If you dream the proper dreams, and share the myths with people

When Ray Bradbury proclaimed, “If you dream the proper dreams, and share the myths with people, they will want to grow up to be like you,” he was not speaking of fame or imitation, but of the sacred power that comes when one lives by vision, imagination, and truth. His words are the echo of an ancient wisdom—that humanity is not moved by command or logic alone, but by the stories and dreams that stir the soul. He reminds us that those who dream rightly—who imagine with love, courage, and meaning—become beacons for others, shaping generations not through authority, but through the light of their example.

Bradbury himself was a dreamer of worlds, a man who believed that stories were not idle fantasies but spiritual maps for humankind. In his youth, he wandered libraries as others wander deserts, seeking the essence of life within books. His “proper dreams” were not of wealth or power, but of wonder—of people who looked to the stars and believed in the infinite potential of the human spirit. When he wrote of rockets, of dystopias, of Mars and memory, he was not describing machines or planets; he was describing the heart’s yearning to be more than what it is. And through this, he lived his own words—he shared myths so potent that millions came to dream as he dreamed.

The “proper dreams”, as Bradbury names them, are not idle wishes. They are dreams rooted in virtue, imagination, and purpose. To dream properly is to seek what uplifts the human soul, what awakens kindness, curiosity, and awe. Such dreams are bridges between what we are and what we might become. They are the dreams of the scientist who yearns to heal, the artist who seeks to reveal beauty, the teacher who longs to awaken young minds. When these dreams are shared—not as commands, but as living myths—they ignite a chain of inspiration. People begin not only to admire the dreamer but to emulate them, to walk the same luminous path.

This truth has echoed across history. Consider Socrates, who dreamed not of gold or empire, but of wisdom and virtue. Though he wrote nothing, his myth lived on through his disciple Plato, and through countless minds who came after. Socrates did not persuade by argument alone—he lived his philosophy. His calm defiance in the face of death, his devotion to truth, became legend. Generations have not merely studied him; they have desired to be like him, to live with that same fearless integrity. Such is the power of the “proper dream”—it becomes a myth that endures beyond death, shaping lives unseen.

Bradbury’s insight teaches us that every dream carries the seed of a myth, but not every myth is worthy of sharing. The world is full of false dreams—those born of greed, vanity, or destruction. These may glitter for a season, but they do not endure, for they do not nourish the soul. The proper dream must ennoble, must awaken humanity’s better nature. When a leader, an artist, or even a humble worker lives by such a dream, their life becomes a story others long to continue. The myth of one heart becomes the destiny of many.

Therefore, let each person guard carefully the dreams they choose to follow. Ask yourself: Do my dreams uplift or consume? Do they serve only me, or do they awaken something greater in others? To share the right myth is to participate in creation itself—to give to the world a symbol of hope and direction. Even in ordinary acts—a word of kindness, a work of art, a life lived with dignity—one can shape a myth that others will remember. For every true myth begins in the living example of a single soul who dares to dream in harmony with truth.

So, let this be the teaching drawn from Bradbury’s wisdom: Live as one whose life is a story worth telling. Dream properly—dream deeply, kindly, and courageously. Share your myth not by preaching, but by living so beautifully that others feel their own hearts awaken in your presence. The youth will see you not as an idol, but as a torchbearer, showing them that greatness lies not in domination, but in creation. For when you dream rightly, and share that dream with love, you do not merely inspire others to be like you—you remind them to be the fullest version of themselves, and in that remembrance, you shape the destiny of the world.