About This Quote
Zhuang Zi was a Chinese philosopher who lived in the fourth century BC. This particular quote is probably his best-known saying, and it’s usually given as a response to the question, “Am I Zhuang Zi who dreamed of a butterfly? Or am I that butterfly, dreaming I am Zhuang Zi?” The reason for this response is that Zhuang Zi believed that reality is not something separate from our consciousness. He believed that reality is an expression of our consciousness. Thus, when we are awake, we are aware of reality, but when we are dreaming, we are not.
When we are asleep, however, our awareness of the world fades significantly. We lose touch with reality and dream about things that don’t exist.
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