an essay on man alexander pope hope springs eternal

An Essay on Man: Epistle I

by Alexander Pope

To Henry St. John, Lord Bolingbroke Awake, my St. John! leave all meaner things To low ambition, and the pride of kings. Let us (since life can little more supply Than just to look about us and to die) Expatiate free o’er all this scene of man; A mighty maze! but not without a plan; A wild, where weeds and flow’rs promiscuous shoot; Or garden, tempting with forbidden fruit. Together let us beat this ample field, Try what the open, what the covert yield; The latent tracts, the giddy heights explore Of all who blindly creep, or sightless soar; Eye Nature’s walks, shoot folly as it flies, And catch the manners living as they rise; Laugh where we must, be candid where we can; But vindicate the ways of God to man. I. Say first, of God above, or man below, What can we reason, but from what we know? Of man what see we, but his station here, From which to reason, or to which refer? Through worlds unnumber’d though the God be known, ‘Tis ours to trace him only in our own. He, who through vast immensity can pierce, See worlds on worlds compose one universe, Observe how system into system runs, What other planets circle other suns, What varied being peoples ev’ry star, May tell why Heav’n has made us as we are. But of this frame the bearings, and the ties, The strong connections, nice dependencies, Gradations just, has thy pervading soul Look’d through? or can a part contain the whole? Is the great chain, that draws all to agree, And drawn supports, upheld by God, or thee? II. Presumptuous man! the reason wouldst thou find, Why form’d so weak, so little, and so blind? First, if thou canst, the harder reason guess, Why form’d no weaker, blinder, and no less! Ask of thy mother earth , why oaks are made Taller or stronger than the weeds they shade? Or ask of yonder argent fields above, Why Jove’s satellites are less than Jove? Of systems possible, if ’tis confest That Wisdom infinite must form the best, Where all must full or not coherent be, And all that rises, rise in due degree; Then, in the scale of reas’ning life, ’tis plain There must be somewhere, such a rank as man: And all the question (wrangle e’er so long) Is only this, if God has plac’d him wrong? Respecting man, whatever wrong we call, May, must be right, as relative to all. In human works, though labour’d on with pain, A thousand movements scarce one purpose gain; In God’s, one single can its end produce; Yet serves to second too some other use. So man, who here seems principal alone , Perhaps acts second to some sphere unknown, Touches some wheel, or verges to some goal; ‘Tis but a part we see, and not a whole. When the proud steed shall know why man restrains His fiery course, or drives him o’er the plains: When the dull ox, why now he breaks the clod, Is now a victim, and now Egypt’s God: Then shall man’s pride and dulness comprehend His actions’, passions’, being’s, use and end; Why doing, suff’ring, check’d, impell’d; and why This hour a slave, the next a deity. Then say not man’s imperfect, Heav’n in fault; Say rather, man’s as perfect as he ought: His knowledge measur’d to his state and place, His time a moment, and a point his space. If to be perfect in a certain sphere, What matter, soon or late, or here or there? The blest today is as completely so, As who began a thousand years ago. III. Heav’n from all creatures hides the book of fate, All but the page prescrib’d, their present state: From brutes what men, from men what spirits know: Or who could suffer being here below? The lamb thy riot dooms to bleed today, Had he thy reason, would he skip and play ? Pleas’d to the last, he crops the flow’ry food, And licks the hand just rais’d to shed his blood. Oh blindness to the future! kindly giv’n, That each may fill the circle mark’d by Heav’n: Who sees with equal eye, as God of all, A hero perish, or a sparrow fall, Atoms or systems into ruin hurl’d, And now a bubble burst, and now a world. Hope humbly then; with trembling pinions soar; Wait the great teacher Death; and God adore! What future bliss, he gives not thee to know, But gives that hope to be thy blessing now. Hope springs eternal in the human breast: Man never is, but always to be blest: The soul, uneasy and confin’d from home, Rests and expatiates in a life to come. Lo! the poor Indian, whose untutor’d mind Sees God in clouds, or hears him in the wind; His soul, proud science never taught to stray Far as the solar walk, or milky way; Yet simple nature to his hope has giv’n, Behind the cloud -topt hill, an humbler heav’n; Some safer world in depth of woods embrac’d, Some happier island in the wat’ry waste, Where slaves once more their native land behold, No fiends torment, no Christians thirst for gold. To be, contents his natural desire, He asks no angel’s wing, no seraph’s fire; But thinks, admitted to that equal sky, His faithful dog shall bear him company. IV. Go, wiser thou! and, in thy scale of sense Weigh thy opinion against Providence; Call imperfection what thou fanciest such, Say, here he gives too little, there too much: Destroy all creatures for thy sport or gust, Yet cry, if man’s unhappy, God’s unjust; If man alone engross not Heav’n’s high care, Alone made perfect here, immortal there: Snatch from his hand the balance and the rod, Rejudge his justice , be the God of God. In pride, in reas’ning pride, our error lies; All quit their sphere, and rush into the skies. Pride still is aiming at the blest abodes, Men would be angels, angels would be gods. Aspiring to be gods, if angels fell, Aspiring to be angels, men rebel: And who but wishes to invert the laws Of order, sins against th’ Eternal Cause. V. ask for what end the heav’nly bodies shine, Earth for whose use? Pride answers, ” ‘Tis for mine: For me kind Nature wakes her genial pow’r, Suckles each herb, and spreads out ev’ry flow’r; Annual for me, the grape, the rose renew, The juice nectareous, and the balmy dew; For me, the mine a thousand treasures brings; For me, health gushes from a thousand springs; Seas roll to waft me, suns to light me rise; My foot -stool earth, my canopy the skies.” But errs not Nature from this gracious end, From burning suns when livid deaths descend, When earthquakes swallow, or when tempests sweep Towns to one grave, whole nations to the deep? “No, (’tis replied) the first Almighty Cause Acts not by partial, but by gen’ral laws; Th’ exceptions few; some change since all began: And what created perfect?”—Why then man? If the great end be human happiness, Then Nature deviates; and can man do less? As much that end a constant course requires Of show’rs and sunshine, as of man’s desires; As much eternal springs and cloudless skies, As men for ever temp’rate, calm, and wise. If plagues or earthquakes break not Heav’n’s design , Why then a Borgia, or a Catiline? Who knows but he, whose hand the lightning forms, Who heaves old ocean, and who wings the storms, Pours fierce ambition in a Cæsar’s mind, Or turns young Ammon loose to scourge mankind? From pride, from pride, our very reas’ning springs; Account for moral , as for nat’ral things: Why charge we Heav’n in those, in these acquit? In both, to reason right is to submit. Better for us, perhaps, it might appear, Were there all harmony, all virtue here; That never air or ocean felt the wind; That never passion discompos’d the mind. But ALL subsists by elemental strife; And passions are the elements of life. The gen’ral order, since the whole began, Is kept in nature, and is kept in man. VI. What would this man? Now upward will he soar, And little less than angel, would be more; Now looking downwards, just as griev’d appears To want the strength of bulls, the fur of bears. Made for his use all creatures if he call, Say what their use, had he the pow’rs of all? Nature to these, without profusion, kind, The proper organs, proper pow’rs assign’d; Each seeming want compensated of course, Here with degrees of swiftness, there of force; All in exact proportion to the state; Nothing to add, and nothing to abate. Each beast, each insect, happy in its own: Is Heav’n unkind to man, and man alone? Shall he alone, whom rational we call, Be pleas’d with nothing, if not bless’d with all? The bliss of man (could pride that blessing find) Is not to act or think beyond mankind; No pow’rs of body or of soul to share, But what his nature and his state can bear. Why has not man a microscopic eye? For this plain reason, man is not a fly. Say what the use, were finer optics giv’n, T’ inspect a mite, not comprehend the heav’n? Or touch, if tremblingly alive all o’er, To smart and agonize at ev’ry pore? Or quick effluvia darting through the brain, Die of a rose in aromatic pain? If nature thunder’d in his op’ning ears, And stunn’d him with the music of the spheres, How would he wish that Heav’n had left him still The whisp’ring zephyr, and the purling rill? Who finds not Providence all good and wise, Alike in what it gives, and what denies? VII. Far as creation’s ample range extends, The scale of sensual, mental pow’rs ascends: Mark how it mounts, to man’s imperial race, From the green myriads in the peopled grass : What modes of sight betwixt each wide extreme, The mole’s dim curtain, and the lynx’s beam: Of smell, the headlong lioness between, And hound sagacious on the tainted green: Of hearing, from the life that fills the flood, To that which warbles through the vernal wood: The spider’s touch, how exquisitely fine! Feels at each thread, and lives along the line: In the nice bee, what sense so subtly true From pois’nous herbs extracts the healing dew: How instinct varies in the grov’lling swine, Compar’d, half-reas’ning elephant, with thine: ‘Twixt that, and reason, what a nice barrier; For ever sep’rate, yet for ever near! Remembrance and reflection how allied; What thin partitions sense from thought divide: And middle natures, how they long to join, Yet never pass th’ insuperable line! Without this just gradation, could they be Subjected, these to those, or all to thee? The pow’rs of all subdu’d by thee alone, Is not thy reason all these pow’rs in one? VIII. See, through this air, this ocean, and this earth, All matter quick, and bursting into birth. Above, how high, progressive life may go! Around, how wide! how deep extend below! Vast chain of being, which from God began, Natures ethereal, human, angel, man, Beast, bird, fish, insect! what no eye can see, No glass can reach! from infinite to thee, From thee to nothing!—On superior pow’rs Were we to press, inferior might on ours: Or in the full creation leave a void, Where, one step broken, the great scale’s destroy’d: From nature’s chain whatever link you strike, Tenth or ten thousandth, breaks the chain alike. And, if each system in gradation roll Alike essential to th’ amazing whole, The least confusion but in one, not all That system only, but the whole must fall. Let earth unbalanc’d from her orbit fly, Planets and suns run lawless through the sky; Let ruling angels from their spheres be hurl’d, Being on being wreck’d, and world on world; Heav’n’s whole foundations to their centre nod, And nature tremble to the throne of God. All this dread order break—for whom? for thee? Vile worm!—Oh madness, pride, impiety! IX. What if the foot ordain’d the dust to tread, Or hand to toil, aspir’d to be the head? What if the head, the eye, or ear repin’d To serve mere engines to the ruling mind? Just as absurd for any part to claim To be another, in this gen’ral frame: Just as absurd, to mourn the tasks or pains, The great directing Mind of All ordains. All are but parts of one stupendous whole, Whose body Nature is, and God the soul; That, chang’d through all, and yet in all the same, Great in the earth, as in th’ ethereal frame, Warms in the sun, refreshes in the breeze, Glows in the stars, and blossoms in the trees , Lives through all life, extends through all extent, Spreads undivided, operates unspent, Breathes in our soul, informs our mortal part, As full, as perfect, in a hair as heart; As full, as perfect, in vile man that mourns, As the rapt seraph that adores and burns; To him no high, no low, no great, no small; He fills, he bounds, connects, and equals all. X. Cease then, nor order imperfection name: Our proper bliss depends on what we blame. Know thy own point: This kind, this due degree Of blindness, weakness, Heav’n bestows on thee. Submit.—In this, or any other sphere, Secure to be as blest as thou canst bear: Safe in the hand of one disposing pow’r, Or in the natal, or the mortal hour. All nature is but art, unknown to thee; All chance, direction, which thou canst not see; All discord, harmony, not understood; All partial evil, universal good: And, spite of pride, in erring reason’s spite, One truth is clear, Whatever is, is right.

