The Interpretation of Dreams Memory and the Past Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Section.Paragraph)

Quote #10

Nevertheless the ancient belief that dreams foretell the future is not wholly devoid of truth. By picturing our wishes as fulfilled, dreams are after all leading us into the future. But this future, which the dreamer pictures as the present, has been moulded by his indestructible wish into a perfect likeness of the past. (7.7.18)

Throughout his career, Freud became fascinated by the idea of recurrence—that is, the fact that many people, for various reasons, find themselves compelled to repeat the same actions and follow the same patterns over and over again throughout their lives. Here at the end of The Interpretation of Dreams, we catch a glimmer of this interest coming through.