---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm beginning to think that to hope isn't…"
description: "\"“I'm beginning to think that to hope isn't the same as to expect something. To hope is to believe that life is an acceptable chaos.”\" — Goenawan Mohamad"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c56/goenawan-mohamad-3736_chaos_i-m-beginning-to-think-that-to-hope-isn_1776312.jpg"
---

#  I'm beginning to think that to hope isn't the same as to…

![“I'm beginning to think that to hope isn't the same as to expect something. To hope is to believe that life is an acceptable chaos.” quote by Goenawan Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c56/goenawan-mohamad-3736_chaos_i-m-beginning-to-think-that-to-hope-isn_1776312.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c56/goenawan-mohamad-3736_chaos_i-m-beginning-to-think-that-to-hope-isn_1776312.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c56/goenawan-mohamad-3736_chaos_i-m-beginning-to-think-that-to-hope-isn_1776312.jpg)

> ““I'm beginning to think that to hope isn't the same as to expect something. To hope is to believe that life is an acceptable chaos.””

[Goenawan Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goenawan-mohamad/)

## 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 acceptance of life's unpredictable nature, not a guarantee of outcomes.

**In simple terms:** Hope accepts chaos, not certainty.

Key Takeaway

Embrace uncertainty with optimism.

Themes

hope acceptance uncertainty optimism

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal growth
- coping with change
- creative projects
- stress management

Key Concepts

philosophy psychology existentialism

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you differentiate hope from wishful thinking?
- What actions can you take while hoping?

A Different Perspective

Hope may lead to complacency if not paired with action.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Chaos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chaos/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/)

## Related quotes

> [“Sometimes when you least expect it, hope wiggles into your heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-plourde/sometimes-when-you-least-expect-it-hope-wiggles-into-your-heart/)

[Lynn Plourde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-plourde/)

> [“You expect good things from the New Year, you expect hope, but the New Year also has something to tell you: You create both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/you-expect-good-things-from-the-new-year-you-expect-hope-but-the-new/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> ['Expect nothing and hope for the best' is my mantra. A drama teacher called Joseph Blatchley told me that, and it's the best advice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dockery/expect-nothing-and-hope-for-the-best-is-my-mantra-a-drama-teacher/)

[Michelle Dockery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dockery/)

> [“In life, it's really wiser not to expect but hope because in expecting, you are asking for disappointment while in hoping, you are inviting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shangel/in-life-it-s-really-wiser-not-to-expect-but-hope-because-in-expecting/)

Shangel

> [Expect to have hope rekindled. Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways. The dry seasons in life do not last. The spring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/expect-to-have-hope-rekindled-expect-your-prayers-to-be-answered-in/)

[Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/)

> [“What great good, then, we are to expect and hope from participating in his divinity, when even his distress calms us and his weakness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustine-of-hippo/what-great-good-then-we-are-to-expect-and-hope-from-participating-in/)

[Augustine of Hippo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustine-of-hippo/)

> [There is nothing so well known as that we should not expect something for nothing - but we all do and call it Hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/there-is-nothing-so-well-known-as-that-we-should-not-expect-something/)

[E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/)

> [The wise expect nothing, hope for nothing, thus avoiding all disappointment and anxiety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-david-neel/the-wise-expect-nothing-hope-for-nothing-thus-avoiding-all/)

[Alexandra David-Neel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-david-neel/)

> [Optimism is the tendency to believe, expect or hope that things will turn out well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/optimism-is-the-tendency-to-believe-expect-or-hope-that-things-will/)

Senoraroy

> [Expect to have hope rekindled. The dry seasons in life do not last. The spring rains will come again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/expect-to-have-hope-rekindled-the-dry-seasons-in-life-do-not-last-the/)

[Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/)

> [I'd almost say hope isn't what it used to be. It's very difficult today to be a teacher. I speak to children. And tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-d-almost-say-hope-isn-t-what-it-used-to-be-it-s-very-difficult/)

[Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/)

> [Hope isn't the kind of thing that you can say either exists or doesn't exist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-flores/hope-isn-t-the-kind-of-thing-that-you-can-say-either-exists-or-doesn/)

[Lara Flores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-flores/)

> [“Hope isn't a wish or a dream – hope is a way of thinking and it's a way of living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-bixler/hope-isn-t-a-wish-or-a-dream-hope-is-a-way-of-thinking-and-it-s-a-way/)