Summary of An Essay on Man: Epistle I

• Popularity of “An Essay on Man: Epistle I”: Alexander Pope, one of the greatest English poets, wrote ‘An Essay on Man’ It is a superb literary piece about God and creation, and was first published in 1733. The poem speaks about the mastery of God’s art that everything happens according to His plan, even though we fail to comprehend His work. It also illustrates man’s place in the cosmos. The poet explains God’s grandeur and His rule over the universe.
• “An Essay on Man: Epistle I” As a Representative of God’s Art: This poem explains God’s ways to men. This is a letter to the poet’s friend, St. John, Lord Bolingbroke. He urges him to quit all his mundane tasks and join the speaker to vindicate the ways of God to men. The speaker argues that God may have other worlds to observe but man perceives the world with his own limited system. A man’s happiness depends on two basic things; his hopes for the future and unknown future events. While talking about the sinful and impious nature of mankind, the speaker argues that man’s attempt to gain more knowledge and to put himself at God’s place becomes the reason of his discontent and constant misery. In section 1, the poet argues that man knows about the universe with his/her limited knowledge and cannot understand the systems and constructions of God. Humans are unaware of the grander relationships between God and His creations. In section 2, he states that humans are not perfect. However, God designed humans perfectly to suit his plan, in the order of the creation of things. Humans are after angelic beings but above every creature on the planet. In section 3 the poet tells that human happiness depends on both his lack of knowledge as they don’t know the future and also on his hope for the future. In section 4 the poet talks about the pride of humans, which is a sin. Because of pride, humans try to gain more knowledge and pretend that is a perfect creation. This pride is the root of man’s mistakes and sorrow. If humans put themselves in God’s place, then humans are sinners. In section 5, the poet explains the meaninglessness of human beliefs. He thinks that it is extremely ridiculous to believe that humans are the sole cause of creation. God expecting perfection and morality from people on this earth does not happen in the natural world. In section 6, the poet criticizes human nature because of the unreasonable demands and complaints against God and His providence. He argues that God is always good; He loves giving and taking. We also learn that if man possesses the knowledge of God, he would be miserable. In section 7, he shows that the natural world we see, including the universal order and degree, is observable by humans as per their perspective . The hierarchy of humans over earthly creatures and their subordination to man is one of the examples. The poet also mentions sensory issues like physical sense, instinct, thought, reflection, and reason. There’s also a reason which is above everything. In section 8, the poet reclaims that if humans break God’s rules of order and fail to obey are broken, then the entire God’s creation must also be destroyed. In section 9, he talks about human craziness and the desire to overthrow God’s order and break all the rules. In the last section the speaker requests and invites humans to submit to God and His power to follow his order. When humans submit to God’s absolute submission, His will, and ensure to do what’s right, then human remains safe in God’s hand.
• Major Themes in “An Essay on Man: Epistle I”: Acceptance, God’s superiority, and man’s nature are the major themes of this poem Throughout the poem, the speaker tries to justify the working of God, believing there is a reason behind all things. According to the speaker, a man should not try to examine the perfection and imperfection of any creature. Rather, he should understand the purpose of his own existence in the world. He should acknowledge that God has created everything according to his plan and that man’s narrow intellectual ability can never be able to comprehend the greater logic of God’s order.

Analysis of Literary Devices Used in “An Essay on Man: Epistle I”

literary devices are modes that represent writers’ ideas, feelings, and emotions. It is through these devices the writers make their few words appealing to the readers. Alexander Pope has also used some literary devices in this poem to make it appealing. The analysis of some of the literary devices used in this poem has been listed below.

