---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Hope is a virtue independently of its…"
description: "\"“Hope is a virtue independently of its realisations; it is an intrinsic value, an end in itself, allied to courage and imagination, a positive attitude..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/956/a-c-grayling-9398_courage_hope-is-a-virtue-independently-of-its-re_1858863.jpg"
---

#  Hope is a virtue independently of its realisations; it is…

![“Hope is a virtue independently of its realisations; it is an intrinsic value, an end in itself, allied to courage and imagination, a positive attitude full of possibility and aspiration. For that reason you discover more about a person when you learn about his hopes than when you count his…” quote by A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/956/a-c-grayling-9398_courage_hope-is-a-virtue-independently-of-its-re_1858863.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/956/a-c-grayling-9398_courage_hope-is-a-virtue-independently-of-its-re_1858863.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/956/a-c-grayling-9398_courage_hope-is-a-virtue-independently-of-its-re_1858863.jpg)

> ““Hope is a virtue independently of its realisations; it is an intrinsic value, an end in itself, allied to courage and imagination, a positive attitude full of possibility and aspiration. For that reason you discover more about a person when you learn about his hopes than when you count his achievements, for the best of what we are lies in what we hope to be.””

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Hope is valuable for its own sake, linked to courage and imagination, revealing deeper character than achievements.

**In simple terms:** Hope matters beyond results.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate hope to understand others.

Themes

character hope values imagination courage

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- leadership
- mentoring
- personal growth
- team building

Key Concepts

intrinsic value positive attitude aspiration

Questions to Reflect On

- How does hope shape your decisions?
- When does hope become self‑deception?

A Different Perspective

Hope can be unrealistic and lead to disappointment.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Intrinsic value](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intrinsic-value/) [Positive attitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive-attitude/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/)

## Related quotes

> [I'm sick of being disappointed all the time. I need to learn not to get my hopes up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-sick-of-being-disappointed-all-the-time-i-need-to-learn-not-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I think that you learn not to have any hopes that are too big when you're in comedy. You're just keeping your head down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-sherman/i-think-that-you-learn-not-to-have-any-hopes-that-are-too-big-when/)

[Sarah Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-sherman/)

> [Let Christ turn your natural optimism into Christian hope, your energy into moral virtue, your good will into genuine self-sacrificin g love! This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/let-christ-turn-your-natural-optimism-into-christian-hope-your-energy/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

> [Hope should no more be a virtue than fear; we fear and we hope, according to what is promised or threatened us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/hope-should-no-more-be-a-virtue-than-fear-we-fear-and-we-hope/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [“…hope is 'that virtue by which we take responsibility for the future.' ...hope is our positive orientation toward the future, a future in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyanda-lynn-haupt/hope-is-that-virtue-by-which-we-take-responsibility-for-the-future-2/)

[Lyanda Lynn Haupt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyanda-lynn-haupt/)

> [Hope is a horrible thing, you know. I don't know who decided to package hope as a virtue because it's not. It's a plague.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/hope-is-a-horrible-thing-you-know-i-don-t-know-who-decided-to-package/)

[Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/)

> [“We are ready to despair too soon, we are ready to say, ‘What’s the good of doing anything?’ Hope is the virtue we should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/we-are-ready-to-despair-too-soon-we-are-ready-to-say-what-s-the-good/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“Hope is 'that virtue by which we take responsibility for the future.' Not just responsibility for our individual futures but also for that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyanda-lynn-haupt/hope-is-that-virtue-by-which-we-take-responsibility-for-the-future/)

[Lyanda Lynn Haupt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyanda-lynn-haupt/)

> [“Charity is the power of defending that which we know to be indefensible. Hope is the power of being cheerful in circumstances which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/charity-is-the-power-of-defending-that-which-we-know-to-be/)

[G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

> [Failure doesn't have anything to do with your intrinsic value as a person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-ellis/failure-doesn-t-have-anything-to-do-with-your-intrinsic-value-as-a/)

[Albert Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-ellis/)

> [It were good to know how much hay an acre of every sort will bear; how many cattle the same weight of each sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-petty/it-were-good-to-know-how-much-hay-an-acre-of-every-sort-will-bear-how/)

