--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But what, precisely, is hope? At a talk I…" description: "\"But what, precisely, is hope? At a talk I gave last spring, someone asked me to define it. I turned the question back on the audience, and here’s the d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eff/derrick-jensen-2824_agency_but-what-precisely-is-hope-at-a-talk-i-g_2833680.jpg" --- # But what, precisely, is hope? At a talk I gave last… ![“But what, precisely, is hope? At a talk I gave last spring, someone asked me to define it. I turned the question back on the audience, and here’s the definition we all came up with: hope is a longing for a future condition over which you have no agency; it means you are essentially powerless.” quote by Derrick Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eff/derrick-jensen-2824_agency_but-what-precisely-is-hope-at-a-talk-i-g_2833680.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eff/derrick-jensen-2824_agency_but-what-precisely-is-hope-at-a-talk-i-g_2833680.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eff/derrick-jensen-2824_agency_but-what-precisely-is-hope-at-a-talk-i-g_2833680.jpg) > “But what, precisely, is hope? At a talk I gave last spring, someone asked me to define it. I turned the question back on the audience, and here’s the definition we all came up with: hope is a longing for a future condition over which you have no agency; it means you are essentially powerless.” [Derrick Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-jensen/) ## 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 defined as longing for a future we cannot control, implying powerlessness. **In simple terms:** Hope as powerless longing. Key Takeaway Accept uncertainty, find agency. Themes philosophy hope agency Mood thoughtful somber Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal goals - social movements - mental health coping - creative projects Key Concepts existential psychology Questions to Reflect On - Can hope exist without agency? - How do you find meaning in powerless longing? A Different Perspective Hope can also inspire action despite uncertainty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Agency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agency/) [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Conditions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conditions/) [Definition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/definition/) [Definitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/definitions/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Hope Longing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope-longing-671613/) [Hope Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope-talk-502006/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Longing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longing/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/means/) [Powerless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerless/) [Precisely Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/precisely-hope-3675667/) [Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spring/) ## Related quotes > [Hope is a longing for a future condition over which you have no agency; it means you are essentially powerless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-jensen/hope-is-a-longing-for-a-future-condition-over-which-you-have-no/) [Derrick Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-jensen/) > [Nakitaclancy98@gmail.com email me coz I need someone to talk to. hope to talk soon!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-marie/nakitaclancy98-gmail-com-email-me-coz-i-need-someone-to-talk-to-hope/) [Nikki Marie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-marie/) > [The passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 represented precisely such a hope - that America had learned from its past and acted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aberjhani/the-passage-of-the-civil-rights-act-of-1964-represented-precisely/) [Aberjhani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aberjhani/) > [“we must never move our gaze of hope and longing away from fellowship with God. He is guaranteed—a sure and steady anchor for our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-hoover/we-must-never-move-our-gaze-of-hope-and-longing-away-from-fellowship/) [Christine Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-hoover/) > [“She waited for the material pictures which she thought would gather and blaze before her imagination. She waited in vain. She saw no pictures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-chopin/she-waited-for-the-material-pictures-which-she-thought-would-gather/) [Kate Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-chopin/) > [How can one live without hope and longing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-moon/how-can-one-live-without-hope-and-longing/) [Sarah Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-moon/) > [Most agencies run scared, most of the time. . . .Frightened people are powerless to produce good advertising. . . . 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"There are things I miss,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/misgivings-n-last-night-i-got-up-the-courage-to-ask-you-if-you/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) ## More by Derrick Jensen > [The global industrial economy is the engine for massive environmental degradation and massive human (and nonhuman) impoverishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-jensen/the-global-industrial-economy-is-the-engine-for-massive-environmental/) [Derrick Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-jensen/) > [“In sum, one of the primary things I learned was how to kill time. I learned also to wish away my life. 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