--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Hope is treacherous, but how can you live…" description: "\"Hope is treacherous, but how can you live without it?\" — Elizabeth Wein" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e10/elizabeth-wein-3764_hope_hope-is-treacherous-but-how-can-you-live_3057082.png" --- # Hope is treacherous, but how can you live without it? ![“Hope is treacherous, but how can you live without it?” quote by Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e10/elizabeth-wein-3764_hope_hope-is-treacherous-but-how-can-you-live_3057082.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e10/elizabeth-wein-3764_hope_hope-is-treacherous-but-how-can-you-live_3057082.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e10/elizabeth-wein-3764_hope_hope-is-treacherous-but-how-can-you-live_3057082.png) > “Hope is treacherous, but how can you live without it?” [Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/) ## 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 risky, yet living without it feels impossible. **In simple terms:** Hope is dangerous but essential. Key Takeaway Balance hope with realistic expectations. Themes hope risk existence optimism vulnerability Mood hopeful cautious inspirational Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - goal setting - mental health - creative projects - leadership - spiritual practice Key Concepts psychological resilience philosophical optimism risk assessment Questions to Reflect On - When has hope helped you survive? - What safeguards keep hope grounded? A Different Perspective Blind optimism can lead to disappointment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Hope Treacherous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope-treacherous-1369740/) [Live](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live/) [Treacherous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treacherous/) [Treacherous Live](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treacherous-live-5111647/) ## Related quotes > [Hope is the most treacherous thing in the world. It lifts you and lets you plummet. But as long as you're being lifted you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/hope-is-the-most-treacherous-thing-in-the-world-it-lifts-you-and-lets/) [Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/) > [Hope is the most treacherous of all human fancies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-f-cooper/hope-is-the-most-treacherous-of-all-human-fancies/) [James F. Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-f-cooper/) > [“But Mariam hardly noticed, hardly cared...the future did not matter. And the past held only this wisdom: that Love was a damaging mistake and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/but-mariam-hardly-noticed-hardly-cared-the-future-did-not-matter-and/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“And the past held only this wisdom: that love was a damaging mistake, and its accomplice, hope, a treacherous illusion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/and-the-past-held-only-this-wisdom-that-love-was-a-damaging-mistake/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [And the past held only this wisdom: that love was a damaging mistake, and its accomplice, hope, a treacherous illusion. And whenever those twin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/and-the-past-held-only-this-wisdom-that-love-was-a-damaging-mistake-2/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“Love was a damaging mistake and its accomplice,hope, a treacherous illusion".”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/love-was-a-damaging-mistake-and-its-accomplice-hope-a-treacherous/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [Depression is so treacherous - it can be so alluring as well as punishing. After all, it's yours and yours alone - no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-jefferson/depression-is-so-treacherous-it-can-be-so-alluring-as-well-as/) [Margo Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-jefferson/) > [Custom is a violent and treacherous school mistress. She, by little and lithe, slyly and unperceived, slips in the foot of her authority; but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/custom-is-a-violent-and-treacherous-school-mistress-she-by-little-and/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [But, most important, we must not become as base and treacherous as our enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-trussoni/but-most-important-we-must-not-become-as-base-and-treacherous-as-our/) [Danielle Trussoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-trussoni/) > [I've been called treacherous, stupid, venal, lazy ..and that's only by the Tories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-mackay/i-ve-been-called-treacherous-stupid-venal-lazy-and-that-s-only-by-the/) [Peter MacKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-mackay/) > [The most dangerous thing you can do is to take any one impulse of your own nature and set it up as the thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/the-most-dangerous-thing-you-can-do-is-to-take-any-one-impulse-of/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Unfathomable Sea! whose waves are years, Ocean of Time, whose waters of deep woe Are brackish with the salt of human tears! Thou shoreless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/unfathomable-sea-whose-waves-are-years-ocean-of-time-whose-waters-of/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [The beloved may be treacherous, greasy-headed and given to evil habits, or else it can be a man in his late forties who works…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-link/the-beloved-may-be-treacherous-greasy-headed-and-given-to-evil-habits/) [Kelly Link](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-link/) > [Treacherous assassins, enemies of the people, and worthy of everyone's ridicule are those who, under the pretext of guiding future generations, teach them an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-marti/treacherous-assassins-enemies-of-the-people-and-worthy-of-everyone-s/) [Jose Marti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-marti/) > [Every great thing starts with an idea, followed by a doubt and finally a resolve to abandon or pursue. Victory is a treacherous journey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/every-great-thing-starts-with-an-idea-followed-by-a-doubt-and-finally/) [Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/) ## More by Elizabeth Wein > [“It was wonderful flirting with him, all the razor-edged literary banter, like Beatrice and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing. A battle of wit,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/it-was-wonderful-flirting-with-him-all-the-razor-edged-literary/) [Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/) > [“She was never so petty. She did not dabble with minnows at the surface when there were thirty-pound salmon swimming deeper down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/she-was-never-so-petty-she-did-not-dabble-with-minnows-at-the-surface/) [Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/) > [A part of me will always be unflyable, stuck in the climb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/a-part-of-me-will-always-be-unflyable-stuck-in-the-climb/) [Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/) > [“I, of course, took the opportunity to interpose with pigheaded Wallace pride, 'I am not English, you ignorant Jerry bastard, I am a SCOT.