[Heather Bixler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-bixler/)

> [Love is, and I hope it never isn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/love-is-and-i-hope-it-never-isn-t/)

[Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/)

> [“He shook his head again. “I’m afraid I don’t feel much of anything these days. Especially not hope. I have no time or energy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-strnad/he-shook-his-head-again-i-m-afraid-i-don-t-feel-much-of-anything/)

Josh Strnad

## More by Goenawan Mohamad

> [“Untuk berkuasa hanya diperlukan tindakan, sedang untuk menjadi baik diperlukan kebiasaan -- proses yang tak putus-putusnya.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goenawan-mohamad/untuk-berkuasa-hanya-diperlukan-tindakan-sedang-untuk-menjadi-baik/)

[Goenawan Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goenawan-mohamad/)

> [“Saya tak membenci orang-orang itu. Tapi saya membenci tindakan orang-orang itu.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goenawan-mohamad/saya-tak-membenci-orang-orang-itu-tapi-saya-membenci-tindakan-orang/)

[Goenawan Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goenawan-mohamad/)

> [“Autoritas, non veritas facit legem”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goenawan-mohamad/autoritas-non-veritas-facit-legem/)

[Goenawan Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goenawan-mohamad/)

> [“Dunia ini merupakan sebuah latar belakang, dan dari sana tersusun sebuah atau beberapa buah norma, yang membatasi luasnya pilihan-pilihan yang bisa diambil.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goenawan-mohamad/dunia-ini-merupakan-sebuah-latar-belakang-dan-dari-sana-tersusun/)

[Goenawan Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goenawan-mohamad/)

> [“Ketidakjujuran adalah isyarat ketidakbebasan hati”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goenawan-mohamad/ketidakjujuran-adalah-isyarat-ketidakbebasan-hati/)

[Goenawan Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goenawan-mohamad/)

> [I fear if I cannot think again, if my mind suddenly goes blank. It will be embarrassing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goenawan-mohamad/i-fear-if-i-cannot-think-again-if-my-mind-suddenly-goes-blank-it-will/)

[Goenawan Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goenawan-mohamad/)

> [“Kalimat klise adalah topeng bagi mereka yang takut berkepribadian. Dan topeng selalu berkaitan dengan semacam kepalsuan.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goenawan-mohamad/kalimat-klise-adalah-topeng-bagi-mereka-yang-takut-berkepribadian-dan/)

[Goenawan Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goenawan-mohamad/)

> [Age is not our fault.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goenawan-mohamad/age-is-not-our-fault/)

[Goenawan Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goenawan-mohamad/)

> [“Hanya mereka yang mengenal trauma, mereka yang pernah dicakar sejarah, tahu benar bagaimana menerima kedahsyatan dan keterbatasan yang bernama manusia”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goenawan-mohamad/hanya-mereka-yang-mengenal-trauma-mereka-yang-pernah-dicakar-sejarah/)

[Goenawan Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goenawan-mohamad/)

> [“Mereka tahu hasil 2 + 2 = 4 tapi tak tahu mengapa 2 x 2 juga sama dengan 4.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goenawan-mohamad/mereka-tahu-hasil-2-2-4-tapi-tak-tahu-mengapa-2-x-2-juga-sama-dengan-4/)

[Goenawan Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goenawan-mohamad/)

> [“Patriotisme memang sering seperti api lilin di dalam tong terang, tapi terkurung.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goenawan-mohamad/patriotisme-memang-sering-seperti-api-lilin-di-dalam-tong-terang-tapi/)

[Goenawan Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goenawan-mohamad/)

> [“Tuhan, kenapa kita bisa bahagia?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goenawan-mohamad/tuhan-kenapa-kita-bisa-bahagia/)

[Goenawan Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goenawan-mohamad/)

> [“Di sekolah, anak-anak belajar bahasa Indonesia, tetapi mereka tak pernah diajar berpidato, berdebat, menulis puisi tentang alam ataupun reportase tentang kehidupan. Mereka cuma disuruh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goenawan-mohamad/di-sekolah-anak-anak-belajar-bahasa-indonesia-tetapi-mereka-tak/)

[Goenawan Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goenawan-mohamad/)

> [What I like about theater is its team work. Theater is also all-time creativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goenawan-mohamad/what-i-like-about-theater-is-its-team-work-theater-is-also-all-time/)

