---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is worth starting with visions…"
description: "\"It is worth starting with visions, though, because they establish hopes and fears. History then determines which prevail.\" — John Lewis Gaddis"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa2/john-lewis-gaddis-16949_determine_it-is-worth-starting-with-visions-though_3066988.jpg"
---

#  It is worth starting with visions, though, because they…

![“It is worth starting with visions, though, because they establish hopes and fears. History then determines which prevail.” quote by John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa2/john-lewis-gaddis-16949_determine_it-is-worth-starting-with-visions-though_3066988.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa2/john-lewis-gaddis-16949_determine_it-is-worth-starting-with-visions-though_3066988.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa2/john-lewis-gaddis-16949_determine_it-is-worth-starting-with-visions-though_3066988.jpg)

> “It is worth starting with visions, though, because they establish hopes and fears. History then determines which prevail.”

[John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Visions shape hopes and fears; history decides which dominate.

**In simple terms:** Ideas create hopes and fears; history chooses.

Key Takeaway

Reflect on the power of vision.

Themes

history vision hope fear

Mood

thoughtful analytical

Type

historical philosophical

When to use this quote

- planning future policies
- educational curricula

Key Concepts

narrative shaping collective memory

Questions to Reflect On

- How do visions influence societal outcomes?
- What determines which vision prevails?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Hopes and fears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hopes-and-fears/) [Vision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vision/) [Visions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/visions/)

## Related quotes

> [Never step down from what you believe, if the fight wasn't worth finishing, was it worth starting?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-step-down-from-what-you-believe-if-the-fight-wasn-t-worth/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If you're going to start something-if it's worth starting-then it's worth finishing. That's what I live by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-faulk/if-you-re-going-to-start-something-if-it-s-worth-starting-then-it-s/)

[Marshall Faulk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-faulk/)

> [With smoking axle hot with speed, with steeds of fire and steam, Wide-waked To-day leaves Yesterday behind him like a dream. Still, from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/with-smoking-axle-hot-with-speed-with-steeds-of-fire-and-steam-wide/)

[John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/)

> [The idea of immortality, that like a sea has ebbed and flowed in the human heart, with its countless waves of hope and fear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-idea-of-immortality-that-like-a-sea-has-ebbed-and-flowed-in-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Lo! 'tis a gala night Within the lonesome latter years! An angel throng, bewinged, bedight In veils, and drowned in tears, Sit in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/lo-tis-a-gala-night-within-the-lonesome-latter-years-an-angel-throng/)

[Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/)

> [“now I remembered that the real world was wide, and that a varied field of hopes and fears, of sensations and excitements, awaited those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/now-i-remembered-that-the-real-world-was-wide-and-that-a-varied-field/)

[Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/)

> [Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfullfilled potential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-xxiii/think-not-about-your-frustrations-but-about-your-unfullfilled/)

[Pope John XXIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-xxiii/)

> [For women ... poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity of our existence. It forms the quality of light within which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/for-women-poetry-is-not-a-luxury-it-is-a-vital-necessity-of-our/)

[Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/)

> [“I remembered that the real world was wide, and that a varied field of hopes and fears, of sensations and excitements, awaited those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-nicholson/i-remembered-that-the-real-world-was-wide-and-that-a-varied-field-of/)

[Hope Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-nicholson/)

> [The scientific attitude of mind involves a sweeping away of all other desires in the interests of the desire to know-it involves suppression of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/the-scientific-attitude-of-mind-involves-a-sweeping-away-of-all-other/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [Our analysis of truth and falsehood, or of the nature of judgment, is not very likely to be influenced by our hopes and fears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-d-broad/our-analysis-of-truth-and-falsehood-or-of-the-nature-of-judgment-is/)

[Charles D. Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-d-broad/)

> [Let it never be forgotten that it is not by means of war that states are rendered fit for the enjoyment of constitutional freedom;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cobden/let-it-never-be-forgotten-that-it-is-not-by-means-of-war-that-states/)

