A golden paper sailboat on a dark blue cloud beneath stars, with a glowing thread rising from its mast.

Original artwork, not a still

The Hundred Secret Senses ‧ 1995

Amy Tan

Everyone must dream. We dream to give ourselves hope. To stop dreaming — well, that’s like saying you can never change your fate. Isn’t that true?

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

Dreaming is framed as a basic human need, the thing that keeps hope alive. The speaker then turns it into a challenge: giving up on dreams amounts to admitting fate can't be changed. The closing question invites the listener to agree that hope and possibility depend on imagining.

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