There something to be said for having even unrealistic dreams.

Here is a timeless, ancient-style reflection on Damien Chazelle’s quote:

The Beauty of Unrealistic Dreams

When Damien Chazelle said, “There’s something to be said for having even unrealistic dreams. Even if the dreams don’t come true — that, to me, is what’s beautiful about Los Angeles. It’s full of these people who have moved there to chase these dreams,” he spoke of the sacred fire that lives within the human heart — the flame that seeks meaning beyond reason, the yearning that defies the cold weight of practicality. His words are a hymn to hope itself, to the nobility of striving even when success is uncertain, to the courage of those who dream not because they must win, but because they cannot live without trying.

The meaning of his words is both tender and heroic. Chazelle, a creator of art that sings of ambition and sacrifice, reminds us that the beauty of a dream does not lie in its fulfillment, but in its pursuit. The “unrealistic dream” is not folly — it is the rebellion of the spirit against limitation. It is what lifts humankind above mere survival and sets our gaze toward the impossible. To dream, even without assurance, is to affirm that life is not a calculation, but a calling.

The origin of this wisdom is deeply tied to Chazelle’s own journey. Before he became the acclaimed director of Whiplash and La La Land, he was another artist struggling in obscurity — a man with a dream that seemed unreachable. Yet, surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, he saw something extraordinary: a multitude of souls who had left behind homes, security, and certainty, all in pursuit of their passions. They were waiters, musicians, writers, and wanderers — dreamers who understood that to chase something greater than oneself is already a kind of victory. It was from their courage, as much as from his own, that he drew this reflection.

In truth, this spirit of chasing impossible dreams is as old as humanity itself. Consider the story of Christopher Columbus, who set sail into an unknown sea, mocked by his peers and warned by scholars that he would fall off the edge of the world. His dream, though reckless to some, changed the course of history. Yet even more ancient is the legend of Icarus, who flew too close to the sun — and though his wings melted and he fell, the poets did not write of his death in pity, but in awe. For it is better to have soared and fallen than to have crawled forever in fear. Thus, Chazelle’s words join that long tradition of honoring the dreamer — not for his success, but for his daring.

There is a paradox within the unrealistic dream: though it may never come to fruition, it nourishes the soul more deeply than any safe ambition ever could. Those who dream beyond reason keep the world alive with wonder. They create art, invent the unimaginable, and remind the weary that existence is more than the sum of its limitations. Los Angeles, as Chazelle sees it, is not merely a city — it is a living monument to this eternal hunger. Its streets are paved with heartbreak and hope, yet it is beautiful because every person who arrives carries within them a spark of the divine: the belief that “what if” is worth living for.

Yet, his words carry also a quiet wisdom about acceptance. Not every dream will come true, nor should it. Life is not cruel for denying them; it is merciful in teaching us what they meant. The dream that fails often awakens the dreamer to deeper truths — resilience, humility, creativity, faith. In this way, the dream that breaks is not wasted, for it still transforms. The ancients would say that the gods do not give mortals dreams to be fulfilled easily, but to lead them toward becoming — toward the mastery of themselves.

Therefore, O listener, take this lesson to heart: dream, even if it is foolish. Dream boldly, even if the world laughs. Do not measure your worth by the outcome, but by the courage with which you pursue what calls you. If your dream falls apart, let its fragments light your next path. If it succeeds, let it humble you, not inflate you. For every step taken in the service of a dream, however small, is a step away from fear and closer to meaning.

And when you grow weary, remember Chazelle’s vision of Los Angeles — not as a city of stars, but as a city of souls who dared to try. The beauty of life lies not in certainty, but in the striving itself. The dreamer, even in defeat, lives more fully than the cynic who never begins. So rise, and chase your unrealistic dreams — for in doing so, you will discover not perfection, but something far greater: the boundless glory of being alive.