• Assonance : Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line. For example, the sound of /o/ in “To him no high, no low, no great, no small” and the sound of /i/ in “The whisp’ring zephyr, and the purling rill?”
• Anaphora : It refers to the repetition of a word or expression in the first part of some verses. For example, “As full, as perfect,” in the second last stanza of the poem to emphasize the point of perfection.
• Alliteration : Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession. For example, the sound of /m/ in “A mighty maze! but not without a plan”, the sound of /b/ “And now a bubble burst, and now a world” and the sound of /th/ in “Subjected, these to those, or all to thee.”
• Enjambment : It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break ; instead, it rolls over to the next line. For example.

“Lo! the poor Indian, whose untutor’d mind Sees God in clouds, or hears him in the wind.”

• Imagery : Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example, “All chance, direction, which thou canst not see”, “Planets and suns run lawless through the sky” and “Where, one step broken, the great scale’s destroy’d”
• Rhetorical Question : Rhetorical question is a question that is not asked in order to receive an answer; it is just posed to make the point clear and to put emphasis on the speaker’s point. For example, “Why has not man a microscopic eye?”, “And what created perfect?”—Why then man?” and “What matter, soon or late, or here or there?”

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “An Essay on Man: Epistle I”

Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.

• Heroic Couplet : There are two constructive lines in heroic couplet joined by end rhyme in iambic pentameter . For example,

“And, spite of pride, in erring reason’s spite, One truth is clear, Whatever is, is right.”

• Rhyme Scheme : The poem follows the ABAB rhyme scheme and this pattern continues till the end.
• Stanza : A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. This is a long poem divided into ten sections and each section contains different numbers of stanzas in it.

Quotes to be Used

The lines stated below are useful to put in a speech delivered on the topic of God’s grandeur. These are also useful for children to make them understand that we constitute just a part of the whole.

“ All nature is but art, unknown to thee; All chance, direction, which thou canst not see; All discord, harmony, not understood; All partial evil, universal good.”

Related posts:

• Eloisa to Abelard
• My Last Duchess
• Ode to a Nightingale
• A Red, Red Rose
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
• The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
• Death, Be Not Proud
• “Hope” is the Thing with Feathers
• I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died
• I Carry Your Heart with Me
• The Second Coming
• Ode on a Grecian Urn
• A Visit from St. Nicholas
• The Owl and the Pussy-Cat
• A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning
• God’s Grandeur
• A Psalm of Life
• To His Coy Mistress
• Ode to the West Wind
• Miniver Cheevy
• The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls
• Not Waving but Drowning
• Thanatopsis
• Home Burial
• The Passionate Shepherd to His Love
• Nothing Gold Can Stay
• In the Bleak Midwinter
• The Chimney Sweeper
• Still I Rise
• See It Through
• The Arrow and the Song
• The Emperor of Ice-Cream
• To an Athlete Dying Young
• Success is Counted Sweetest
• Lady Lazarus
• The Twelve Days of Christmas
• On Being Brought from Africa to America
• Jack and Jill
• Much Madness is Divinest Sense
• Little Boy Blue
• On the Pulse of Morning
• Theme for English B
• From Endymion
• Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird
• Insensibility
• The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
• A Bird, Came Down the Walk
• To My Mother
• In the Desert
• Neutral Tones
• Blackberry-Picking
• Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church
• On My First Son
• We Are Seven
• Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood
• Sonnet 55: Not Marble nor the Gilded Monuments
• There’s a Certain Slant of Light
• To a Skylark
• The Haunted Palace
• Buffalo Bill’s
• Arms and the Boy
• The Children’s Hour
• In Memoriam A. H. H. OBIIT MDCCCXXXIII: 27
• New Year’s Day
• Love Among The Ruins
• She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways
• This Is Just To Say
• To — — –. Ulalume: A Ballad
• Who Has Seen the Wind?
• The Landlord’s Tale. Paul Revere’s Ride
• The Chambered Nautilus
• The Wild Swans at Coole
• The Hunting of the Snark

Post navigation

An Essay on Man

An Essay on Man is a poem written by Alexander Pope in 1733–1734. It is a rationalistic effort to use philosophy in order to, as John Milton attempted, justify the ways of God to man. It is concerned with the part evil plays in the world and with the social order God has decreed for man. Because man cannot know God's purposes, he cannot complain about the existence of evil and must accept that Whatever is, is right. More than any other work, it popularized optimistic philosophy throughout England and the rest of Europe.

• 1 Epistle I
• 2 Epistle II
• 3 Epistle III
• 4 Epistle IV
• 6 External links

Epistle I [ edit ]

• Line 139. Compare: "All the parts of the universe I have an interest in: the earth serves me to walk upon; the sun to light me; the stars have their influence upon me", Montaigne , Apology for Raimond Sebond .
• Line 217. Compare: "Much like a subtle spider which doth sit / In middle of her web, which spreadeth wide; / If aught do touch the utmost thread of it, / She feels it instantly on every side", John Davies , The Immortality of the Soul .
• Line 225. Compare: "Great wits are sure to madness near allied, / And thin partitions do their bounds divide", John Dryden , Absalom and Achitophel , part I, line 163.
• Line 289. Compare: "Whatever is, is in its causes just", John Dryden , Œdipus , Act III, scene 1.

Epistle II [ edit ]

• Line 1. Compare: "La vray science et le vray étude de l'homme c'est l'homme" (Translated: "The true science and the true study of man is man"), Pierre Charron , De la Sagesse , lib. i. chap. 1; "Trees and fields tell me nothing: men are my teachers", Plato , Phædrus .
• Line 13. Compare: "What a chimera, then, is man! what a novelty, what a monster, what a chaos, what a subject of contradiction, what a prodigy! A judge of all things, feeble worm of the earth, depositary of the truth, cloaca of uncertainty and error, the glory and the shame of the universe", Blaise Pascal , Thoughts , chap. x.
• Line 217. Compare: " For truth has such a face and such a mien, As to be lov’d needs only to be seen", John Dryden , The Hind and the Panther , Part I, line 33.

Epistle III [ edit ]

• Line 45; comparable with: "Why may not a goose say thus?… there is nothing that yon heavenly roof looks upon so favourably as me; I am the darling of Nature. Is it not man that keeps and serves me? ", Michel de Montaigne , "Apology for Raimond Lebond".
• Line 303, this relates to the biblical "Faith, Hope and Charity" of Paul of Tarsus , in I Corinthians , Ch. 13, v. 13. " And now abideth And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. " It is also comparable with Abraham Cowley , On the Death of Crashaw : "His faith , perhaps, in some nice tenets might / Be wrong; his life , I'm sure, was in the right."

Epistle IV [ edit ]

• Lines 79-82.
• Line 247. Compare: "Man is his own star; and that soul that can / Be honest is the only perfect man", John Fletcher , Upon an "Honest Man’s Fortune" .
• Line 281. Compare: "Charm'd with the foolish whistling of a name", Abraham Cowley , Virgil, Georgics , Book ii, Line 72; "May see thee now, though late, redeem thy name, And glorify what else is damn'd to fame", Richard Savage , Character of Foster .
• Line 331. Compare: "One follows Nature and Nature’s God; that is, he follows God in his works and in his word", Henry, Viscount Bolingbroke St. John , Letter to Alexander Pope . Later used by Thomas Jefferson in the language of the Declaration of Independence , asserting that a people may "assume among the powers of the earth the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them".
• Line 379. Compare: " D'une voix légère / Passer du grave au doux, du plaisant au sévère ", Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux , The Art of Poetry , Canto I, line 75 (translated by John Dryden as "Happy who in his verse can gently steer / From grave to light, from pleasant to severe").
• Line 397. Compare: "'Tis virtue makes the bliss where'er we dwell", William Collins Oriental Eclogues , i, line 5.

