---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To be hopeful, to embrace one possibility…"
description: "\"To be hopeful, to embrace one possibility after another that is surely the basic instinct - crying out: High tide! Time to move out into the glorious d..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/barbara-kingsolver-200_change_to-be-hopeful-to-embrace-one-possibility_2099599.png"
---

#  To be hopeful, to embrace one possibility after another…

![“To be hopeful, to embrace one possibility after another that is surely the basic instinct - crying out: High tide! Time to move out into the glorious debris. Time to take this life for what it is!” quote by Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/barbara-kingsolver-200_change_to-be-hopeful-to-embrace-one-possibility_2099599.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/barbara-kingsolver-200_change_to-be-hopeful-to-embrace-one-possibility_2099599.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/barbara-kingsolver-200_change_to-be-hopeful-to-embrace-one-possibility_2099599.png)

> “To be hopeful, to embrace one possibility after another that is surely the basic instinct - crying out: High tide! Time to move out into the glorious debris. Time to take this life for what it is!”

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

## About This Quote

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

She celebrates hope and resilience, urging people to seize life's challenges and find purpose amid chaos.

**In simple terms:** Embrace hope and act despite life's debris.

Key Takeaway

Find purpose by confronting challenges head‑on.

Themes

hope resilience action

Mood

inspirational reflective

Type

literary motivational

When to use this quote

- career changes
- personal crises
- creative projects
- social activism

Key Concepts

existential optimism personal agency

Questions to Reflect On

- What does “glorious debris” symbolize for you?
- How can hope be turned into concrete action?

A Different Perspective

Optimism may overlook systemic obstacles that limit individual agency.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Cry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cry/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Hopeful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hopeful/) [Instinct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instinct/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility/) [This life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/this-life/) [Tides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tides/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Uplifting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uplifting/)

## Related quotes

> [To be hopeful, to embrace one possibility after another- that is surely the basic instinct! Time to move out into the glorious debris. Time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/to-be-hopeful-to-embrace-one-possibility-after-another-that-is-surely/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [Every one of us is called upon, perhaps many times, to start a new life. A frightening diagnosis, a marriage, a move, loss of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/every-one-of-us-is-called-upon-perhaps-many-times-to-start-a-new-life/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [Love is like a tide. When it's in, everything looks beautiful and inviting. Only when love recedes can you see the debris beneath the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-lette/love-is-like-a-tide-when-it-s-in-everything-looks-beautiful-and/)

[Kathy Lette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-lette/)

> [To be hopeful, to embrace one possibility after another--that is surely the basic instinct. Baser even than hate, the thing with teeth, which can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/to-be-hopeful-to-embrace-one-possibility-after-another-that-is-surely-2/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [Ah, the mysterious croak. Here today, gone tomorrow. It's the best reason I can think of to throw open the blinds and risk belief.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/ah-the-mysterious-croak-here-today-gone-tomorrow-it-s-the-best-reason/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [You have sole custody of your life. Who you are today is not who you have to be tomorrow. Embrace the possibility of transformation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leeza-gibbons/you-have-sole-custody-of-your-life-who-you-are-today-is-not-who-you/)

[Leeza Gibbons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leeza-gibbons/)

> [If you embrace possibility thinking, your dreams will go from molehill to mountain size, and because you believe in possibilities, you put yourself in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/if-you-embrace-possibility-thinking-your-dreams-will-go-from-molehill/)

[John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/)

> [I must go down to the sea again For the call of the running tide It's a wild call and a clear call that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-masefield/i-must-go-down-to-the-sea-again-for-the-call-of-the-running-tide-it-s/)

[John Masefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-masefield/)

> [A person has three choices in life. You can swim against the tide and get exhausted, or you can tread water and let the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-schneider/a-person-has-three-choices-in-life-you-can-swim-against-the-tide-and/)

[Andrew Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-schneider/)

> [Then I walked away, and I did not look back. I had written my troubles on the sand. The tide was coming in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-gordon-webster/then-i-walked-away-and-i-did-not-look-back-i-had-written-my-troubles/)

[Arthur Gordon Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-gordon-webster/)

> [My day is done, and I am like a boat drawn on the beach, listening to the dance-music of the tide in the evening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/my-day-is-done-and-i-am-like-a-boat-drawn-on-the-beach-listening-to/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [The knowledge that she would never be loved in return acted upon her ideas as a tide acts upon cliffs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-wilder/the-knowledge-that-she-would-never-be-loved-in-return-acted-upon-her/)

[Thornton Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thornton-wilder/)

