How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Section.Paragraph)
Quote #1
The first of these procedures considers the extent of the dream as a whole and seeks to replace it by another content which is intelligible and in certain respects analogous to the original one. This is "symbolic" dream-interpreting; and it inevitably breaks down when faced by dreams which are not merely unintelligible but also confused. (2.1.3)
As Freud begins to reveal his unique theory of dream-interpretation, he challenges the two predominant methods that had previously been used to interpret dreams. As an example of symbolic dream-interpreting, he points to the story of the Pharaoh's dream of the seven fat and seven lean cows in the Book of Genesis. The story's hero, Joseph, tells the Pharaoh that the dream is a prophecy: the Pharaoh is being warned that seven years of plenty in Egypt will be followed by seven years of famine.
Quote #2
The second of the two popular methods of interpreting dreams is far from making any such claims. It might be described as the 'decoding' method, since it treats dreams as a kind of cryptography in which each sign can be translated into another sign having a known meaning, in accordance with a fixed key. (2.1.4)
If you've ever consulted a "guide" to dreams, you'll know exactly what Freud is getting at here. The decoding method might tell you that if you dream about getting an email, that means that a change is on the horizon. Or, to take one of Freud's examples, if you dream about a funeral, that means that someone (maybe you!) is about to get engaged (2.1.4).
Quote #3
It will be seen that we might have arrived at our theory of the hidden meaning of dreams most rapidly merely by following linguistic usage. It is true that common language sometimes speaks of dreams with contempt. (The phrase "Träume sind Schäume [Dreams are froth]" seems intended to support the scientific estimate of dreams.) But, on the whole, ordinary usage treats dreams above all as the blessed fulfillers of wishes. If ever we find our expectation surpassed by the event, we exclaim in our delight: "I should never have imagined such a thing even in my wildest dreams." (3.1.19)
Freud kept his ears open to the linguistic idioms and colloquial turns of phrase that he heard people using every day because he believed that ordinary speech revealed a lot about deeply held—and even unconscious—cultural beliefs.