It Was Revealed To Me In A Dream Footnote - A Curious Tale

Have you ever stumbled upon something so wonderfully unexpected in a book, it just makes you pause and smile? There's a particular bit of writing, a tiny note at the bottom of a page, that has, you know, captured the imagination of many people who enjoy reading and thinking about strange things. It's often spoken about in hushed tones, almost like a legend, among those who appreciate quirky academic moments. This isn't just any old citation; it's the rather famous "this was once revealed to me in a dream" footnote, which has, you see, a story all its own.

This little piece of text comes from a book written way back in 1949 by a deep thinker named Nikolai Berdyaev. It's a phrase that, in some respects, seems to pop out from the serious pages where it lives, offering a moment of pure, unadulterated human wonder. For a long time, it existed quietly within the pages of his work, but then, as a matter of fact, the internet found it, and a whole new life began for this curious little sentence. It really just took off, you know?

We're going to take a closer look at this fascinating footnote, exploring where it came from, what it might mean, and why it has, you know, stuck around in people's minds for so long. We'll explore the person behind the words and how something so simple could, in a way, become a cultural touchstone. It's a pretty interesting little journey, if you ask me, looking at how a few words can spark so much talk.

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Table of Contents

• Who Was Nikolai Berdyaev?
• What Makes "It Was Revealed To Me In A Dream Footnote" So Special?
• The Spark That Ignited The "It Was Revealed To Me In A Dream Footnote" Phenomenon
• How Does Academia Handle A "It Was Revealed To Me In A Dream Footnote" Citation?
• Berdyaev's Ideas - More Than Just A "It Was Revealed To Me In A Dream Footnote"
• The "It Was Revealed To Me In A Dream Footnote" In Art And Culture
• Can A Dream Truly Be A Source For A "It Was Revealed To Me In A Dream Footnote"?
• Why Does The "It Was Revealed To Me In A Dream Footnote" Still Resonate?

Who Was Nikolai Berdyaev?

Before we get too deep into the footnote itself, it helps to know a little about the person who wrote it. Nikolai Alexandrovich Berdyaev was, you know, a Russian thinker, someone who spent a lot of time considering big questions about human existence, religion, and freedom. He lived through some truly turbulent times in Russia, which definitely shaped his outlook and the things he wrote about. His writings often explored the idea of human freedom and the connection between the human spirit and something bigger, a divine presence. He was, as a matter of fact, a pretty important figure in early 20th-century thought, particularly in religious philosophy.

Berdyaev's work often looked at how people relate to the world and to each other, especially when it came to things like power and morality. He had, you see, a particular way of looking at the idea of self-importance, suggesting it could bring about a kind of downfall, both for individuals and for the concept of a higher power. This perspective is, quite honestly, a key part of the larger book where our famous footnote lives. He was, in a way, a philosopher who wasn't afraid to mix personal experience with deep thought, which, as you'll see, makes his work rather unique.

Personal Details and Bio Data of Nikolai Berdyaev

What Makes "It Was Revealed To Me In A Dream Footnote" So Special?

So, what's the big deal about this particular note? Well, for one thing, it's just so wonderfully out of place, isn't it? Most academic footnotes are there to tell you where a quote came from, or to give you more facts about a point. They're usually pretty serious and, you know, quite dry. But then you get to this one, and it just says, "this was once revealed to me in a dream." It's like the author is, in a way, pulling back the curtain on the source of his ideas, showing something deeply personal and, well, a little bit whimsical. It stands out because it's so different from what you'd expect to find in a serious book of philosophy. It almost makes you laugh, doesn't it?

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The footnote's power, in some respects, comes from its honesty and its sheer audacity. It doesn't try to hide anything; it simply states a very unusual source for a piece of knowledge. This kind of openness, you see, is pretty rare in academic writing, where everything is usually backed up by other books, studies, or, you know, official sources. It suggests that truth can come from unexpected places, even from the quiet moments of sleep. This makes it, quite honestly, a delightful surprise for anyone who happens to come across it. It makes you wonder, doesn't it, what other secrets might be hiding in footnotes?

The Spark That Ignited The "It Was Revealed To Me In A Dream Footnote" Phenomenon

For many years, this interesting little note lived a quiet life within the pages of Berdyaev's book. But then, as it often happens with curious things, the internet found it. Specifically, it was on February 14, 2017, when a user on Twitter, @jonathanmurden, shared a picture of this very footnote. This simple act, you know, suddenly brought it to a much wider group of people. It was like, in a way, a hidden treasure had been found and shared with the world. People quickly picked up on it, finding it both funny and, well, rather thought-provoking.

The image quickly spread, and soon, the "it was revealed to me in a dream footnote" became a kind of inside joke, a meme even, among those who appreciate academic humor and unexpected moments of honesty. It sparked conversations about where ideas truly come from, and whether unusual sources of inspiration have a place in serious discussions. It's pretty amazing, really, how a single tweet could, you know, give a forgotten footnote a whole new life and, as a matter of fact, make it something of a legend in its own right.

How Does Academia Handle A "It Was Revealed To Me In A Dream Footnote" Citation?

