Certainty Quote by George Eliot
“You know nothing about Hope, that immortal, delicious maiden forever courted forever propitious, whom fools have called deceitful, as if it were Hope that carried the cup of disappointment, whereas it is her deadly enemy, Certainty, whom she only es”
About This Quote
Source Novel: Middlemarch by George Eliot, 1871
Hope is portrayed as a timeless, alluring force, yet it is often mistaken for certainty, which can lead to disappointment.
In simple terms: Hope is not the same as certainty.
Key Takeaway
Distinguish hope from certainty.
Themes
hope
faith
certainty
disappointment
illusion
Mood
inspirational
cautious
Type
philosophical
literary
When to use this quote
- personal decisions
- career planning
- relationships
- spiritual growth
- creative projects
Key Concepts
epistemology
psychology
literary symbolism
Questions to Reflect On
- What does hope mean to you?
- How can you balance hope with realistic expectations?
A Different Perspective
Hope can be vague and lead to inaction if not grounded.
![“Well, do you know what I hope for, once I allow myself to begin to hope? [...] That you find in your love for people something not only to work for, but to comfort and restore you when there is a need.” quote by Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f2e/vincent-van-gogh-486_comfort_well-do-you-know-what-i-hope-for-once-i_555436.jpg)
![“[W]e must learn to accommodate ourselves to the discovery that some of those cunningly-fashioned instruments called human souls have only a very limited range of music, and will not vibrate in the least under a touch that fills others with tremulous rapture or quivering agony.” quote by George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9be/george-eliot-84_agony_w-e-must-learn-to-accommodate-ourselves_12409.jpg)
![“[I]f in other sciences we should arrive at certainty without doubt and truth without error, it behooves us to place the foundations of knowledge in mathematics, in so far as disposed through it we are able to reach certainty in other sciences and truth by the exclusion of error.” quote by Roger Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d13/roger-bacon-15067_able_i-f-in-other-sciences-we-should-arrive-a_24209.jpg)