--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Hope is a stance, not an assessment." description: "\"Hope is a stance, not an assessment.\" — Frances Moore Lappé" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/485/frances-moore-lapp-4271_assessment_hope-is-a-stance-not-an-assessment-16331_1633186.png" --- # Hope is a stance, not an assessment. ![“Hope is a stance, not an assessment.” quote by Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/485/frances-moore-lapp-4271_assessment_hope-is-a-stance-not-an-assessment-16331_1633186.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/485/frances-moore-lapp-4271_assessment_hope-is-a-stance-not-an-assessment-16331_1633186.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/485/frances-moore-lapp-4271_assessment_hope-is-a-stance-not-an-assessment-16331_1633186.png) > “Hope is a stance, not an assessment.” [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) ## 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 an active, intentional posture rather than a passive judgment about outcomes. **In simple terms:** Hope is a chosen stance, not a verdict. Key Takeaway Adopt hope as a proactive mindset. Themes optimism agency resilience Mood inspired determined Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - personal challenges - community organizing - policy advocacy - health initiatives Key Concepts psychology social change mindset Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn hopeful stance into tangible steps? - What prevents hope from becoming complacency? A Different Perspective Hope alone cannot guarantee success without concrete action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) ## Related quotes > [As long as you say there is no hope, then there will be no hope, but if you go down and take a stance,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asmaa-mahfouz/as-long-as-you-say-there-is-no-hope-then-there-will-be-no-hope-but-if/) Asmaa Mahfouz > [For me hope isn't wishful thinking or blind faith about the future. It's a stance toward life - one of curiosity and humility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/for-me-hope-isn-t-wishful-thinking-or-blind-faith-about-the-future-it/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [Hope is not wishful thinking. It's not a temperament we're born with. It is a stance toward life that we can choose...not not. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/hope-is-not-wishful-thinking-it-s-not-a-temperament-we-re-born-with/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [I made my own assessment of my life, and I began to live it. That was freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-flores/i-made-my-own-assessment-of-my-life-and-i-began-to-live-it-that-was/) [Fernando Flores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-flores/) > [Commercialism that has absolutely no relationship to quality whatsoever, only quantitative assessment of a thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/commercialism-that-has-absolutely-no-relationship-to-quality/) [Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/) > [If you want to zoom down the expert slope tomorrow, you have to fall down the bunny slope today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-lewis/if-you-want-to-zoom-down-the-expert-slope-tomorrow-you-have-to-fall/) [Cynthia Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-lewis/) > [Before the curse of statistics fell upon mankind we lived a happy, innocent life, full of merriment and go and informed by fairly good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilaire-belloc/before-the-curse-of-statistics-fell-upon-mankind-we-lived-a-happy/) [Hilaire Belloc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilaire-belloc/) > [President Obama had voiced strong support for the effort in Afghanistan during his campaign, pledging to add two brigades, which he did. But since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-a-mcchrystal/president-obama-had-voiced-strong-support-for-the-effort-in/) [Stanley A. McChrystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-a-mcchrystal/) > [Even without voting, illegal aliens do affect who gets elected president, and that's since the Electoral College elects the president, and the states are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/even-without-voting-illegal-aliens-do-affect-who-gets-elected/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“To assess the quality of thoughts of people, don't listen to their words, but watch their actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/to-assess-the-quality-of-thoughts-of-people-don-t-listen-to-their/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [No one seriously doubts Socrates' maxim: The unexamined life isn't worth living. Self-assessment and attempts at self-improvement are essential aspects of "the good life."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-burton/no-one-seriously-doubts-socrates-maxim-the-unexamined-life-isn-t/) [Robert A. Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-burton/) > [A mighty maze! But not without a plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/a-mighty-maze-but-not-without-a-plan/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [So a truthful assessment of how America is doing in the war on terror as a result of President Bush's war on Iraq is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-olver/so-a-truthful-assessment-of-how-america-is-doing-in-the-war-on-terror/) [John Olver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-olver/) > [I would say my fraternity was nothing but a bunch of farm boys; we weren't really in the whole fraternity scene, but yeah, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-bryan/i-would-say-my-fraternity-was-nothing-but-a-bunch-of-farm-boys-we/) [Luke Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-bryan/) > [Combining the experience of a seasoned university president with the analysis of a respected legal scholar, Derek Bok explores what he concludes are 'signs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-h-t-rhodes/combining-the-experience-of-a-seasoned-university-president-with-the/) Frank H. T. Rhodes ## More by Frances Moore Lappé > [Hunger is a people-made phenomenon, so the central issue is power: the power of those who make the decisions about what is grown and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/hunger-is-a-people-made-phenomenon-so-the-central-issue-is-power-the/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [Beauty exists irrespective of financial circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/beauty-exists-irrespective-of-financial-circumstances/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [What is different and exciting is how much we have learned. We learned we were right that we don't need the chemical model of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/what-is-different-and-exciting-is-how-much-we-have-learned-we-learned/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [We hear, "Oh, we need to patent GMOs and develop new strains and new chemicals because Nature can't provide what we need." I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/we-hear-oh-we-need-to-patent-gmos-and-develop-new-strains-and-new/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [The good life may mean doing some things that do not feel comfortable. It may mean sitting long hours just with yourself as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/the-good-life-may-mean-doing-some-things-that-do-not-feel-comfortable/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [That's what happened when my own life crumbled. The people who came into my life bolstered me to take more risks, to be even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/that-s-what-happened-when-my-own-life-crumbled-the-people-who-came/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [If we cannot know what's possible, then we are free to do that which is pulling our hearts and that which is life serving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/if-we-cannot-know-what-s-possible-then-we-are-free-to-do-that-which/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [ I never like to use those terms \[like