[William Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-petty/)

> [“The purpose of history, as I see it, is to uncover the forces which move the pawns on the chess board of the world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willis-a-carto/the-purpose-of-history-as-i-see-it-is-to-uncover-the-forces-which/)

Willis A. Carto

> [I never desire to know anything of the detail of political measures, lest even those which I think best should lose anything of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-kemble/i-never-desire-to-know-anything-of-the-detail-of-political-measures/)

[Fanny Kemble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-kemble/)

> [Virtue and learning, like gold, have their intrinsic value: but if they are not polished, they certainly lose a great deal of their luster:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/virtue-and-learning-like-gold-have-their-intrinsic-value-but-if-they/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [Music has an intrinsic value that touches Americans - they love their music, and want more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-rosen/music-has-an-intrinsic-value-that-touches-americans-they-love-their/)

[Hilary Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-rosen/)

## More by A.C. Grayling

> [“I to je zapravo sustina proslavljanja Dana sv. Valentina:san o ljubavi. Zivot bi zaista bio gorak kada se san nikada ne bi ostvario ili…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/i-to-je-zapravo-sustina-proslavljanja-dana-sv-valentina-san-o-ljubavi/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [Sensible Catholics have for generations been ignoring the views on contraception held by reactionary old men in the Vatican, but alas, since it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/sensible-catholics-have-for-generations-been-ignoring-the-views-on/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [To read is to fly: it is to soar to a point of vantage which gives a view over wide terrains of history, human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/to-read-is-to-fly-it-is-to-soar-to-a-point-of-vantage-which-gives-a/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [Inculcating the various competing - competing, note - falsehoods of the major faiths into small children is a form of child abuse, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/inculcating-the-various-competing-competing-note-falsehoods-of-the/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [Religions survive mainly because they brainwash the young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/religions-survive-mainly-because-they-brainwash-the-young/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [“Goethe had long since remarked that nationalistic feelings ‘are at their strongest and most violent where there is the lowest degree of culture’.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/goethe-had-long-since-remarked-that-nationalistic-feelings-are-at/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [I do not believe that there are any such things as gods and goddesses, for exactly the same reasons as I do not believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/i-do-not-believe-that-there-are-any-such-things-as-gods-and-goddesses/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [When I was 14 a chaplain at school gave me a reading list. I read everything and I went back to him with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/when-i-was-14-a-chaplain-at-school-gave-me-a-reading-list-i-read/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [ Perhaps worse still is what liberal societies might do to themselves in the face of this new and different threat \[of terrorism\]. They begin,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/perhaps-worse-still-is-what-liberal-societies-might-do-to-themselves/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [Christian churches and Muslim groups have no more right to have their say than women's institutes or trades unions. The government has actively encouraged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/christian-churches-and-muslim-groups-have-no-more-right-to-have-their/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [Everybody is entitled to believe. Churches have exactly the same right to exist as a football club, a trade union or a political party.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/everybody-is-entitled-to-believe-churches-have-exactly-the-same-right/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [“The notion that evil is non-rational is a more significant claim for Eagleton than at first appears, because he is (in this book \[…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/the-notion-that-evil-is-non-rational-is-a-more-significant-claim-for/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [And I say, the meaning of life is what you make it. There will be as many different meaningful lives as there are people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/and-i-say-the-meaning-of-life-is-what-you-make-it-there-will-be-as/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [“Hatred is a sentiment that leads to the extinction of values. ORTEGA Y GASSET”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/hatred-is-a-sentiment-that-leads-to-the-extinction-of-values-ortega-y/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [Behave in life as at a dinner party. Is anything brought around to you? Put out your hand and take your share with moderation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/behave-in-life-as-at-a-dinner-party-is-anything-brought-around-to-you/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

[Explore all 73 A.C. Grayling quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

## More Courage quotes

> [The greatest act of courage is to be and to ownall of who you are—without apology, without excuses, without masks to cover the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-ford/the-greatest-act-of-courage-is-to-be-and-to-ownall-of-who-you-are/)

[Debbie Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-ford/)

