--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We need to brace ourselves for a struggle…" description: "\"We need to brace ourselves for a struggle against terrifying obstacles...bot h of our own making and imposed by the natural world. And the first step i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51f/barbara-ehrenreich-1204_braces_we-need-to-brace-ourselves-for-a-struggl_1243643.jpg" --- # We need to brace ourselves for a struggle against… ![“We need to brace ourselves for a struggle against terrifying obstacles...bot h of our own making and imposed by the natural world. And the first step is to recover from the mass delusion that is positive thinking.” quote by Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51f/barbara-ehrenreich-1204_braces_we-need-to-brace-ourselves-for-a-struggl_1243643.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51f/barbara-ehrenreich-1204_braces_we-need-to-brace-ourselves-for-a-struggl_1243643.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51f/barbara-ehrenreich-1204_braces_we-need-to-brace-ourselves-for-a-struggl_1243643.jpg) > “We need to brace ourselves for a struggle against terrifying obstacles...bot h of our own making and imposed by the natural world. And the first step is to recover from the mass delusion that is positive thinking.” [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We must confront both self‑created and natural challenges, and first reject the illusion that constant optimism solves them. **In simple terms:** Face real obstacles; reject false optimism. Key Takeaway Cultivate realistic optimism. Themes activism critical thinking psychology Mood determined analytical Type activist philosophical When to use this quote - political activism - environmental work - personal goal setting - mental health counseling Key Concepts cognitive bias systemic barriers Questions to Reflect On - What does realistic optimism look like? - How to balance hope and realism? A Different Perspective Overcoming delusion can be demotivating for some. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Braces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/braces/) [Delusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delusion/) [Delusion Positive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delusion-positive-3891663/) [First step](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-step/) [First steps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-steps/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass/) [Mass Delusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass-delusion-633277/) [Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural/) [Natural world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-world/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Obstacles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obstacles/) [Positive thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive-thinking/) [Steps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steps/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Struggle Terrifying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle-terrifying-3891662/) [Terrifying Obstacles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrifying-obstacles-3891664/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“that was bad; i shouldn't have done that to prevent you from entering a catatonic state i am going to maintain a calm facial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/that-was-bad-i-shouldn-t-have-done-that-to-prevent-you-from-entering/) [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) > [What historians will definitely wonder about in future centuries is how deeply flawed logic, obscured by shrewd and unrelenting propaganda, actually enabled a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lindzen/what-historians-will-definitely-wonder-about-in-future-centuries-is/) [Richard Lindzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lindzen/) > [“...there's no task more difficult than duping a sincere, honest man if he has the least bit of intelligence and life experience. Reasonably intelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-chernyshevsky/there-s-no-task-more-difficult-than-duping-a-sincere-honest-man-if-he/) [Nikolai Chernyshevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-chernyshevsky/) > [“The crowd was getting hysterical, so I reached into my back pocket and flippe open my wallet to reveal my badge. "Official business," I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kroese/the-crowd-was-getting-hysterical-so-i-reached-into-my-back-pocket-and/) [Robert Kroese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kroese/) > [“Mass delusion is the only thing that keeps a people sane.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/mass-delusion-is-the-only-thing-that-keeps-a-people-sane/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Mass delusion is the result of the effort. Propaganda is one of the techniques. But it mentioned things like you create a consensus of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/mass-delusion-is-the-result-of-the-effort-propaganda-is-one-of-the/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“I no longer follow the voices of the sane. I follow the ill because they see farther, feel much more and change what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/i-no-longer-follow-the-voices-of-the-sane-i-follow-the-ill-because/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“I do not write this in a spirit of sourness or personal disappointment of any kind, nor do I have any romantic attachment to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/i-do-not-write-this-in-a-spirit-of-sourness-or-personal/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [People