindness, often calls folly what heaven calls faith. The farmer who plants a seed in winter believes, without proof, that spring will come. The artist who paints in obscurity believes, without witness, that beauty has value. And the dreamer — the quiet wanderer who feels the pull of something distant — believes, without guarantee, that the unseen shore is worth the voyage.

There will be moments when one’s dreams tremble under the cold gaze of reality. The friends who laugh, the parents who worry, the failures that wound — these are the tempests sent to test the strength of conviction. Yet even then, one must remember: a dream unrealized is not a dream wasted. It refines the soul, teaches endurance, and reveals what one truly values. Gerwig’s humility reminds us that destiny often favors not the confident, but the faithful.

The lesson, then, is this: Do not demand certainty before you begin. The path of creation, of love, of ambition — none are straight nor sure. Walk it anyway. Let your dreams be wild and your fears be gentle companions. Know that greatness is not measured by success, but by the courage to continue despite the odds. Every vision that seems “far-fetched” is merely a step ahead of its time.

So, to those who read these words in the ages to come — dream boldly, yet walk humbly. Water your hopes with patience. When doubt comes, greet it as a teacher, not an enemy. Let your failures polish your faith like river stones smoothed by years of current. And when you speak your dream aloud, though your voice may tremble, know this: you are not foolish — you are alive.