[Goenawan Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goenawan-mohamad/)

> [“Ketika akidah menjadi teknik (dari kata technc) yang merancang menusia agar tak tergantung kepada nasibnya yang lemah dan mudah berdosa, dan agar manusia siap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goenawan-mohamad/ketika-akidah-menjadi-teknik-dari-kata-technc-yang-merancang-menusia/)

[Goenawan Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goenawan-mohamad/)

[Explore all 36 Goenawan Mohamad quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goenawan-mohamad/)

## More Chaos quotes

> [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [If I meet a wise person, I think, 'Yes, tell me more about parenting, about marriage, about how to stay in love. Tell me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-jin-lee/if-i-meet-a-wise-person-i-think-yes-tell-me-more-about-parenting/)

[Min Jin Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-jin-lee/)

> [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/)

[Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/)

> [I love Derrick Brown for the surprise of one word waking up next to another. One moment tender, funny or romantic, the next, visceral,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/i-love-derrick-brown-for-the-surprise-of-one-word-waking-up-next-to/)

[Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/)

> [Chaos often breeds life, when order breeds habit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/chaos-often-breeds-life-when-order-breeds-habit/)

[Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/)

> [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/)

[Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/)

> [There seems to be a kind of order in the universe…in the movement of the stars and the turning of the Earth and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-anne-porter/there-seems-to-be-a-kind-of-order-in-the-universe-in-the-movement-of/)

[Katherine Anne Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-anne-porter/)

> [In the ring, there's not a lot of room for mistakes. You're in a place that is chaos, that is on fire. That ring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/in-the-ring-there-s-not-a-lot-of-room-for-mistakes-you-re-in-a-place/)

[Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/)

> [“It was her chaos that made her beautiful. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atticus-poetry/it-was-her-chaos-that-made-her-beautiful/)

[Atticus Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atticus-poetry/)

> [What we should have done is kept the same team that played in the '95 World Series. Those trades (Eddie Murray &amp; Carlos Baerga)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-belle/what-we-should-have-done-is-kept-the-same-team-that-played-in-the-95/)

[Albert Belle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-belle/)

> [American civil rights leader, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? Lynching is a murder. For the past four hundred years our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/american-civil-rights-leader-where-do-we-go-from-here-chaos-or/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [“There was beauty in chaos, she'd just never known it before.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-linsmeier/there-was-beauty-in-chaos-she-d-just-never-known-it-before/)

[Amanda Linsmeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-linsmeier/)

> [Who’s to say that it takes something like a drug to mess with your perception of reality? How did Hitler deceive a nation? How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dekker/who-s-to-say-that-it-takes-something-like-a-drug-to-mess-with-your/)

[Ted Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dekker/)

> [And yet, I do believe there is ultimately meaning in the chaos, and also in the doldrums. What I resist is not the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/and-yet-i-do-believe-there-is-ultimately-meaning-in-the-chaos-and/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [I came to think of myself, not as a dance and chaos of molecules, but as a brief and minute portion of that majestic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/i-came-to-think-of-myself-not-as-a-dance-and-chaos-of-molecules-but/)

[Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/)

[Browse all 2,640 Chaos quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chaos/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I'm beginning to think that to hope isn't the same as to expect something. To hope is to believe that life is an acceptable chaos.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Goenawan Mohamad"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goenawan-mohamad/i-m-beginning-to-think-that-to-hope-isn-t-the-same-as-to-expect/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Chaos"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goenawan-mohamad/i-m-beginning-to-think-that-to-hope-isn-t-the-same-as-to-expect/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c56/goenawan-mohamad-3736_chaos_i-m-beginning-to-think-that-to-hope-isn_1776312.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c56/goenawan-mohamad-3736_chaos_i-m-beginning-to-think-that-to-hope-isn_1776312.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c56/goenawan-mohamad-3736_chaos_i-m-beginning-to-think-that-to-hope-isn_1776312.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I'm beginning to think that to hope isn't the same as to expect something. To hope is to believe that life…” — Goenawan Mohamad",
                "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": "Goenawan Mohamad",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goenawan-mohamad/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I'm beginning to think that to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goenawan-mohamad/i-m-beginning-to-think-that-to-hope-isn-t-the-same-as-to-expect/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goenawan-mohamad/i-m-beginning-to-think-that-to-hope-isn-t-the-same-as-to-expect/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
