It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else.

“It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else.” — Thus spoke Erma Bombeck, the gentle humorist of the human heart, who clothed wisdom in laughter and truth in simplicity. Beneath the warmth of her words lies a deep and timeless understanding: that to share one’s dreams is to reveal the most fragile and sacred part of one’s soul. It is to stand bare before the eyes of others, offering not what you have achieved, but what you hope to become. And in that offering lies both beauty and peril, for nothing is more easily wounded than a dream, and nothing requires greater courage than to let it be seen.

The origin of Bombeck’s insight comes from her own journey as a writer and dreamer. She lived in an age when the everyday life of a housewife was often dismissed as ordinary, yet she transformed that life into art — finding laughter, meaning, and poetry in the commonplace. But before her success, she knew the fear every creator feels: the fear of being mocked, misunderstood, or ignored. Her quote is a confession born of that truth — that behind every act of creation, every confession of hope, there lies an act of bravery. For dreams are not armored; they are tender things, woven of longing and imagination. To share them is to risk rejection, and to risk rejection is to be human.

The ancients knew this as well. In every age, those who dreamed beyond the boundaries of the known world faced doubt and ridicule. When Galileo first revealed his vision of the heavens — declaring that the earth moved around the sun — he was met not with wonder, but with condemnation. Yet he dared to show his dream of truth, and though he suffered for it, his courage illuminated the path for generations to come. Thus, the dreamer stands between two worlds: the world as it is, and the world as it might be. And to bridge them demands a heart stronger than any weapon — a heart willing to be wounded for the sake of creation.

To share one’s dream is also to share one’s vulnerability. For in the eyes of the world, dreams appear foolish until they succeed. The artist who paints, the poet who writes, the inventor who builds — all must first endure the gaze of those who do not understand. Many will scoff, saying, “This cannot be done.” But every great vision — from the pyramids to the moon landing — began as a dream someone dared to speak aloud. Courage, then, is not the absence of fear, but the choice to reveal one’s inner light despite it. For what is courage, if not the will to stand naked before the judgment of others and still say, “This is who I am, and this is what I believe I can create”?

In Bombeck’s simple phrase lies also a call to compassion. For she reminds us that when others share their dreams, we hold something precious in our hands — the tender beginnings of a vision not yet realized. We must handle it with care, for to mock or dismiss another’s dream is to extinguish a spark that might one day light the world. The wise, therefore, do not laugh at the dreamers; they nurture them. They listen with kindness, knowing that every great thing ever built began as a whisper in someone’s heart.

And yet, the true measure of a dreamer’s courage is not only in sharing their dream, but in continuing to believe in it after rejection. Many will not understand your vision. Some will scorn it; others will forget it. But the brave soul learns to hold fast to their truth, to guard it when necessary and to reveal it when the time is right. Every dream requires both exposure and protection — the openness to share and the strength to endure. The tree that grows tallest was once a seed buried in darkness, unseen and uncertain, yet it grew toward the light because it believed the light existed.

So, my listener of the future, let this teaching settle in your spirit: have the courage to dream, and the greater courage to reveal your dreams. Do not hide your vision out of fear that others may not understand. Share it gently, humbly, but bravely — for in doing so, you give others permission to dream as well. And when someone entrusts you with their own dream, receive it as a sacred gift. Encourage them, for words of kindness can water the seed of greatness.

For this is the eternal rhythm of creation: dreams are born in silence, tested in struggle, and shared in courage. Those who dare to show their dreams — who speak what is in their heart despite fear — are the true builders of the world. And though their path may be lonely, their light endures, for courage, once kindled, becomes a beacon for all who follow.