We should never discourage young people from dreaming dreams.

“We should never discourage young people from dreaming dreams.” Thus spoke Lenny Wilkens, a man who rose from humble beginnings to become a legend of basketball — not only as a player, but as a teacher, a mentor, and a builder of men. In these simple yet powerful words, he offers a truth that echoes across the ages: that dreams are the lifeblood of youth, the sacred fire that keeps the future alive. To dream is to believe that tomorrow can be greater than today, that one’s reach may yet exceed one’s grasp. And to extinguish that flame, to mock or belittle it, is to steal from the world the very force that renews it — the courage of the next generation.

Wilkens’ words were born not from the ease of success, but from the struggle of experience. As a young man in Brooklyn, he faced poverty, doubt, and countless voices that told him what could not be done. Yet he listened not to the cynics, but to the whisper within — the dream that said he could rise above his circumstances. Through discipline, integrity, and faith, he transformed that inner vision into a career that inspired millions. When he said that the young should never be discouraged from dreaming, he spoke as one who had seen the power of a dream not only to lift a man, but to lift all who walk beside him.

From the dawn of time, every great achievement began as a dream. The pyramids were once only an idea in the mind of a pharaoh. The voyages of Columbus and Magellan were born from men who dared to imagine what lay beyond the horizon. The inventions of Edison, the flight of the Wright brothers, the words of Martin Luther King Jr. — all were dreams before they were deeds. Had these souls been discouraged, had they listened to those who scorned their visions as folly, the world would have remained dimmer, smaller, and less free. A single dream, when protected and pursued, can alter the course of human history.

But the tragedy of our age is that too many have become dream-killers. They disguise their fear as wisdom and call their cynicism realism. They say, “Be practical,” when they mean, “Do not rise.” They say, “Grow up,” when they mean, “Give up.” Yet it is the young, in their untainted boldness, who see possibilities the weary cannot. The task of the elder is not to extinguish the dreamer’s fire, but to guide it — to lend wisdom without killing wonder. For once the heart forgets how to dream, it begins to die while it still beats.

Consider the story of Wilma Rudolph, born premature and crippled by polio. Doctors told her she would never walk, let alone run. Yet she dreamed otherwise. With faith, effort, and the encouragement of her family, she not only walked but ran — and in time, she became the fastest woman on earth, winning three Olympic gold medals. What if she had been discouraged? What if those around her had told her to stop dreaming? The answer is clear: the world would have lost not just a champion, but a beacon of what human spirit can achieve. Thus, the dream of one child, when nourished, can inspire the souls of millions.

Wilkens’ quote is more than a plea for kindness; it is a command to protect hope itself. For the young do not inherit the future — they create it. Each generation must hand them the torch of imagination, and trust that they will carry it higher. To discourage their dreams is to break the chain of progress, to betray the duty of those who came before. Every word of doubt we sow in their hearts becomes a stone in the path they must climb; every word of encouragement becomes a wing beneath their steps.

Therefore, let us be guardians of dreams. When a young soul speaks of a vision that seems impossible, let us listen, not with skepticism, but with reverence. Ask, “How can I help?” instead of, “Why would you try?” Teach them the patience to endure, the humility to learn, but never the despair of surrender. For the dreams of the young are the seeds from which civilizations bloom — and though some will fail, others will change the world.

So remember the wisdom of Lenny Wilkens: “We should never discourage young people from dreaming dreams.” For every child who dreams of flight may one day invent wings; every student who dreams of justice may one day heal nations. The world’s progress depends not on the caution of the old, but on the courage of the young. Nourish that courage, and you nourish the dawn itself. For when the young dream boldly, the future rises — radiant, infinite, and full of hope.