> [“It takes tremendous courage, persistence, and perseverance to pursue your ultimate purpose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/it-takes-tremendous-courage-persistence-and-perseverance-to-pursue/)

[Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/)

> [“Yes, the issue was courage. It always had been, even as a kid. Things scared him. He couldn't help it. Noise scared him, dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/yes-the-issue-was-courage-it-always-had-been-even-as-a-kid-things/)

[Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/)

> [Our young Marines of today are courageous, willing to make sacrifices, and are marvelous team players. I am confident our Corps, and indeed our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-conway/our-young-marines-of-today-are-courageous-willing-to-make-sacrifices/)

James T. Conway

> [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [“Tranquillity is courage in repose. It is a statical manifestation of valor, as daring deeds are a dynamical. A truly brave man is ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inazo-nitobe/tranquillity-is-courage-in-repose-it-is-a-statical-manifestation-of/)

[Inazo Nitobe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inazo-nitobe/)

> [When you heed the calling of your heart, you are following your purpose. Having purpose in your life gives you the courage to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-britten/when-you-heed-the-calling-of-your-heart-you-are-following-your/)

[Rhonda Britten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-britten/)

> [“Of all the train, none escaped except Wamba, who showed upon the occasion much more courage than those who pretended to greater sense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-scott/of-all-the-train-none-escaped-except-wamba-who-showed-upon-the/)

[Walter Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-scott/)

> [The four Cs of making dreams come true: Curiosity, Courage, Consistency, Confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/the-four-cs-of-making-dreams-come-true-curiosity-courage-consistency/)

[Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/)

> [Certainly these are not easy times. But history does not contain very many easy times. Years from now, we will look back at this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingraham/certainly-these-are-not-easy-times-but-history-does-not-contain-very/)

[Laura Ingraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingraham/)

> [Have the courage to go against the tide of current values that do not conform to the path of Jesus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/have-the-courage-to-go-against-the-tide-of-current-values-that-do-not/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

> [“There is nothing purer, braver, or more beautiful than the try.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-armstrong/there-is-nothing-purer-braver-or-more-beautiful-than-the-try/)

Kristen Armstrong

> [“One theory on cannibals, of course, is that they eat parts of their slain enemies to benefit from that person's greatest assets - their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-powell/one-theory-on-cannibals-of-course-is-that-they-eat-parts-of-their/)

[Julie Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-powell/)

> [It is a tragedy that we live in a world where physical courage is so common, and moral courage is so rare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-monet/it-is-a-tragedy-that-we-live-in-a-world-where-physical-courage-is-so/)

[Claude Monet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-monet/)

> [I have pictures with Morimoto where I'm all embarrassed and he's so serious, it took me 30 minutes to get up the courage to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcela-valladolid/i-have-pictures-with-morimoto-where-i-m-all-embarrassed-and-he-s-so/)

[Marcela Valladolid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcela-valladolid/)

[Browse all 14,559 Courage quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Hope is a virtue independently of its realisations; it is an intrinsic value, an end in itself, allied to courage and imagination, a positive attitude full of possibility and aspiration. For that reason you discover more about a person when you learn about his hopes than when you count his achievements, for the best of what we are lies in what we hope to be.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "A.C. Grayling"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/hope-is-a-virtue-independently-of-its-realisations-it-is-an-intrinsic/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Courage"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/hope-is-a-virtue-independently-of-its-realisations-it-is-an-intrinsic/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/956/a-c-grayling-9398_courage_hope-is-a-virtue-independently-of-its-re_1858863.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/956/a-c-grayling-9398_courage_hope-is-a-virtue-independently-of-its-re_1858863.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/956/a-c-grayling-9398_courage_hope-is-a-virtue-independently-of-its-re_1858863.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Hope is a virtue independently of its realisations; it is an intrinsic value, an end in itself, allied to…” — A.C. Grayling",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "A.C. Grayling",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Hope is a virtue independently of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/hope-is-a-virtue-independently-of-its-realisations-it-is-an-intrinsic/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/hope-is-a-virtue-independently-of-its-realisations-it-is-an-intrinsic/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
