Daily Musings: Hope: 11 Quotes

I’ll be honest: I’m a worst-case scenario type of person. Luckily, the events I am dreading the most don’t always come to pass. Hurricanes, for example, are always a concern during the summer, since I live on the east coast of the U.S.

Last year, the major part of a hurricane only missed my home by about four hours. However, it ravaged a couple of states south of me. My area only got a steady rain/drizzle for days. For almost a week, residents feverishly watched the media and read updated newsfeeds and threads online.

My son, who worked at a big-box store near us, said that people were doing the usual frantic shopping in preparation for a disaster. The line at all the registers was nine people deep as shoppers were stocking up on processed foods as well as fresh foods.

What is the ray of light in the darkness mentioned above? Hope. Sometimes events aren’t as horrific as we expect, and traumatic events usually end. In this case, the full force of the hurricane did not come near me. I only saw some light rain.

Obviously, I am sorry that some states got hit hard. I am not trying to diminish the horror of that. However, I must be grateful that the predicted catastrophe has brought only much-needed rain to my locality.

Examples of Times When we Need Hope

Sarah--is dealing with a malfunctioning computer, buying a new car, preparing a book for publication, and a lethargic dog at the same time.

Jenny—is a sensitive soul who just found out that a man who severely mistreated her some time ago has recently been given an important position in their religious organization.

Why do we Need Hope?

Hope is the cure for fear, distraction, polarizing diversity, and anger. It takes our thoughts to a higher level and allows us to focus on what’s actually important.

Quotes on Hope

“Never talk defeat. Use words like hope, belief, faith, victory!”—Norman Vincent Peale.

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“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can do done without hope and confidence.”—Helen Keller

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“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.”—Albert Einstein

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“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.”—Proverbs 13:12

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“Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow them.”—Louisa May Alcott

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“While wishing and hoping makes you a dreamer, acting and doing makes you someone who can turn dreams into reality.”—Nan S. Russell

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“Do not spoil what you have now by desiring what you have not, but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”—Author Unknown

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“You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it come true. You may have to work for it, however.”—Richard Bach

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Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance.”-- Author Unknown, from Dear Bertha

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“We are haunted by an ideal life, and it is because we have within us the beginning and the possibility of it.”—Phillips Brooks

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“Hope is the last thing ever lost.”—Italian proverb

My Conclusion

Life can be beyond tough. It has a way of throwing curveballs to us when least expected. Often, it can seem more like one of those machines that baseball players use to practice batting; it throws ball after ball at us without stopping. We either hit them, or we don’t. Either way, the machine keeps spitting them out. Batters don’t get a break.

In such cases, what do we have to grab onto? Hope. Your batting average will get better, eventually. If worst comes to worst, you have the capability to turn the machine completely off.

Trials usually end at some point, or they aren’t as traumatizing as predicted. That’s where hope comes in.

For more on people who hoped against the odds, please see my book, Accept No Trash Talk: Overcoming the Odds.