in L.A. don't have to brace themselves against the cold; they slack off permanently, and their brains turn to mush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliana-hatfield/people-in-l-a-don-t-have-to-brace-themselves-against-the-cold-they/) [Juliana Hatfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliana-hatfield/) > [We must now brace ourselves for disquisitions on peer pressure, adolescent anomie, and rage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/we-must-now-brace-ourselves-for-disquisitions-on-peer-pressure/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [If you're at the top, then brace for the fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tori-kelly/if-you-re-at-the-top-then-brace-for-the-fall/) [Tori Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tori-kelly/) > [You should have seen me at 14, with braces and glasses, gangly and doing ballet!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-robbie/you-should-have-seen-me-at-14-with-braces-and-glasses-gangly-and/) [Margot Robbie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-robbie/) > [When I got my braces removed, I felt more like a real woman, any traces of my childhood were stripped, just like the cold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-carlson-romano/when-i-got-my-braces-removed-i-felt-more-like-a-real-woman-any-traces/) [Christy Carlson Romano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christy-carlson-romano/) > [I find it frustrating when people wear belts with braces. That's an interesting one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olly-murs/i-find-it-frustrating-when-people-wear-belts-with-braces-that-s-an/) [Olly Murs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olly-murs/) > [As a kid I had buck teeth and braces and acne. I hated what I saw. I'm still not comfortable, but that's why I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/as-a-kid-i-had-buck-teeth-and-braces-and-acne-i-hated-what-i-saw-i-m/) [Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/) ## More by Barbara Ehrenreich > [Money does not bring happiness' - only the wherewithal, perhaps, to endure its absence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/money-does-not-bring-happiness-only-the-wherewithal-perhaps-to-endure/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [Yes. I think the anti-Wal-Mart is Costco, which pays much better and has much better health benefits and which is profitable and offers low…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/yes-i-think-the-anti-wal-mart-is-costco-which-pays-much-better-and/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [Jesus: a wine-guzzling vagrant and precocious socialist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/jesus-a-wine-guzzling-vagrant-and-precocious-socialist/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [ What would it mean in practice to eliminate all the 'negative people' from one's life \[as demanded by motivational speaker J.P. Maroney\]? It might… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/what-would-it-mean-in-practice-to-eliminate-all-the-negative-people/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [Wars produce warlike societies, which in turn make the world more dangerous for other societies, which are thus recruited into being war-prone themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/wars-produce-warlike-societies-which-in-turn-make-the-world-more/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [Heads of state are notoriously ill prepared for their mature careers; think of Adolf Hitler (landscape painter), Ho Chi Minh (seaman), and our own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/heads-of-state-are-notoriously-ill-prepared-for-their-mature-careers/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [Some people make stuff; other people have to buy it. And when we gave up making stuff, starting in the 1980s, we were left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/some-people-make-stuff-other-people-have-to-buy-it-and-when-we-gave/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [ “Robert Jackall’s book \[ Moral Mazes \] impressed on me that corporate dress serves a far more important function than mere body covering. “Proper… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/robert-jackall-s-book-moral-mazes-impressed-on-me-that-corporate/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [war is, in some not yet entirely defined sense, a self-replicating pattern of behavior, possessed of a dynamism not unlike that of living things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/war-is-in-some-not-yet-entirely-defined-sense-a-self-replicating/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [Sometime in the eighties, Americans had a new set of 'traditional values' installed. ... the poor and the middle class were shaken down, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/sometime-in-the-eighties-americans-had-a-new-set-of-traditional/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [Marriage probably originated as a straightforward food-for-sex deal among foraging primates. Compatibility was not a big issue, nor, of course, was there any tension…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/marriage-probably-originated-as-a-straightforward-food-for-sex-deal/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [I became a student of the history of religion. I am fascinated by how religions often center on mystical experience, and in the Old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/i-became-a-student-of-the-history-of-religion-i-am-fascinated-by-how/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [The nation was not founded by habitual