Context

This quote is taken from the conclusion of the philosophical book Walden, published by Henry David Thoreau in 1854.

Thoreau gives us this sweet plum of wisdom at the end of his book, Walden, which basically tells us what every inspiring movie mentor has told people for decades—don't be afraid to follow your dreams!

Of course, during Thoreau's time, this was a pretty bold statement. The ruling thought of his time was more like, fall in line and never follow your dreams! So Thoreau moved out to the woods so he could do whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. And it's safe to say a lot of people have followed his message ever since.

Where you've heard it

Are you kidding? Who hasn't heard the phrase "Follow your dreams!" at some point in their life? One of the most famous modern movie characters to take up this sort of mantra is good ol' John Keating from the movie Dead Poets' Society. And if you're looking for someone more recent than Thoreau who has told you to follow your dreams, feel free to listen to just about any pop song that's ever been written.

Additional Notable References

• Every motivational poster ever.
• Looks like not everybody likes this particular quote.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

Unlike many philosophy quotes, this one won't come across as pretentious at all if you say it in a crowd. In fact, people might think you're the opposite of pretentious by quoting something that seems so clichéd nowadays. But it is a little overused, so use with discretion.