About [ edit ]

• Samuel Johnson , The Life of Pope (1781).

External links [ edit ]

• Full text at Project Gutenberg
• An introduction to the poem from a Hartwicke College professor: [1]

• Alexander Pope books

Navigation menu

An Essay on Man: Epistle I

Pope, alexander (1688 - 1744).

• Subscriber Services
• For Authors
• Publications
• Archaeology
• Art & Architecture
• Bilingual dictionaries
• Classical studies
• Encyclopedias
• English Dictionaries and Thesauri
• Language reference
• Linguistics
• Media studies
• Medicine and health
• Names studies
• Performing arts
• Science and technology
• Social sciences
• Society and culture
• Overview Pages
• Subject Reference
• English Dictionaries
• Bilingual Dictionaries

Recently viewed (0)

• Save Search

Edited by: Susan Ratcliffe

• Share This Facebook LinkedIn Twitter

Related Content

In this work.

• Joseph Addison (1672–1719)
• Publishing Information
• How to use this work
• Previous Version

Alexander Pope 1688–1744 English poet  

• Poetic Justice, with her lifted scale.   The Dunciad (1742) bk. 1, l. 52
• Gentle Dullness ever loves a joke.   The Dunciad (1742) bk. 2, l. 34
• A brain of feathers, and a heart of lead.   The Dunciad (1742) bk. 2, l. 44
• All crowd, who foremost shall be damned to Fame.   The Dunciad (1742) bk. 3, l. 158
• A wit with dunces, and a dunce with wits.   The Dunciad (1742) bk. 4, l. 90
• The Right Divine of Kings to govern wrong.   The Dunciad (1742) bk. 4, l. 187
• Lo! thy dread empire, Chaos! is restored; Light dies before thy uncreating word: Thy hand, great Anarch! lets the curtain fall; And universal darkness buries all.   The Dunciad (1742) bk. 4, l. 653
• Vital spark of heav'nly flame! Quit, oh quit this mortal frame: Trembling, hoping, ling'ring, flying, Oh the pain, the bliss of dying!   ‘The Dying Christian to his Soul’ (1730); see Hadrian
• How happy is the blameless Vestal's lot! The world forgetting, by the world forgot.   ‘Eloisa to Abelard’ (1717) l. 207
• Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!   ‘Eloisa to Abelard’ (1717) l. 209
• I am his Highness' dog at Kew; Pray, tell me sir, whose dog are you?   ‘Epigram Engraved on the Collar of a Dog which I gave to his Royal Highness’ (1738)
• Sir, I admit your gen'ral rule That every poet is a fool: But you yourself may serve to show it, That every fool is not a poet.   ‘Epigram from the French’ (1732)
• You beat your pate, and fancy wit will come: Knock as you please, there's nobody at home.   ‘Epigram: You beat your pate’ (1732)
• As yet a child, nor yet a fool to fame, I lisped in numbers, for the numbers came.   ‘An Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot’ (1735) l. 127
• The Muse but served to ease some friend, not wife, To help me through this long disease, my life.   ‘An Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot’ (1735) l. 131
• Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer, And without sneering, teach the rest to sneer.   of Addison ‘An Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot’ (1735) l. 201; see Wycherley
• ‘Satire or sense, alas! can Sporus feel? Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel?’   of Lord Hervey ‘An Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot’ (1735) l. 307; see Anonymous
• Unlearn'd, he knew no schoolman's subtle art, No language, but the language of the heart.   of his own father ‘An Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot’ (1735) l. 398
• Who shall decide, when doctors disagree?   Epistles to Several Persons ‘To Lord Bathurst’ (1733) l. 1
• The ruling passion, be it what it will, The ruling passion conquers reason still.   Epistles to Several Persons ‘To Lord Bathurst’ (1733) l. 155; see Pope
• Consult the genius of the place in all.   Epistles to Several Persons ‘To Lord Burlington’ (1731) l. 57; see Virgil
• 'Tis education forms the common mind, Just as the twig is bent, the tree's inclined.   Epistles to Several Persons ‘To Lord Cobham’ (1734) l. 101
• Search then the Ruling Passion: There, alone, The wild are constant, and the cunning known; The fool consistent, and the false sincere.   Epistles to Several Persons ‘To Lord Cobham’ (1734) l. 174; see Pope
• Nature, and Nature's laws lay hid in night. God said, Let Newton be! and all was light.   ‘Epitaph: Intended for Sir Isaac Newton’ (1730); see Squire
• Unerring Nature, still divinely bright, One clear, unchanged, and universal light, Life, force and beauty must to all impart, At once the source and end and test of art.   An Essay on Criticism (1711) l. 70
• Great wits sometimes may gloriously offend, And rise to faults true critics dare not mend. From vulgar bounds with brave disorder part And snatch a grace beyond the reach of art.   An Essay on Criticism (1711) l. 152
• A little learning is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring.   An Essay on Criticism (1711) l. 215
• Hills peep o'er hills, and Alps on Alps arise!   An Essay on Criticism (1711) l. 232
• Whoever thinks a faultless piece to see, Thinks what ne'er was, nor is, nor e'er shall be.   An Essay on Criticism (1711) l. 253
• True wit is Nature to advantage dressed, What oft was thought, but ne'er so well expressed.   An Essay on Criticism (1711) l. 297
• Words are like leaves; and where they most abound, Much fruit of sense beneath is rarely found.   An Essay on Criticism (1711) l. 309
• Expression is the dress of thought. An Essay on Criticism (1711) l. 318; see Johnson, Wesley
• A needless Alexandrine ends the song, That, like a wounded snake, drags its slow length along.   An Essay on Criticism (1711) l. 356
• True ease in writing comes from art, not chance.   An Essay on Criticism (1711) l. 362
• The sound must seem an echo to the sense.   An Essay on Criticism (1711) l. 365
• But when loud surges lash the sounding shore, The hoarse, rough verse should like the torrent roar. When Ajax strives, some rock's vast weight to throw, The line too labours, and the words move slow.   An Essay on Criticism (1711) l. 368
• Some praise at morning what they blame at night; But always think the last opinion right.   An Essay on Criticism (1711) l. 430
• To err is human; to forgive, divine.   An Essay on Criticism (1711) l. 525; see Anonymous
• All seems infected that th'infected spy, As all looks yellow to the jaundiced eye.   An Essay on Criticism (1711) l. 558
• Men must be taught as if you taught them not, And things unknown proposed as things forgot.   An Essay on Criticism (1711) l. 574
