"It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow"
About this Quote
As a televangelist-era clergyman, Schuller worked in a distinctly American register where spiritual uplift and self-help optimism shared a pulpit. The quote carries that DNA. It’s not about mysticism; it’s about motivation. “Difficult to say what is impossible” is a gentle rebuke to cynicism, but it’s also a permission slip: if you can reclassify your “dream” as “hope,” you’re already halfway to treating it like a plan. The language subtly shifts responsibility onto the listener - your outlook becomes the gatekeeper of what can happen next.
The subtext is pragmatic and pastoral: people need a usable framework for endurance. By redefining “impossible” as merely “not yet,” Schuller offers comfort without dwelling on suffering, a hallmark of his broader message of positive thinking. The risk, of course, is that structural barriers - poverty, illness, discrimination - get rhetorically flattened into attitude problems. Still, the line works because it sells momentum. It turns time into an ally, and doubt into an outdated prediction.
Quote Details
| Topic | Motivational |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Schuller, Robert H. (2026, January 18). It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/it-is-difficult-to-say-what-is-impossible-for-the-16398/
Chicago Style
Schuller, Robert H. "It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow." FixQuotes. January 18, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/it-is-difficult-to-say-what-is-impossible-for-the-16398/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow." FixQuotes, 18 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/it-is-difficult-to-say-what-is-impossible-for-the-16398/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.