> [. . . in the full tide of successful experiment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/in-the-full-tide-of-successful-experiment/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [There is no drop of water in the ocean, not even in the deepest parts of the abyss, that does not know and respond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-carson/there-is-no-drop-of-water-in-the-ocean-not-even-in-the-deepest-parts/)

[Rachel Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-carson/)

> [I'm old, I'm young, I'm intelligent, I'm stupid. My tide goes in and out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-beatty/i-m-old-i-m-young-i-m-intelligent-i-m-stupid-my-tide-goes-in-and-out/)

[Warren Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-beatty/)

## More by Barbara Kingsolver

> [“Jesus was a more reliable backer, evidently, less likely to drink himself unconscious or get liver cancer. No wonder people chose Him as their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/jesus-was-a-more-reliable-backer-evidently-less-likely-to-drink/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [Now I'm starting to think he wasn't supposed to be my whole life, he was just this doorway to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/now-i-m-starting-to-think-he-wasn-t-supposed-to-be-my-whole-life-he/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [Cooking is 80 percent confidence, a skill best acquired starting from when the apron strings wrap around you twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/cooking-is-80-percent-confidence-a-skill-best-acquired-starting-from/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [“In Bobby Ogle's version of heaven everyone would wind up in one place, criminals and Muslims included.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/in-bobby-ogle-s-version-of-heaven-everyone-would-wind-up-in-one-place/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [“Weeds are job security for the gardener.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/weeds-are-job-security-for-the-gardener/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [“It's what you do that makes your soul, not the other way around.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/it-s-what-you-do-that-makes-your-soul-not-the-other-way-around/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [“Lusa turned to Crys, her eyes shining. "That was a luna." Crys shrugged. "So?" "So? So what? You want it should sing, too?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/lusa-turned-to-crys-her-eyes-shining-that-was-a-luna-crys-shrugged-so/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [The strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/the-strength-of-motherhood-is-greater-than-natural-laws/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [“An imperfectly remembered life is a useless treachery. Every day, more fragments of the past roll around heavily in the chambers of an empty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/an-imperfectly-remembered-life-is-a-useless-treachery-every-day-more/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [Respecting the dignity of a spectacular food means enjoying it at its best. Europeans celebrate the short season of abundant asparagus as a form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/respecting-the-dignity-of-a-spectacular-food-means-enjoying-it-at-its/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [“Somehow it had come to pass that this man was her whole world, and she had failed to take his measure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/somehow-it-had-come-to-pass-that-this-man-was-her-whole-world-and-she/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [After 'The Poisonwood Bible' was published, several people believed that my parents were missionaries, which could not be further from the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/after-the-poisonwood-bible-was-published-several-people-believed-that/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [I can count all the ways in which being a mother has enriched my understanding of the world, of character, my sense of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/i-can-count-all-the-ways-in-which-being-a-mother-has-enriched-my/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [But we've all ended up giving body and soul to Africa, one way or another. Even Adah, who's becoming an expert in tropical epidemiology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/but-we-ve-all-ended-up-giving-body-and-soul-to-africa-one-way-or/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [If the Lord hasn't got a boyfriend lined up for me to marry, that's his business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/if-the-lord-hasn-t-got-a-boyfriend-lined-up-for-me-to-marry-that-s/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

[Explore all 939 Barbara Kingsolver quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

## More Change quotes

> [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

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

> [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/)

[Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/)

> [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/)

Phil Hogan

> [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/)

[William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/)

> [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/)

[Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/)

> [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/)

[Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/)

> [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/)

[Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/)

> [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/)

[Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/)

> [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/)

[Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/)

> [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/)

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

> [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/)

[Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/)

> [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

[Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "To be hopeful, to embrace one possibility after another that is surely the basic instinct - crying out: High tide! Time to move out into the glorious debris. Time to take this life for what it is!",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Barbara Kingsolver"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/to-be-hopeful-to-embrace-one-possibility-after-another-that-is-surely-3/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Change"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/to-be-hopeful-to-embrace-one-possibility-after-another-that-is-surely-3/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/barbara-kingsolver-200_change_to-be-hopeful-to-embrace-one-possibility_2099599.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/barbara-kingsolver-200_change_to-be-hopeful-to-embrace-one-possibility_2099599.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/barbara-kingsolver-200_change_to-be-hopeful-to-embrace-one-possibility_2099599.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“To be hopeful, to embrace one possibility after another that is surely the basic instinct - crying out: High…” — Barbara Kingsolver",
                "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": "Barbara Kingsolver",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "To be hopeful, to embrace one...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/to-be-hopeful-to-embrace-one-possibility-after-another-that-is-surely-3/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/to-be-hopeful-to-embrace-one-possibility-after-another-that-is-surely-3/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