• The bookful blockhead, ignorantly read, With loads of learned lumber in his head.   An Essay on Criticism (1711) l. 612
• For fools rush in where angels fear to tread.   An Essay on Criticism (1711) l. 625
• Eye Nature's walks, shoot Folly as it flies, And catch the Manners living as they rise. Laugh where we must, be candid where we can; But vindicate the ways of God to man.   An Essay on Man Epistle 1 (1733) l. 13; see Milton
• Hope springs eternal in the human breast: Man never Is, but always To be blest.   An Essay on Man Epistle 1 (1733) l. 95
• Lo! the poor Indian, whose untutored mind Sees God in clouds, or hears him in the wind.   An Essay on Man Epistle 1 (1733) l. 99
• Why has not man a microscopic eye? For this plain reason, man is not a fly.   An Essay on Man Epistle 1 (1733) l. 193
• Die of a rose in aromatic pain?   An Essay on Man Epistle 1 (1733) l. 200; see Winchilsea
• The spider's touch, how exquisitely fine! Feels at each thread, and lives along the line.   An Essay on Man Epistle 1 (1733) l. 217
• All are but parts of one stupendous whole, Whose body, Nature is, and God the soul.   An Essay on Man Epistle 1 (1733) l. 267
• All nature is but art, unknown to thee; All chance, direction, which thou canst not see; All discord, harmony, not understood; All partial evil, universal good.   An Essay on Man Epistle 1 (1733) l. 289
• And, spite of Pride, in erring Reason's spite, One truth is clear, ‘Whatever is , is right .’   An Essay on Man Epistle 1 (1733) l. 293
• Know then thyself, presume not God to scan; The proper study of mankind is man.   An Essay on Man Epistle 2 (1733) l. 1; see Charron
• Created half to rise, and half to fall; Great lord of all things, yet a prey to all; Sole judge of truth, in endless error hurled; The glory, jest, and riddle of the world!   An Essay on Man Epistle 2 (1733) l. 15
• Vice is a monster of so frightful mien, As, to be hated, needs but to be seen; Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face, We first endure, then pity, then embrace.   An Essay on Man Epistle 2 (1733) l. 217
• The learn'd is happy nature to explore, The fool is happy that he knows no more.   An Essay on Man Epistle 2 (1733) l. 263
• Behold the child, by Nature's kindly law Pleased with a rattle, tickled with a straw.   An Essay on Man Epistle 2 (1733) l. 275
• For forms of government let fools contest; Whate'er is best administered is best.   An Essay on Man Epistle 3 (1733) l. 303
• Thus God and nature linked the gen'ral frame, And bade self-love and social be the same.   An Essay on Man Epistle 3 (1733) l. 317; An Essay on Man Epistle 4 (1734) l. 396 is similar
• What can ennoble sots, or slaves, or cowards? Alas! Not all the blood of all the Howards.   An Essay on Man Epistle 4 (1734) l. 205
• An honest man's the noblest work of God.   An Essay on Man Epistle 4 (1734) l. 248; see Ingersoll
• Thou wert my guide, philosopher, and friend.   An Essay on Man Epistle 4 (1734) l. 380
• Achilles' wrath, to Greece the direful spring Of woes unnumbered, heavenly goddess, sing!   translation of The Iliad (1715) bk. 1, l. 1; see Homer
• Get place and wealth, if possible, with grace; If not, by any means get wealth and place.   Imitations of Horace bk. 1, Epistle 1 (1738) l. 103; see Horace
• Not to admire, is all the art I know, To make men happy, and to keep them so.   Imitations of Horace bk. 1, Epistle 6 (1738) l. 1; see Horace
• There still remains, to mortify a wit, The many-headed monster of the pit.   Imitations of Horace bk. 2, Epistle 1 (1737) l. 304
• Learn to live well, or fairly make your will; You've played, and loved, and ate, and drunk your fill: Walk sober off; before a sprightlier age Comes tittering on, and shoves you from the stage.   Imitations of Horace (1737) bk. 2, epistle 2
• The feast of reason and the flow of soul.   Imitations of Horace bk. 2, Satire 1 (1734) l. 128
• For I, who hold sage Homer's rule the best, Welcome the coming, speed the going guest.   Imitations of Horace bk. 2, Satire 2 (1734) l. 159; Pope's translation of The Odyssey (1725–6) bk. 15, l. 84, has ‘Speed the parting guest’
• Let humble Allen, with an awkward shame, Do good by stealth, and blush to find it fame.   Imitations of Horace Epilogue to the Satires (1738) Dialogue 1, l. 135
• Happy the man, whose wish and care A few paternal acres bound, Content to breathe his native air, In his own ground.   ‘Ode on Solitude’ (written c. 1700, aged about twelve)
• Thus let me live, unseen, unknown; Thus unlamented let me die; Steal from the world, and not a stone Tell where I lie.   ‘Ode on Solitude’ (written c. 1700, aged about twelve)
• Hunger is insolent, and will be fed. translation of The Odyssey (1725) bk. 7, l. 300
• What dire offence from am'rous causes springs, What mighty contests rise from trivial things.   The Rape of the Lock (1714) canto 1, l. 1
• Beauty draws us with a single hair.   The Rape of the Lock (1714) canto 2, l. 28
• Here thou, great Anna! whom three realms obey, Dost sometimes counsel take—and sometimes tea.   The Rape of the Lock (1714) canto 3, l. 7
• At ev'ry word a reputation dies.   The Rape of the Lock (1714) canto 3, l. 16
• The hungry judges soon the sentence sign, And wretches hang that jury-men may dine.   The Rape of the Lock (1714) canto 3, l. 21
• Coffee, (which makes the politician wise, And see thro' all things with his half-shut eyes).   The Rape of the Lock (1714) canto 3, l. 117
• Teach me to feel another's woe; To hide the fault I see; That mercy I to others show, That mercy show to me.   ‘The Universal Prayer’ (1738)
• ‘Blessed is the man who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed’ was the ninth beatitude. letter to Fortescue, 23 September 1725
• A man should never be ashamed to own he has been in the wrong, which is but saying, in other words, that he is wiser to-day than he was yesterday. Miscellanies (1727) vol. 2 ‘Thoughts on Various Subjects’
• It is with narrow-souled people as with narrow-necked bottles: the less they have in them, the more noise they make in pouring it out. Miscellanies (1727) vol. 2 ‘Thoughts on Various Subjects’
• When men grow virtuous in their old age, they only make a sacrifice to God of the devil's leavings. Miscellanies (1727) vol. 2 ‘Thoughts on Various Subjects’
• All gardening is landscape-painting. Joseph Spence Anecdotes (ed. J. Osborn, 1966) no. 606
• Here am I, dying of a hundred good symptoms. to George, Lord Lyttelton, 15 May 1744
• Oxford University Press