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/i-of-course-took-the-opportunity-to-interpose-with-pigheaded-wallace/) [Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/) > [“I seem to be good at asking for trouble.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/i-seem-to-be-good-at-asking-for-trouble/) [Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/) > [Incredible what slender threads you begin to hang your hopes on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/incredible-what-slender-threads-you-begin-to-hang-your-hopes-on/) [Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/) > [“Which would you rather have––an unlimited supply of Chanel No. 5, or freedom?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/which-would-you-rather-have-an-unlimited-supply-of-chanel-no-5-or/) [Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/) > [“And this, even more wonderful and mysterious, is also true: when I read it, when I read what Julie's written, she is instantly alive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/and-this-even-more-wonderful-and-mysterious-is-also-true-when-i-read/) [Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/) > [I tend not to attempt to describe pain. I don't feel I can comprehend or re-create the personal suffering of others, so I simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/i-tend-not-to-attempt-to-describe-pain-i-don-t-feel-i-can-comprehend/) [Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/) > [“KISS ME, HARDY! Kiss me, QUICK!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/kiss-me-hardy-kiss-me-quick/) [Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/) > [“She gave a low and delighted chuckle. Her eyes were black as a moonless December night and reflected the electric lights like stars.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/she-gave-a-low-and-delighted-chuckle-her-eyes-were-black-as-a/) [Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/) > [“Kiss me, Hardy”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/kiss-me-hardy/) [Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/) > [“I don't believe for a minute-that we wouldn't have become friends somehow-that an unexploded bomb wouldn't have gone off and blown us both into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/i-don-t-believe-for-a-minute-that-we-wouldn-t-have-become-friends/) [Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/) > [“FLY THE PLANE, MADDIE.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/fly-the-plane-maddie/) [Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/) > [“Writing to you like this makes me feel that you are still alive. It’s an illusion I’ve noticed before—words on a page are like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/writing-to-you-like-this-makes-me-feel-that-you-are-still-alive-it-s/) [Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/) [Explore all 120 Elizabeth Wein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/) ## More Hope quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [“Cine a ucis stelele? Cine a surpat drumul spre viitor al celor din morminte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/cine-a-ucis-stelele-cine-a-surpat-drumul-spre-viitor-al-celor-din/) [Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/) > [“What can we do in any hardship? We can hope with prayerful praise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/what-can-we-do-in-any-hardship-we-can-hope-with-prayerful-praise/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [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/) > [If one truly has lost hope, one would not be on hand to say so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bentley/if-one-truly-has-lost-hope-one-would-not-be-on-hand-to-say-so/) [Eric Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bentley/) > [“too—I realized that my only hope was to give up the life that had been, in order to make room for the life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/too-i-realized-that-my-only-hope-was-to-give-up-the-life-that-had/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [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/) > [Stop trying to give me hope ... I have no room left for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenn-f/stop-trying-to-give-me-hope-i-have-no-room-left-for-it/) [Jenn F](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenn-f/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Give me love, give me peace on earth, give me light, give me life, keep me free from birth, give me hope, help me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/give-me-love-give-me-peace-on-earth-give-me-light-give-me-life-keep/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Pray, hope, don't worry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pio-of-pietrelcina/pray-hope-don-t-worry/) [Pio of Pietrelcina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pio-of-pietrelcina/) > [Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillips-brooks/do-not-pray-for-tasks-equal-to-your-powers-pray-for-powers-equal-to/) [Phillips Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillips-brooks/) > [I am at a point in my life where everything I have worked for starts to look like a burden, a weight on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-abou-samra/i-am-at-a-point-in-my-life-where-everything-i-have-worked-for-starts/) [Simone Abou Samra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-abou-samra/) > [Im really happy that I met you I hope you know that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/im-nothing/im-really-happy-that-i-met-you-i-hope-you-know-that/) [Im Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/im-nothing/) > [All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/all-that-i-am-or-ever-hope-to-be-i-owe-to-my-angel-mother/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) [Browse all 24,868 Hope quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Hope is treacherous, but how can you live without it?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elizabeth Wein" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/hope-is-treacherous-but-how-can-you-live-without-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hope" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/hope-is-treacherous-but-how-can-you-live-without-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e10/elizabeth-wein-3764_hope_hope-is-treacherous-but-how-can-you-live_3057082.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e10/elizabeth-wein-3764_hope_hope-is-treacherous-but-how-can-you-live_3057082.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e10/elizabeth-wein-3764_hope_hope-is-treacherous-but-how-can-you-live_3057082.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Hope is treacherous, but how can you live without it?” — Elizabeth Wein", "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": "Elizabeth Wein", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Hope is treacherous, but how can...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/hope-is-treacherous-but-how-can-you-live-without-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/hope-is-treacherous-but-how-can-you-live-without-it/#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 } } ] } ```