[Richard Cobden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cobden/)

> [Those who have had none of the cares of this life to harass and disturb them, have been obliged to have recourse to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/those-who-have-had-none-of-the-cares-of-this-life-to-harass-and/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [“She was famous, and she was insane. Her voice soared out over the audience, holding them spellbound and enraptured, delivering their hopes and fears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dianne-sylvan/she-was-famous-and-she-was-insane-her-voice-soared-out-over-the/)

[Dianne Sylvan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dianne-sylvan/)

> [“Such, in outline, but even more purposeless, more void of meaning, is the world which Science presents for our belief. Amid such a world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/such-in-outline-but-even-more-purposeless-more-void-of-meaning-is-the/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

## More by John Lewis Gaddis

> [“It’s not a very nice solution,” Kennedy acknowledged, “but a wall is a hell of a lot better than a war.”54 The president could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/it-s-not-a-very-nice-solution-kennedy-acknowledged-but-a-wall-is-a/)

[John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/)

> [The United States came out of the 1990s, if anything, in an even greater position of hegemony and preeminence than it was at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/the-united-states-came-out-of-the-1990s-if-anything-in-an-even/)

[John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/)

> [I don't think there is necessarily a contradiction between being a hegemonic power on the one hand and functioning multilaterally on the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/i-don-t-think-there-is-necessarily-a-contradiction-between-being-a/)

[John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/)

> [George W. Bush has much to evaluate: he has presided over the most sweeping redesign of U.S. grand strategy since the presidency of Franklin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/george-w-bush-has-much-to-evaluate-he-has-presided-over-the-most/)

[John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/)

> [“Stalin’s first move, uncharacteristically, was to apologize to the Chinese comrades for having underestimated them: “Our opinions are not always correct,” he told a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/stalin-s-first-move-uncharacteristically-was-to-apologize-to-the/)

[John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/)

> [I think the way to think about the impact of Hiroshima is to think about it as a sudden shift in the balance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/i-think-the-way-to-think-about-the-impact-of-hiroshima-is-to-think/)

[John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/)

> [“Thanks to an ingenious constitution, their geographical isolation from potential rivals, and a magnificent endowment of natural resources, the Americans managed to build an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/thanks-to-an-ingenious-constitution-their-geographical-isolation-from/)

[John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/)

> [Second terms in the White House open the way for second thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/second-terms-in-the-white-house-open-the-way-for-second-thoughts/)

[John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/)

> [“I can’t take communism nor can you, but to cross this bridge I would hold hands with the Devil.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/i-can-t-take-communism-nor-can-you-but-to-cross-this-bridge-i-would/)

[John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/)

> [“From 1957 through 1961, Khrushchev openly, repeatedly, and bloodcurdlingly threatened the West with nuclear annihilation. Soviet missile capabilities were so far superior to those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/from-1957-through-1961-khrushchev-openly-repeatedly-and/)

[John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/)

> [“Historical consciousness therefore leaves you, as does maturity itself, with a simultaneous sense of your own significance and insignificance. Like Friedrich's wanderer, you dominate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/historical-consciousness-therefore-leaves-you-as-does-maturity-itself/)

[John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/)

> [“His months of teaching experience were now a lost age of youth and innocence. He could no longer sit in his office at Fort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/his-months-of-teaching-experience-were-now-a-lost-age-of-youth-and/)

[John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/)

> [If there is one great power, and the great power has taken upon itself the right to preempt and is choosing for itself when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/if-there-is-one-great-power-and-the-great-power-has-taken-upon-itself/)

[John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/)

> [ “\[I\]n the interests of our common tasks, we must sometimes overlook their stupidities,” one Soviet official explained in 1973.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/i-n-the-interests-of-our-common-tasks-we-must-sometimes-overlook/)

[John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/)

> [“This is where the capitalists got it right: they were better than the communists at learning from history, because they never bought into any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/this-is-where-the-capitalists-got-it-right-they-were-better-than-the/)