PRINTED FROM OXFORD REFERENCE (www.oxfordreference.com). (c) Copyright Oxford University Press, 2023. All Rights Reserved. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an individual user may print out a PDF of a single entry from a reference work in OR for personal use (for details see Privacy Policy and Legal Notice ).

date: 29 April 2024

• Cookie Policy
• Privacy Policy
• Legal Notice
• Accessibility
• [66.249.64.20|195.216.135.184]
• 195.216.135.184

Character limit 500 /500

Alexander Pope: 'Hope springs eternal in the human breast: Man never is, but always to be blest.'

Hope springs eternal in the human breast: Man never is, but always to be blest.

In the realm of philosophy and introspective thought, one quote that has captured the attention and fascination of many minds is Alexander Pope's timeless observation, "Hope springs eternal in the human breast: Man never is, but always to be blessed." This profound statement encapsulates the essence of human nature, illustrating our innate ability to believe in a brighter tomorrow regardless of our present circumstances. It speaks to the enduring resilience that resides within us, and emphasizes our ceaseless quest for fulfillment and happiness.At its core, Pope's quote highlights the indomitable spirit of hope that characterizes the human condition. The very essence of humanity lies in our ability to dream, aspire, and persistently seek improvement. It serves as a constant reminder of our capacity to envision a better future, to strive for purpose, and to believe in the possibility of achieving a state of contentment and bliss. It is an optimistic outlook, a beacon of light in even the darkest of times, reminding us that no matter how arduous our journey may be, hope will persist and motivate us.This notion of perpetual hope is a powerful and enduring concept. It taps into the depths of our consciousness and encourages us to embrace a mindset of continuous growth and evolution. From a psychological standpoint, hope acts as a catalyst for resilience and perseverance, providing individuals with the strength and determination necessary to overcome obstacles and face adversity head-on. It operates as a driving force, igniting our spirit and propelling us forward through the trials and tribulations of life.However, alongside this unwavering hope lies an intriguing philosophical concept that challenges our conventional understanding of fulfillment and happiness. It challenges us to question the pursuit of eternal happiness, to delve deeper into the notion of contentment, and to explore alternative paradigms of fulfillment.While hope may be everlasting, the pursuit of complete happiness proves to be elusive. Pope's quote accentuates the perpetual nature of our quest for fulfillment - "Man never is, but always to be blessed." It suggests that human nature is characterized by an inherent restlessness and an insatiable desire for more. No matter how seemingly perfect our circumstances, there is always an aspiration for something beyond our current state. This intrinsic desire for improvement can be viewed as a double-edged sword, spurring growth and potential, yet never allowing us to fully embrace and savor the present moment.This contrasting perspective invites us to contemplate the delicate balance between aspiration and contentment. Should we be consumed by an eternal pursuit of happiness, or should we focus on finding joy and satisfaction in the present moment? It challenges the notion of progress being synonymous with happiness and encourages a shift in perspective towards gratitude and acceptance.So, while hope springs eternal, and the pursuit of happiness remains an inherent part of our human experience, it is vital that we also cultivate an appreciation for the present. To find solace in the journey, to celebrate growth, and to acknowledge that fulfillment can be found in the simplest joys of life. Striking a harmonious balance between hope and contentment is at the heart of living a truly fulfilling and purpose-driven existence.In conclusion, Alexander Pope's profound reflection, "Hope springs eternal in the human breast: Man never is, but always to be blessed," encapsulates the enduring nature of hope within the human spirit. It emphasizes our unwavering belief in a brighter future, and our persistent desire for fulfillment and happiness. However, it also calls into question the relentless pursuit of eternal happiness and challenges us to find solace in the present moment. Ultimately, striking a delicate balance between hope and contentment is the key to leading a truly enriched and meaningful life.

Alexander Pope: 'Blessed is the man who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed was the ninth beatitude.'

Alexander pope: 'for forms of government let fools contest; whatever is best administered is best.'.

Alexander Pope - From an Essay on Man

Heav’n from all creatures hides the book of fate, All but the page prescrib’d, their present state: From brutes what men, from men what spirits know: Or who could suffer being here below? The lamb thy riot dooms to bleed today, Had he thy reason, would he skip and play? Pleas’d to the last, he crops the flow’ry food, And licks the hand just rais’d to shed his blood. Oh blindness to the future! kindly giv’n, That each may fill the circle mark’d by Heav’n: Who sees with equal eye, as God of all, A hero perish, or a sparrow fall, Atoms or systems into ruin hurl’d, And now a bubble burst, and now a world.

Hope humbly then; with trembling pinions soar; Wait the great teacher Death; and God adore. What future bliss, he gives not thee to know, But gives that hope to be thy blessing now. Hope springs eternal in the human breast: Man never is, but always to be blest: The soul, uneasy and confin’d from home, Rests and expatiates in a life to come.

Lo! the poor Indian, whose untutor’d mind Sees God in clouds, or hears him in the wind; His soul, proud science never taught to stray Far as the solar walk, or milky way; Yet simple nature to his hope has giv’n, Behind the cloud topp’d hill, an humbler heav’n; Some safer world in depth of woods embrac’d, Some happier island in the wat’ry waste, Where slaves once more their native land behold, No fiends torment, no Christians thirst for gold. To be, contents his natural desire, He asks no angel’s wing, no seraph’s fire; But thinks, admitted to that equal sky.

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

What Does the Phrase ‘Hope Springs Eternal’ Mean?

“Hope Springs Eternal” is a confidence that what we expect will happen, and we can wait for it with peace and joy. Such hope outweighs and overwhelms current circumstances, whatever they may be.

People always hope for the best, even in the face of adversity. So says a guy named Alexander Pope, in a poem he wrote entitled “An Essay on Man,”

“Hope springs eternal in the human breast; Man never Is, but always To be blest. The soul, uneasy, and confin’d from home, rests and expatiates in a life to come.”

To be honest, I am probably the farthest thing from a poetic scholar or expert. I took American Lit in high school, and while I passed, barely, my friend Dean and I competed for who understood poetry the least.

Thus, I will not try to discuss the overall meaning or intention of Pope’s poem. However, in my truly uninformed opinion, Pope seemed to be arguing that while life seems pointless to one living in the middle of it, order can be found in God.

That said, I think very few people who have spoken the phrase “hope springs eternal” even realize it comes from a classic piece of literature, which serves as an affirmative poem on faith.

In the same way, many use other turns of phrase they don’t realize come from the Bible, “apple of my eye” ( Deuteronomy 32:10 ; Psalm 17:8 ), “…a man after my own heart” (1Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22 ).

Very much like those verses, people have taken Pope’s phrase and turned it into a glib cliché or shallow saying. We might hear “Oh you know, hope springs eternal” when someone buys a lottery ticket or hoping your favorite team wins the championship despite several losing seasons.

People will keep on hoping regardless of the odds against them — and the phrase seems to be utilized when those odds are largely stacked against them, and the desired outcome is highly unlikely. The term “pipe dream” easily comes to mind. A wish made with little to no confidence that it will occur.

This raises what I believe are greater questions: what is the biblical viewpoint on “hope” and does it indeed “spring eternal?” When Paul writes about “the hope” that is part of the gospel message, is it the same “hope” we refer to today?

What Is Biblical Hope?

I have often said that when we attempt to translate words from other languages into English, we confront a challenge. So often, our words are so literal — lacking depth and meaning. So many requiring many more adjectives to convey the feeling  or to leave the true impression intended.

It is why I believe we are at a loss when reading the Bible unless we are fluent in Hebrew or Greek. Greek has at least four different words for love , each with its own connotation — erotic love, love of friends or brothers, love of parents or children, and God’s love for mankind and that love returned. All different words in Greek — but one and the same in English.

In the Old Testament, we see the Hebrew word(s) for hope  some 48 times. For very good reason, though, the term has a somewhat different connotation than that used in the New Testament. The words used refer much more to waiting and enduring.

Obviously, this is true because the Messiah was expected but had not yet come. While that is an important point, let’s put our focus on what hope means in the New Testament. In other words, what hope means to a disciple of Jesus Christ.

The word hope  in the New Testament is from the Greek word elpis . According to Strong’s Concordance, elpis means expectation, trust, and confidence. It comes from the root word elpo, which means to anticipate (with pleasure) and to welcome.  Elpis is an expectation of what is guaranteed.

What is guaranteed? That is worth repeating. Elpis  refers to what is guaranteed. Elpis  appears more than 50 times in the New Testament. Each time it is used to describe an anticipation of future events that are certain to come.

Hope, as used in the New Testament, means looking toward the future with confidence. With the assurance of trust in God’s promises, as fulfilled in Jesus Christ. It comes with a sense of joy, and it’s all related to Jesus Christ.

Not wishful thinking, as used today and implies so much doubt. On the contrary, it is a confidence that what we expect will happen, and we can wait for it with peace and joy. Such hope outweighs and overwhelms current circumstances, whatever they may be.

Putting it another way — “Christian hope is a confidence that something will come to pass because God has promised it will come to pass” (John Piper).

