Never give up on what you really want to do. The person with big

In these stirring words, H. Jackson Brown, Jr., author of Life’s Little Instruction Book, speaks with the wisdom of one who has seen the difference between knowledge and faith. “Never give up on what you really want to do. The person with big dreams is more powerful than the one with all the facts.” His words are both a warning and a blessing — a reminder that the soul’s fire is greater than the mind’s calculations, and that human destiny is shaped not by the limits of logic, but by the boundlessness of imagination. For facts describe what is; dreams reveal what can be. Those who dare to dream, and refuse to surrender, move the world forward while others merely record its progress.

The origin of this quote lies in Brown’s lifelong study of human potential. He was not a philosopher in ivory towers, nor a politician commanding legions — he was an observer of ordinary life, a collector of truths that shine in the everyday. His words are meant for the traveler, the artist, the student, the builder — all who find themselves tempted by despair when the road grows long. Brown understood that the dreamer’s path is lonely, that the world often mocks what it does not understand. But he also knew that history’s greatest triumphs were written by those who refused to give up on what burned within their hearts, even when every fact said, “It cannot be done.”

To grasp his meaning, we must understand the tension between facts and dreams. Facts are the stones of the earth — solid, known, and measurable. They show us boundaries and limits. Dreams, however, are the wind — unseen, unpredictable, capable of reshaping the landscape itself. The man who lives only by facts walks a road that others have paved; the dreamer walks where no road yet exists. The one may be safe, but the other changes the world. Thus, Brown’s declaration is not rebellion against knowledge, but a celebration of the power of vision — the courage to see beyond what is, into what could be.

Consider the story of Thomas Edison, the inventor who brought light to the modern world. The facts were clear: thousands of attempts to create a lasting electric bulb had failed. The scientists of his time declared the task impossible. Yet Edison, fueled not by fact but by faith in his dream, pressed on — through ten thousand failures. When asked how he endured so many defeats, he replied, “I have not failed. I’ve just found ten thousand ways that won’t work.” And at last, his dream triumphed over the facts. His persistence turned darkness into light, not only for himself but for all humanity. Such is the strength of the one who never gives up on what he truly wants to do.

Dreams are the language of the spirit, the compass of the inner world. To follow them requires courage, for they often lead where reason hesitates. The person with big dreams carries within them a power that defies circumstance — a power born of purpose. The wise of old understood this well. The prophets, the poets, the inventors, and the revolutionaries were all dreamers first, mocked by the learned and the powerful, yet vindicated by time. Galileo’s telescope, Martin Luther King’s vision of equality, Amelia Earhart’s flight across the endless sky — each began as a dream scorned by fact, yet made real by persistence. The world is built upon the ruins of yesterday’s impossibilities.

And yet, Brown’s words are not mere idealism. He does not ask us to ignore reality, but to rise above it. Facts are tools — they build the vessel; dreams are the wind that moves it. Without discipline, dreams are idle fantasies. But without dreams, discipline becomes drudgery. The secret is balance: to let facts guide your hands, but let dreams guide your heart. The dreamer must study the facts not to be confined by them, but to understand how to transcend them. For even the stars obey laws — and yet they shine freely.

So, my child, take this teaching into your soul: never give up on what you truly love. The path will be long, and the facts will often stand against you. People will say, “Be realistic.” They will warn you of failure. But remember, all great works once stood on the other side of doubt. The bridge between dream and reality is built not by certainty, but by perseverance. Guard your dream as you would guard your flame from the storm — shield it, feed it, and trust that its light will find its way through the darkness.

For in the end, it is as H. Jackson Brown, Jr. said — the person with big dreams is indeed more powerful than the one with all the facts. Facts may define the limits of the world, but dreams redefine the world itself. Let your dream be vast. Let your will be steadfast. And when the world tells you “no,” smile, for you are walking the ancient path of every soul who has ever dared to make the impossible real.