groupthinkers. But it stands a fair chance of being destroyed by them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/the-nation-was-not-founded-by-habitual-groupthinkers-but-it-stands-a/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [ “You might discover that, nationwide, America's food banks are experiencing 'a torrent of need which \[they\] cannot meet' and that, according to a survey… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/you-might-discover-that-nationwide-america-s-food-banks-are/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [My Turn is the distilled bathwater of Mrs. Reagan's life. It is for the most part sweetish, with a tart edge of rebuke, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/my-turn-is-the-distilled-bathwater-of-mrs-reagan-s-life-it-is-for-the/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) [Explore all 274 Barbara Ehrenreich quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) ## More Braces quotes > [As a kid I had buck teeth and braces and acne. I hated what I saw. I'm still not comfortable, but that's why I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/as-a-kid-i-had-buck-teeth-and-braces-and-acne-i-hated-what-i-saw-i-m/) [Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/) > [I find it frustrating when people wear belts with braces. That's an interesting one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olly-murs/i-find-it-frustrating-when-people-wear-belts-with-braces-that-s-an/) [Olly Murs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olly-murs/) > [When I got my braces removed, I felt more like a real woman, any traces of my childhood were stripped, just like the cold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-carlson-romano/when-i-got-my-braces-removed-i-felt-more-like-a-real-woman-any-traces/) [Christy Carlson Romano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christy-carlson-romano/) > [You should have seen me at 14, with braces and glasses, gangly and doing ballet!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-robbie/you-should-have-seen-me-at-14-with-braces-and-glasses-gangly-and/) [Margot Robbie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-robbie/) > [If you're at the top, then brace for the fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tori-kelly/if-you-re-at-the-top-then-brace-for-the-fall/) [Tori Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tori-kelly/) > [We must now brace ourselves for disquisitions on peer pressure, adolescent anomie, and rage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/we-must-now-brace-ourselves-for-disquisitions-on-peer-pressure/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [People in L.A. don't have to brace themselves against the cold; they slack off permanently, and their brains turn to mush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliana-hatfield/people-in-l-a-don-t-have-to-brace-themselves-against-the-cold-they/) [Juliana Hatfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliana-hatfield/) > [Me without you is like a nerd without braces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-without-you-is-like-a-nerd-without-braces/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was a teenager with braces and into sporty dresses with bright colors and cut-outs. For awhile, I really experimented with what I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/venus-williams/i-was-a-teenager-with-braces-and-into-sporty-dresses-with-bright/) [Venus Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/venus-williams/) > [People called me sharktooth, Dracula. I got made fun of so much cause I couldn't afford braces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle/people-called-me-sharktooth-dracula-i-got-made-fun-of-so-much-cause-i/) [Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle/) > [I've seen a thousand killer smiles and I've heard a million white lies. I want to meet a girl with braces with one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romeo-huerbana/i-ve-seen-a-thousand-killer-smiles-and-i-ve-heard-a-million-white/) [Romeo Huerbana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romeo-huerbana/) > [ER was one of my favourites. I played a car accident victim who has leukemia. I got to wear a neck brace and nose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dakota-fanning/er-was-one-of-my-favourites-i-played-a-car-accident-victim-who-has/) [Dakota Fanning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dakota-fanning/) > [I got picked on a lot. I was a complete geek in school. I had braces. I didn't have the hot girlfriend. I wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-brolin/i-got-picked-on-a-lot-i-was-a-complete-geek-in-school-i-had-braces-i/) [Josh Brolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-brolin/) > [I'm like, 'Yeah, I could afford braces, but why should I change myself to be what everybody else wants me to be when I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becky-g/i-m-like-yeah-i-could-afford-braces-but-why-should-i-change-myself-to/) [Becky G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becky-g/) > [For a time in high school, I had glasses, braces, and a cast. I like to call this look 'no date for homecoming.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-graham/for-a-time-in-high-school-i-had-glasses-braces-and-a-cast-i-like-to/) [Lauren Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-graham/) [Browse all 145 Braces quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/braces/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We need to brace ourselves for a struggle against terrifying obstacles...bot h of our own making and imposed by the natural world. 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