Biblical hope is based on faith and trust.

How Can I Find Comfort from God After Losing My Job?

What Is the Difference Between Faith and Hope?

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” ( Hebrews 11:1 ).

Faith and hope go hand-in-hand — one cannot be had without the other. If we have no faith, then we also have no hope. Yet, when we have faith in God, that faith generates a hope that tells us what our future holds. We trust in his promises and know they will come to pass.

This article says it this way: “Faith and hope are complimentary. Faith is grounded in the reality of the past; hope is looking to the reality of the future. Without faith, there is no hope, and without hope, there is no true faith.”

Because we have experienced sunrises and sunsets, we have confidence they will occur again and again. Based on our experience with gravity, we know that if we drop something, it will fall to the ground.

Such is our faith and hope in God and in his Son, because of our knowledge and trust in the truth, we have absolute confidence in his promises for our future. Our faith produces our hope.

And so often, Christians need to have faith and hope. When the maze of life takes wrong or unexpected turns; when our lives are turned upside down by unexpected events; when death or illness darken our futures — we must have confidence in the light of hope. And that hope must be based on faith.

Seven Traits of Hope

1. Perseverance brings hope.  “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” ( Romans 5:3-4 ).

2. Hope is always in the future and never seen.  “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we have hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently” ( Romans 8:24-25 )

3. Hope brings joy and peace.  “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” ( Romans 12:12 ).

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” ( Romans 15:13 ).

4. We have hope for a resurrection.  “…we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him” (1Thessalonians 4:13-14).

5. Hope makes us bold.  “Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold” ( 2 Corinthians 3:12 ).

6. Our hope is secure.  “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” ( Hebrews 6:19 ).

7. Without Christ, there is no hope.  “…remember that at that time you were separated from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God” ( Ephesians 2:12 ).

Without Hope Is Without God

If you saw a deaf person on the tracks, and you heard the whistle of the train while they did not — wouldn’t you choose to save them?

Then what would prevent you from trying to save those without hope and without God?

Does not hope spring eternal? Indeed, it does!

For further reading:

What Is Hope and Why Do We Need it so Badly?

Christianity.com’s Top 10 Questions of Hope in 2020

5 Encouraging Psalms to Give Hope in Difficult Times

Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/lmtrochezz

Is it Possible to Be a Christian without Going to Church?

What Are the Radical Demands of Following Jesus?

4 Things Contentment Is and 4 Things Contentment Is Not

7 Biblical Assurances Your Faith Is Real

10 Verses that Remind Us Who God Says We Are

7 Passages for Struggling Married Couples

9 Things to Learn from the People Jesus Valued When He Walked the Earth

Despite the mistakes, setbacks, and misunderstandings, Chris saw through it all how Jesus had changed my soul from the inside out.

Bible Baseball

Play now...

Saintly Millionaire

Bible Jeopardy

Bible Trivia By Category

Bible Trivia Challenge

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience and security.

Hope springs eternal

Origin of: hope springs eternal.

The full quotation is “Hope springs eternal in the human breast” coined by Alexander Pope in An Essay on Man (1733-1734) and soon became proverbial.

U.S. Dictionary.com Newsletter

Fill in the form below and receive news in your email box, hope springs eternal: definition, meaning, and origin.

The proverb " hope springs eternal " means that hope is always present, even in the face of adversity. It is often used to express the belief that things will eventually get better, even if things are tough right now.

"Hope springs eternal" indicates that people maintain optimism and keep hoping, even when things seem challenging.

What Does "Hope Springs Eternal" Mean?

"Hope springs eternal" is an idiomatic expression that conveys the idea that humans inherently possess an enduring sense of hope, no matter the difficulties they face. It expresses the notion that people retain hope and optimism, even in discouraging circumstances.

Let's delve into its core meanings and usage:

• It represents the persistent human quality of optimism, the belief that situations can improve regardless of present difficulties.
• It encourages perseverance, suggesting that as long as hope exists, there's potential for positive change.
• While typically used in a positive context, it can sometimes carry a more cynical tone, pointing to the human tendency to maintain unrealistic expectations.

Where Does "Hope Springs Eternal" Come From?

The phrase "hope springs eternal" comes from Alexander Pope's poem "An Essay on Man" from the 18th century. The full line reads, "Hope springs eternal in the human breast: Man never is, but always to be blest." This poetic line emphasizes the unwavering spirit of optimism in humans.

Alexander Pope is one of the most quoted authors in the English language, and this line has found its way into everyday usage, illustrating the resilience and tenacity of human hope.

Historical Examples

"Well, 'Hope springs eternal' in most of us. In John's case it bubbles for a year and then dries up." - The Penrose Annual, 1907 “But it is easy to see that I have had nothing except hope to cling to, and ‘hope springs eternal,’ as the poet said.” - The President’s Daughter, Nan Britton, 1927

10 Examples of "Hope Springs Eternal" in Sentences

Here are some examples of the idiom in use:

• Despite the company's current financial problems, the employees continue working hard, proving that hope springs eternal .
• Let's seize the moment . After all, hope springs eternal .
• He said, " it is what it is " but hope springs eternal and I believe things will turn out for the better.
• After many unsuccessful attempts, they finally managed to launch their startup, a testament to the fact that hope springs eternal .
• Even after several defeats, the team believes they can win the championship next year. Indeed, hope springs eternal .
• Despite the harsh winter, the sight of the first spring blossom reminds us that hope springs eternal .
• Just checking in to remind you that even in tough times, hope springs eternal .
• Though the political climate is tense, many voters believe things can change for the better - hope springs eternal .
• Sending a message to say I hope all is well with you , and remember, hope springs eternal .
• You know I'm rooting for you , and I do so because hope springs eternal in my heart.

Examples of "Hope Springs Eternal" in Pop Culture

The phrase "hope springs eternal" often appears in pop culture, generally illustrating the idea of enduring optimism and resilience.

Let's look at some instances:

• "Hope Springs Eternal" is a song by the Danish power metal band Pyramaze from the album Disciples of the Sun.
• "Hope Springs Eternal" is a film released in 2016 that tells the story of a teenage girl with cancer who keeps her hope alive.
• In the book "Hope Springs Eternal: An Introduction to the Work of James Boyd White" (2008), the phrase is used to convey the idea of enduring optimism in legal and literary interpretations.

Other/Different Ways to Say "Hope Springs Eternal"

There are numerous alternative expressions that convey a similar meaning to "hope springs eternal."

Here are some of them:

• Optimism persists
• Perseverance endures
• Endless hope
• Resilient expectation
• Unfailing optimism

10 Frequently Asked Questions About "Hope Springs Eternal":

• What does "hope springs eternal" mean?

"Hope springs eternal" implies that people often maintain an optimistic outlook or continue hoping, even when faced with adversity or challenging circumstances.

• How can I use "hope springs eternal" in a sentence?

You can use "hope springs eternal" to suggest continued optimism. For example, "Despite several failed attempts to win the tournament, the team is training harder than ever - hope springs eternal."

• Where does the idiom "hope springs eternal" come from?

The phrase "hope springs eternal" originates from Alexander Pope's poem "An Essay on Man" written in the 18th century.

• Can "hope springs eternal" be used in a negative context?

Although generally used positively to express resilience and optimism, it can sometimes be used more cynically, pointing to an unrealistic or overly hopeful perspective.

• Is "hope springs eternal" an encouraging phrase?

Yes, "hope springs eternal" is typically used to encourage optimism and persistence in the face of challenges.