[John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/)

[Explore all 38 John Lewis Gaddis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/)

## More Determine quotes

> [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/)

[Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/)

> [Vow to be valiant. Resolve to be radiant. Determine to be dynamic. Strive to be sincere. Aspire to be attuned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/vow-to-be-valiant-resolve-to-be-radiant-determine-to-be-dynamic/)

[William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/)

> [To an ever greater extent out experience is governed by pictures, pictures in newspapers and magazines, on television and in the cinema. Next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-crimp/to-an-ever-greater-extent-out-experience-is-governed-by-pictures/)

[Douglas Crimp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-crimp/)

> [The wisdom of our actions in the first three years of peace will determine the course of world history for half a century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-wallace/the-wisdom-of-our-actions-in-the-first-three-years-of-peace-will/)

[Henry A. Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-wallace/)

> [Thought determines action. Do not let your whole life be a reaction to the things that happen around you each day. Let your life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-kelly/thought-determines-action-do-not-let-your-whole-life-be-a-reaction-to/)

[Matthew Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-kelly/)

> [Determine to do some thinking for yourself. Don't live entirely upon the thoughts of others. Don't be an automaton.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cash-penney/determine-to-do-some-thinking-for-yourself-don-t-live-entirely-upon/)

[James Cash Penney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cash-penney/)

> [Choices determine character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-mull/choices-determine-character/)

[Brandon Mull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-mull/)

> [We must recognize that every nation determines its policies in terms of its own interests.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-must-recognize-that-every-nation-determines-its-policies-in-terms/)

[John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/)

> [All writers are forced to live within deadlines, and deadlines determine how good they can be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/all-writers-are-forced-to-live-within-deadlines-and-deadlines/)

[Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/)

> [Alfred Nobel stipulated that no distinction of race or colour will determine who received of his generosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdus-salam/alfred-nobel-stipulated-that-no-distinction-of-race-or-colour-will/)

[Abdus Salam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdus-salam/)

> [The enmity of such a party towards Socialism does not mean that the members are only prejudiced against it because they do not know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-radek/the-enmity-of-such-a-party-towards-socialism-does-not-mean-that-the/)

[Karl Radek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-radek/)

> [It is not the consciousness of men that determines their being, but, on the contrary, their social being that determines their consciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/it-is-not-the-consciousness-of-men-that-determines-their-being-but-on/)

[Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/)

> [Running gives freedom. When you run you can determine your own tempo. You can choose your own course and think whatever you want. Nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-kuscsik/running-gives-freedom-when-you-run-you-can-determine-your-own-tempo/)

[Nina Kuscsik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-kuscsik/)

> [I've ultimately decided that I will not play this NBA season. I'm going to take the remainder of this season, as well as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-allen/i-ve-ultimately-decided-that-i-will-not-play-this-nba-season-i-m/)

[Ray Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-allen/)

> [The things you do determine the way people perceive you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/the-things-you-do-determine-the-way-people-perceive-you/)

[Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/)

Browse all 2,194 Determine quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is worth starting with visions, though, because they establish hopes and fears. History then determines which prevail.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Lewis Gaddis"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/it-is-worth-starting-with-visions-though-because-they-establish-hopes/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Determine"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/it-is-worth-starting-with-visions-though-because-they-establish-hopes/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa2/john-lewis-gaddis-16949_determine_it-is-worth-starting-with-visions-though_3066988.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa2/john-lewis-gaddis-16949_determine_it-is-worth-starting-with-visions-though_3066988.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa2/john-lewis-gaddis-16949_determine_it-is-worth-starting-with-visions-though_3066988.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is worth starting with visions, though, because they establish hopes and fears. History then determines…” — John Lewis Gaddis",
                "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": "John Lewis Gaddis",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is worth starting with visions,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/it-is-worth-starting-with-visions-though-because-they-establish-hopes/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/it-is-worth-starting-with-visions-though-because-they-establish-hopes/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