This is a fun question, isn't it? If you were writing a paper and wanted to use something that came to you in a dream, how would you even begin to cite that? Well, as a matter of fact, people in academic circles do have a way to handle information that comes from very personal sources. It's usually called a "personal correspondence." This means it's something like a conversation you had, an email you received, or, yes, even an idea that popped into your head, or, you know, a dream. You would typically mention it right there in the text where you use the idea, saying something like, "as revealed to the author in a dream."

However, and this is a pretty big however, you usually wouldn't put something like a dream in your main list of sources at the end of your paper. That list is generally for things that other people can go and look up for themselves, like books, articles, or websites. A dream, you see, is something only you experienced, so it's not something others can verify in the same way. So, while you can mention it, it doesn't get the same kind of formal listing as, say, a published book. It's a bit of a tricky area, honestly, but it just goes to show how unique Berdyaev's approach was with his "it was revealed to me in a dream footnote."

Berdyaev's Ideas - More Than Just A "It Was Revealed To Me In A Dream Footnote"

It's easy to get caught up in the charm of the footnote, but it's good to remember that Berdyaev's work is much deeper than just this one curious line. He had, you know, some really interesting thoughts about how we make things sacred, how we explain them with logic, and how we give them a spiritual meaning. He believed that things like human self-importance could, in a way, be a real problem for both individuals and for the concept of a higher power. This was a core idea for him, as a matter of fact, running through much of his philosophical writing.

One of his other striking ideas, for example, was about anarchism. Now, when you hear "anarchy," you might think of chaos, but Berdyaev saw it differently. He believed that true freedom, the kind found in the Kingdom of God, meant no person having power over another. He thought that power over people was tied to wrongdoing and bad things. So, for him, a perfect state was one where there was no human power over other humans, which he called anarchy. He said, "The Kingdom of God is freedom and the absence of such power. The Kingdom of God is anarchy." This is, you know, a pretty bold statement and shows how he pushed against common ways of thinking, even if it seems a little strange to some people. His "it was revealed to me in a dream footnote" is just one small peek into his unique way of looking at the world.

The "It Was Revealed To Me In A Dream Footnote" In Art And Culture

This little footnote has, you know, truly taken on a life of its own beyond the pages of Berdyaev's book. It's popped up in some unexpected places, showing just how much it resonates with people. For example, there's a painting titled "Evidence (it was revealed to me in a dream)." This artwork, you see, shows a big figure lost in deep thought, almost dreaming, and the title itself comes directly from the internet meme that grew around the footnote. It's a pretty cool way for art to connect with something from the world of books and online culture, honestly.

The phrase has also been mentioned in various online discussions, like on social media sites. People share stories of similar unexpected citations or, you know, joke about using such a source in their own work. One person on a forum, for instance, remembered an anthropology book where the author apparently wrote "footnote: It was revealed to me in a dream." Another person even shared that their masters thesis algorithm was, actually, revealed to them in a dream, though they were advised to call it a "heuristic" instead, because you have to prove algorithms with math. This shows how the "it was revealed to me in a dream footnote" has, in a way, become a symbol for unexpected inspiration and the sometimes funny gap between formal rules and real-life ideas.

Can A Dream Truly Be A Source For A "It Was Revealed To Me In A Dream Footnote"?

This question gets to the heart of why the "it was revealed to me in a dream footnote" is so captivating. Can a dream really be a legitimate source of knowledge, especially for something as serious as philosophy or, you know, an algorithm for a thesis? Well, in a strict academic sense, usually no. Academic work relies on things that can be checked, repeated, and discussed by others. Dreams, by their very nature, are private, personal, and, as a matter of fact, often quite strange. They don't follow the rules of logic that academic arguments typically demand.

However, if you think about it a little differently, dreams have, you know, always been a source of inspiration for people. Artists, writers, and even scientists have, in a way, found ideas or solutions to problems while they were asleep. Think of the famous story of the chemist August Kekulé, who supposedly figured out the structure of benzene after dreaming of a snake biting its own tail. So, while a dream might not be a "citable source" in the usual way, it can definitely be the spark that leads to a new idea or a deeper way of thinking. Berdyaev's "it was revealed to me in a dream footnote" just makes this very human experience, you know, wonderfully public.

Why Does The "It Was Revealed To Me In A Dream Footnote" Still Resonate?

So, after all this time, why does this simple footnote still get people talking? There are a few reasons, I think. For one, it's just so human. It reminds us that even the most serious thinkers are, you know, people who have personal experiences, quirks, and moments of unexpected insight. It breaks down the idea that all knowledge must come from a textbook or a lab. It suggests that there's a bit of magic, or at least mystery, in how ideas come to us. It's a reminder that inspiration can strike anywhere, even, as a matter of fact, when we're not fully awake.

Then there's the humor of it. It's a very subtle joke, a wink to the reader in the middle of serious philosophy. It's a moment of lightness that makes the whole academic process seem a little less stuffy and, you know, a little more approachable. It also taps into a shared human experience: we all dream, and sometimes those dreams feel incredibly real or important. The "it was revealed to me in a dream footnote" speaks to that universal feeling, making it, in a way, something we can all connect with, even if we've never read Berdyaev's book. It's a small but powerful example of how a few words can truly capture the imagination.