pessimistic\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/i-never-like-to-use-those-terms-like-pessimistic/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [My path has not been smooth. But the great thing about getting to be an elder is that you can look back and see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/my-path-has-not-been-smooth-but-the-great-thing-about-getting-to-be/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [Old models of farming with chemicals and credit mostly favored privileged men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/old-models-of-farming-with-chemicals-and-credit-mostly-favored/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [What an extraordinary time to be alive. We're the first people on our planet to have real choice: we can continue killing each other,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/what-an-extraordinary-time-to-be-alive-we-re-the-first-people-on-our/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [Honest hope has an edge. It's messy. It requires that we let go of all pat answers, all preconceived formulas, all confidence that our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/honest-hope-has-an-edge-it-s-messy-it-requires-that-we-let-go-of-all/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [Because we are living in a culture increasingly dominated by fear where many feel blocked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/because-we-are-living-in-a-culture-increasingly-dominated-by-fear/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [What we see today is a world movement represented by the World Social Forum, involving all sorts of interactions across cultures, not to create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/what-we-see-today-is-a-world-movement-represented-by-the-world-social/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [The problem is that our whole tribe - if you will, the larger community of humanity itself - is on a death march ecologically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/the-problem-is-that-our-whole-tribe-if-you-will-the-larger-community/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) [Explore all 113 Frances Moore Lappé quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) ## More Assessment quotes > [Combining the experience of a seasoned university president with the analysis of a respected legal scholar, Derek Bok explores what he concludes are 'signs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-h-t-rhodes/combining-the-experience-of-a-seasoned-university-president-with-the/) Frank H. T. Rhodes > [I would say my fraternity was nothing but a bunch of farm boys; we weren't really in the whole fraternity scene, but yeah, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-bryan/i-would-say-my-fraternity-was-nothing-but-a-bunch-of-farm-boys-we/) [Luke Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-bryan/) > [So a truthful assessment of how America is doing in the war on terror as a result of President Bush's war on Iraq is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-olver/so-a-truthful-assessment-of-how-america-is-doing-in-the-war-on-terror/) [John Olver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-olver/) > [A mighty maze! But not without a plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/a-mighty-maze-but-not-without-a-plan/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [No one seriously doubts Socrates' maxim: The unexamined life isn't worth living. Self-assessment and attempts at self-improvement are essential aspects of "the good life."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-burton/no-one-seriously-doubts-socrates-maxim-the-unexamined-life-isn-t/) [Robert A. Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-burton/) > [“To assess the quality of thoughts of people, don't listen to their words, but watch their actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/to-assess-the-quality-of-thoughts-of-people-don-t-listen-to-their/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [Even without voting, illegal aliens do affect who gets elected president, and that's since the Electoral College elects the president, and the states are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/even-without-voting-illegal-aliens-do-affect-who-gets-elected/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [President Obama had voiced strong support for the effort in Afghanistan during his campaign, pledging to add two brigades, which he did. But since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-a-mcchrystal/president-obama-had-voiced-strong-support-for-the-effort-in/) [Stanley A. McChrystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-a-mcchrystal/) > [Before the curse of statistics fell upon mankind we lived a happy, innocent life, full of merriment and go and informed by fairly good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilaire-belloc/before-the-curse-of-statistics-fell-upon-mankind-we-lived-a-happy/) [Hilaire Belloc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilaire-belloc/) > [If you want to zoom down the expert slope tomorrow, you have to fall down the bunny slope today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-lewis/if-you-want-to-zoom-down-the-expert-slope-tomorrow-you-have-to-fall/) [Cynthia Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-lewis/) > [Commercialism that has absolutely no relationship to quality whatsoever, only quantitative assessment of a thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/commercialism-that-has-absolutely-no-relationship-to-quality/) [Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/) > [I made my own assessment of my life, and I began to live it. That was freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-flores/i-made-my-own-assessment-of-my-life-and-i-began-to-live-it-that-was/) [Fernando Flores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-flores/) > [Patronizing the Arts is a brilliantly nuanced assessment of why universities must become art patrons. Learning from the twentieth-century university's embrace of Big Science,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-phelan/patronizing-the-arts-is-a-brilliantly-nuanced-assessment-of-why/) [Peggy Phelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-phelan/) > [“The Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System measures accuracy, comprehension, and fluency. (There are also assessments in the system that measure phonemic awareness, phonics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-landrigan/the-fountas-and-pinnell-benchmark-assessment-system-measures-accuracy/) [Clare Landrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-landrigan/) > [“In fact, they’re trained in risk assessment”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yrsa-sigur-ard-ttir/in-fact-they-re-trained-in-risk-assessment/) [Yrsa Sigurðardóttir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yrsa-sigur-ard-ttir/) Browse all 313 Assessment quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Hope is a stance, not an assessment.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Frances Moore Lappé" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/hope-is-a-stance-not-an-assessment/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Assessment" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/hope-is-a-stance-not-an-assessment/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/485/frances-moore-lapp-4271_assessment_hope-is-a-stance-not-an-assessment-16331_1633186.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/485/frances-moore-lapp-4271_assessment_hope-is-a-stance-not-an-assessment-16331_1633186.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/485/frances-moore-lapp-4271_assessment_hope-is-a-stance-not-an-assessment-16331_1633186.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Hope is a stance, not an assessment.” — Frances Moore Lappé", "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": "Frances Moore Lappé", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Hope is a stance, not an...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/hope-is-a-stance-not-an-assessment/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/hope-is-a-stance-not-an-assessment/#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 } } ] } ```