• Does "hope springs eternal" only apply to personal circumstances?

No, "hope springs eternal" can apply to various scenarios, from personal circumstances to broader social, political, or global situations.

• Can "hope springs eternal" be used in academic writing?

Yes, "hope springs eternal" can be used in academic writing, provided it fits the tone and purpose of the text.

• Does "hope springs eternal" have religious connotations?

While it can have religious overtones, implying faith in better outcomes, its usage is not exclusively religious. It can be used in any context where there is a discussion of hope and optimism.

• Does "hope springs eternal" have similar idioms in other languages?

Yes, the sentiment expressed by "hope springs eternal" is universal, and many languages have expressions that convey a similar sense of enduring optimism.

• Can "hope springs eternal" be used to convey complacency?

No, "hope springs eternal" typically represents an active, resilient form of hope, not passive acceptance or complacency.

Final Thoughts About "Hope Springs Eternal"

The idiom "hope springs eternal" suggests that people often retain a sense of optimism and continue hoping, even in difficult circumstances. This hope can be seen as a testament to human resilience and our capacity to envision better outcomes despite adversity.

Here's a quick recap:

• The phrase implies that hope and optimism persist, even in challenging times.
• While generally positive, the phrase can be used more cynically to point out unrealistic or overly hopeful perspectives.
• It is a testament to human resilience and our enduring capacity to hope for better outcomes.

This phrase encourages us to hold on to hope as a driving force. No matter how bleak things may seem, the prospect of a better future keeps us moving forward.

Related posts:

• No Man Is An Island: Definition, Meaning and Origin
• Practice Makes Perfect: Definition, Meaning and Origin
• Fool Me Once, Shame On You; Fool Me Twice, Shame On Me: Definition, Meaning and Origin
• Best Defense Is A Good Offense: Definition, Meaning and Origin
• Ignorance Is Bliss: Definition, Meaning and Origin
• Love Begets Love: Definition, Meaning, And Origin
• More Haste, Less Speed: Definition, Meaning, and Origin
• Where There's a Will There's a Way: Definition, Meaning, and Origin
• See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil: Definition, Meaning, and Origin
• A Mother Knows Best: Definition Meaning and Origin
• Proof Is In The Pudding: Definition, Meaning, and Origin
• After Meat, Mustard: Definition, Meaning, and Origin
• You've Made Your Bed, Now Lie On It: Definition, Meaning, and Origin
• Why Buy A Cow When You Can Get Milk For Free?: Definition, Meaning, and Origin
• If You Can't Take It, (Then) Don't Dish It Out: Definition, Meaning, and Origin

We encourage you to share this article on Twitter and Facebook . Just click those two links - you'll see why.

It's important to share the news to spread the truth. Most people won't.

• Three Sheets to the Wind: Definition, Meaning, and Origin
• Buy Time: Definition, Meaning, and Origin
• A Roller-Coaster Ride: Definition, Meaning, and Origin
• Take Me Out to Dinner: Definition, Meaning, and Origin

• Money Talks
• Take 2 Show
• Feature Videos
• On-Site Live
• Washington Wrap
• The Rose Report
• Metro & Beyond
• Inside Israel
• A Few Minutes With
• Eye on Europe
• The Current
• Knesset Channel
• For the Record
• Every Soul a World
• Family Room
• Relationships
• Family Living
• Pesach Prep
• Text Messages
• Voice in the Crowd
• The Soapbox
• Perspectives
• Counter Point
• Subscription
• Help Center
• Contributors

Article Contributor Column

Hope springs eternal.

Being hopeful in hard times is a sign not of delusion, but of health

H opefulness, even when illogical, is a healthy state of mind.

In his piece “An Essay on Man” (1732), poet Alexander Pope crafted the famous phrase, “hope springs eternal.” We still like it all these centuries later because it sums up the healthy human spirit. Human beings “hope against hope” in dire situations, when there is no apparent reason to, and no evidence that salvation might arise. But we Jews have always engaged in this sort of belief. Our hope in G-d is part of our national identity and the force that fuels our prayers for Redemption.

I watched all my friends become pregnant with their first child and then their second and third while my own situation never changed. While they were making bar mitzvahs and then weddings, I was still waiting — and hoping — to hold a baby of my own in my arms.

Those close to me tried to discourage me, claiming they didn’t want to see me hurting so much. “Wouldn’t it be better,” they argued, “to just be happy and concentrate on the many blessings you have?” It was hard for me to stay silent when they’d say that. Who were they to rob me of my hope? It came from inside my heart; it kept me going all those years.

They might have been shocked when I finally did have a child at age 46, but I wasn’t. My baby developed in a womb of hope.

When the Brain Says “No”

The brain is a fact-collecting and analyzing machine. However, the heart-brain makes different calculations and, when healthy, can find reason to be hopeful despite the absence of “facts.” Even in the face of a doctor’s dire prognosis or a lack of patient responsiveness, a person can remain hopeful that Hashem will step in with a refuah . And of course, this happens often enough, it’s a “fact” there are always exceptions to the rules, surprising breakthroughs, and even miracles.

However, many people feel this heart-brain is a foolish organ whose goal it is to “trick” weak people into a delusional state of well-being. These stick-to-the-facts people feel their superior intelligence and strength removes the necessity for such childish escape tactics. “You have to face it — life is hard, and things don’t always work out.”

Although that’s true, it’s got nothing to do with hopefulness. In fact, feeling hopeful despite any logical reason to feel that way is an indication of health. “Hope springs eternal” except in those who are emotionally ill.

Everyone tells me to remain hopeful, but what do they know? They’re not living my life. And nothing — I mean, nothing — has ever worked out for me. I had trouble in school, I have a horrible job that will never support me, I live alone while all my friends have all gotten married, my health is poor... what exactly do I have to be hopeful about? 

Anything I’ve ever wanted has failed to materialize, so why should I expect anything good to happen? I’m doomed to suffer.

This poor woman’s situation sounds so bad, one might be excused for thinking despair is logical. Based on facts alone, hopelessness makes sense for all of us at different times — it seems irrational to hope that the marriage will improve or that our child will find his way back. And yet, if we’re healthy, we will experience hopefulness despite a lack of evidence and intellectual reasoning. When we don’t feel that hopefulness, we need to make a medical appointment.

Hopelessness is an Illness

Hopelessness is part of the diagnostic criteria for “major depressive episode.” When we’re in that mindset, it’s not because we’ve cleverly figured out that all the arrows are pointing down. It’s because there’s something broken within our emotional system that needs to be repaired.

We don’t have to prove to ourselves or anyone else that our situation is so awful that there is no point in hoping — because hope requires no justification. It simply flows out of a system that’s working.

Single people in their seventies who are still anticipating finding their bashert are not delusional — they’re actually healthy. However, someone in her forties who has despaired of ever finding a partner may feel she is being realistic, whereas she might be suffering from broken heart syndrome (emotional injury/illness). Instead of wasting time explaining to oneself or others why hopelessness is appropriate, it is far more appropriate for any hopeless person to seek professional intervention.

(Originally featured in Family First, Issue 803)

Oops! We could not locate your form.

RELATED CONTENT

We can’t always be happy, but we can be “whole”

How to cope with the Pre-Pesach chaos

Abigail Shrier makes some very good points

Prevent feelings of betrayal by being up-front from the outset

In the case of being afraid of your kids going off the derech, this means that the frightened parent holds an unreasonable and unfounded panic about the child’s ability to face disappointment or other negative feelings without giving up his or her religion.

A gracious receiver makes the giver feel good

• * sign up to our newsletters