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To dream or not to dream? How about keeping your mouth shut?

Here's a really nice quote from one of my dear friends in response to one of my dreams.

Between the bigger things you cannot do,and the smaller things you don't want to do,you may end up doing nothing

The problem with quotes and analogies is that they are almost always approximately appropriate, but rarely if ever exactly applicable . A quote is by definition a generalization. Also, we are by nature biased with our prejudices, biased by our own very personal and unique experiences, and biased, by nature, against those who are near and dear to us. While we want them to succeed and would eventually be happy if they succeed big, our natural instinct is to "help" them "stay grounded".

I disagree with this helping nature, of course. I can - and will- expound on the virtue of dreaming big and having a big mouth. But that will be another day.

Today I'm going to present a few quotes on the flip-side of my friend's quote. Feel free to add yours to the list.

Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you believe that you too can become great.
Mark Twain

At the age of six years I wanted to be a chef. At the age of seven I wanted to be Napoleon. My ambitions have continued to grow at the same rate ever since
- Salvador DalĂ­

All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible.
- Thomas E. Lawrence

If you can dream it, you can do it.
- Walt Disney

Reminding one another of the dream that each of us aspires to may be enough for us to set each other free.
- Antoine De Saint-Exupery

Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.
- Robert F. Kennedy

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