7 Quotes About Hope To Pick You Up When You Are Feeling Down

It may be hard to read quotes about hope right now, when all you see around you is pain and loss. 

When living through dark times, focussing on “hope” may feel like an inauthentic act for some or an obsessive need for others. This competing dualistic perspective is a perfect example of how life exists in opposites: day and night, dark and light, hope and despair. 

The truth is, there is no such thing as “hope”, when there hasn’t been an experience of loss. We can’t have one without the other.

The problem most people encounter is that they try either consciously or unconsciously try to do just that: focus on their preference. Some choose the notion of “ hope” with the thought and belief that that thing they “have, had, or still want” is still possible, even when it isn’t.  Others on the opposite spectrum choose “despair”, believing that their perpetual disappointment means  that “nothing will ever work out for them.” 

This deeply embedded confirmation bias about hope or hopelessness for one’s future, whether that future involves work or love, is a noble but misplaced attempt at trying to make yourself feel safe and somehow keep life predictable. The problem is, this particular biais, at its heart and yours, is just not true. And not embracing your inner truth, always leads to suffering.

So really, the reason most suffer is because of how they think about “hope”. They see it as always focussing on the positive, which is a message that has been drilled into most through the self-help culture.  And while there’s nothing wrong with wanting to stay hopeful, there’s also nothing wrong with acknowledging your pain and despair.  And it’s the second part that people struggle with.

Ultimately, the problem with “hope” boils down to not knowing how to grieve. Finding real hope involves learning how to grieve loss, whether it’s the loss of a relationship, job, or dream. 

And life is filled with loss.

It’s also filled with hope.

Everything in life ends, and then something new begins.

When you are suffering, it’s because you are getting stuck in the cycles of each ending leading to new beginnings. It’s a hard cycle indeed, but one that everyone will experience regularly as long as they are living. It’s the cycle of grief.  

What if there were a new way for you to understand hope and what it means to be hopeful? What if “hope” were redefined as both an action and a feeling that embraces life’s opposites, in concert with the cycles of life’s endings and beginnings. 

With that said, here are some quotes about “hope” to help you do just that:

1. “It is because of hope that you suffer. It is through Hope that you change things” - Maixme Lagacy

2. “Only in the darkness can we see the stars that shine” - Martin Luther King

3. We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope” - Martin Luthor King

4. “Patience is bitter but the fruit is sweet” - Aristotle

5. “In the middle of a crisis: lies an opportunity” - Albert Einstein

6. “I dwell in possibility” - Emily Dickinson

7. “Close your eyes and you will find your way out of the dark” - The Scorpions “Send me an anger”

In a world who’s well-intended message: “stay focussed on the positive”, dominates the self help world , many people struggle when they realize that’s easier said than done.  They wonder “what’s wrong with me”, when they find themselves exiting the hope zone and entering the negativity zone?

When that happens, (and it happens to everyone) know that there’s nothing wrong with you. You are just cycling through your grief and you need to honor your process with patience and compassion.   If despair starts to set in, know that that’s normal too. And, there are strategies to help you not give into it, should you find yourself really struggling. 

If your temporary exit form the hope zone feels manageable, then keep rereading the above quotes about hope.  You can also consult Dr. Google and search for: funny quotes about hope, or quotes about hope and the future, or quotes about hope and love or hope and strength and read those too.

But the most important quote about hope to hold close to your heart when you need a pick up when your feeling down is this one:

“This too shall pass”.

Maura Matarese, M.A., LMHC is a psychotherapist and author practicing in Sudbury, MA. If you are searching for quotes about hope to pick you up when you are feeling down, leaves yu longing for more, check out her book: Finding Hope In The Crisis: A Therapist’s Perspective On Love, Loss, And Courage. If you need more focussed help and concrete action items to help you grieve your losses and find hope again, then check out her online course: Finding Hope After Heartbreak: Learn The Secret How To Start Feeling Better Now.