Context

This line is from "Dreams" by Langston Hughes.

If poets love anything, it's dreams, birds, and snow, and Langston Hughes hits the poetic trifecta here, comparing broken dreams to lame birds and hard winters. So hold onto your dreams, or they'll be like a bird hit by a snowball. Or something like that.

He says it better than we can.

Where you've heard it

You've heard this from your high school commencement speaker—the one who doesn't say anything original and just reads from a list of inspirational quotes.

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.

In most cases, no one wants to hear about your dreams—whether they're dreams you have while you're asleep or aspirations you have while awake. You can talk about them when you've achieved them.