| Question History! |
|
| From |
: |
Drego5 |
|
| To |
: |
saintly |
| User Comment |
: |
I knew I knew that line from somewhere! And now I remember that I saw that movie about three years ago, and It's exactly what I was thinking of!! And all those links are ABCD!! (Above and Beyond the Call of Duty) Thanks so much!!! |
| Rating |
: |
 |
| Message Status |
: |
Public |
|
|
[08-30-2000] Drego5 : Hi, I read (well, skimmed) what you wrote to catmarek on "G-d" and I find you to be probably the most experienced person here. I just have a simple little question for you sir, Do yo uknow who said "Hell is when all your dreams come true?" I've asked Jeeves, and searched a bit and always end up with some bass-ackward link. Thanks for any help you can provide. If you can't find it either, it's cool. Thanks again!
|
 |
[08-31-2000] saintly :
Yeah, right! Let's see what turned up:
One of the most solid modern references I could find for this specific wording is:
"Somewhere I heard that hell is when all your dreams come true.
Maybe it is because you find out that they all don't go together, or because there are always sides you cannot see, when you are dreaming away. "
said by the character 'Ruby Lee Gissing' (played by Ashley Judd) in the 1993 film 'Ruby in Paradise', written and directed by Victor Nunez
http://www.svtoday.com/svt/sr/ruby.htm
http://www.inform.umd.edu/EdRes/Topic/WomensStudies/FilmReviews/ruby-in-paradise-fuchs
However I note that the character (and presumably Victor Nunez) aren't making this up on the spot, but quoting some fragmented memory of a phrase he has heard before. While extremely difficult to track down to the originator, there is some speculation that it is part of an "Ancient Chinese Curse" that states something like "May you live in interesting times ... and attract the attention of important people ... and may all your dreams come true".
For one man's attempt over several years of research to find the origin of the 'May you live in interesting times' quote:
http://hawk.fab2.albany.edu/sidebar/sidebar.htm
This page attributes something like it to the ancient Buddhists:
"May all your dreams come true the moment you desire them."
-Buddhist Curse
http://home.san.rr.com/atheism/quotes.txt
'I told him I hoped he would drown. I spit on him. I gave him the worst curse of all - may all your dreams come true.'
Gwendolyn MacEwen, in her book 'Nightchild'
http://www.chbooks.com/online/nomans_land/13.html
The 'Dark Island' of CS Lewis's 'Voyage of the Dawn Treader' was the most dreaded and horrible place imaginable. The only reason for it was that it was the place where all your dreams came true.
http://www.dtl.org/info/reepicheep.htm
And a poem that sounds familiar:
Dreams
May your dreams come true they say
Nay not I
I would not curse you in that way
A dream you should have
Oh yes tis true
I say a dream should hearten, encourage, give hope to you
Where there is no vision
The people perish claims the Lord
I say allow that vision to be attained
The people will grow complacient and bored
So dream your dreams
By all means
Dream to the edge of sin
When your dreams come true
I do not envy you
For thats when reality steps in
James Jay
http://federalistnavy.com/poetry/ClassicalPoetryhall/messages/33.html
The idea of getting everything we want sounds very attractive and doesn't appear to have an obvious downside. One of the ways to sound dark and philosophical is to say something like "Fluffy bunnies epitomize all that is wrong with society today" and not explain it. Since nobody else can immediately identify why you say that, they may think you're a deep thinker who sees farther into issues than they do.
I would suspect that like the game 'Telephone', this phrase has mutated from whoever originally said it. Doubtless, "Hell is when all your dreams come true" is the latest, most dramatic face on an old concept that has had a dozen faces and phrases before.
If you want to quote it, cite the movie 'Ruby in Paradise' and if anyone claims that it's an "Ancient [Chinese, Scottish, Arabic, other ethnic] curse" you can insist they prove it.
That was all I could find on this quote and it's potential origins. If you would like someone who is much better at searching the net for info than I am, contact TexasT or MarcusMulkins.
Hope that helps!
|
|
|