Just about this time, when in imagination I was so great a

Hear the words of Georg Brandes, who spoke with the memory of youth: “Just about this time, when in imagination I was so great a warrior, I had good use in real life for more strength, as I was no longer taken to school by the nurse, but instead had myself to protect my brother, two years my junior.” This confession is not merely a tale of childhood, but a window into the human journey itself. For every soul dreams of greatness in imagination, but the test of life comes when that dream is translated into action, when one must rise from fantasy into responsibility, and from the thought of power into the duty of protection.

The ancients would have recognized themselves in these words. For what child has not dreamed of being a warrior, slaying dragons or leading armies, before ever lifting a real sword? Yet the moment always comes when the dream is tested in the crucible of reality. Achilles dreamed of immortal fame, but the test came at Troy, where he fought not against shadows but against men of flesh and blood. So too, the young Brandes discovered that while in imagination he was a hero, in truth he was called to act as one — not for glory, but for the humble duty of guarding a younger brother on the road to school.

The image of protecting the brother is rich with meaning. To guard another is the first real act of courage, for it turns the self outward, away from one’s own glory and toward another’s safety. This is the shift from dreaming of being a warrior for one’s own honor, to becoming a warrior for love. The nurse, once the guardian, had stepped aside; and the child who dreamed of strength had to embody it, for the sake of one more vulnerable. Here, the dream and the duty became one.

History offers us countless parallels. Think of young Alexander, long before he became “the Great,” taming the mighty horse Bucephalus before the astonished eyes of his father’s court. In that moment, the boy who dreamed of conquest showed the first sign of real strength, for he transformed imagination into deed. Or recall the life of Florence Nightingale, who as a girl imagined healing and compassion, but in the Crimean War turned those dreams into action, protecting the wounded with tireless care. Always, greatness begins when imagination meets responsibility, when the dream of power is refined into the practice of service.

The wisdom of Brandes’ words is that every person carries within them the image of a hero, but it is life that summons the hero forth. To live only in imagination is to play at battles that never come. But when the test arises — when someone weaker stands beside you, when duty calls — then the dream either fades, or it flowers into truth. The child Brandes may not have fought on fields of war, but in guarding his brother he lived the essence of the warrior’s call: to stand as shield for another.

The lesson is clear: greatness is not measured in fantasy, but in the small, real acts of courage demanded by daily life. To protect, to serve, to shoulder responsibility when others depend on you — these are the true tests of strength. You need not wait for grand wars or epic quests. Your battlefield may be the care of a sibling, the defense of a friend, the labor of standing for truth in a world of shadows. There, your dreams of courage are either proven or left hollow.

Practical action lies within reach. Ask yourself each day: whom can I protect, whom can I serve, how can I turn my dreams of strength into deeds of love? Do not despise the small tasks of duty, for they are the forge of the warrior’s soul. Cherish the ones entrusted to your care, and see in their safety your truest victory. Thus imagination is not abandoned, but fulfilled — for every dream of greatness finds its first proof in the simple duty of guarding another.

So let Georg Brandes’ words echo in your heart: “When in imagination I was so great a warrior, I had good use in real life for more strength, to protect my brother.” Let them remind you that heroism does not begin with crowns or banners, but with the unseen battles of daily life. Be the warrior, not in dream only, but in deed — and your life will be woven into the great fabric of those who turned vision into action, and imagination into truth.