--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Hopelessness kills. Numerous studies in…" description: "\"Hopelessness kills. Numerous studies in humans show that we can die as a result of dire beliefs and a sense of overwhelming futility.\" — Larry Dossey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b09/larry-dossey-28155_belief_hopelessness-kills-numerous-studies-in-h_2786276.png" --- # Hopelessness kills. Numerous studies in humans show that… ![“Hopelessness kills. Numerous studies in humans show that we can die as a result of dire beliefs and a sense of overwhelming futility.” quote by Larry Dossey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b09/larry-dossey-28155_belief_hopelessness-kills-numerous-studies-in-h_2786276.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b09/larry-dossey-28155_belief_hopelessness-kills-numerous-studies-in-h_2786276.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b09/larry-dossey-28155_belief_hopelessness-kills-numerous-studies-in-h_2786276.png) > “Hopelessness kills. Numerous studies in humans show that we can die as a result of dire beliefs and a sense of overwhelming futility.” [Larry Dossey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-dossey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Believing life is hopeless can physically harm or even cause death. **In simple terms:** Hopelessness can be deadly. Key Takeaway Cultivate hopeful beliefs. Themes mental health beliefs psychology Mood somber urgent Type warning informative When to use this quote - clinical settings - therapy - public health campaigns Key Concepts Fatalism psychosomatic effects Questions to Reflect On - How can we foster hope in at‑risk populations? - What role does community support play? A Different Perspective Hope alone may not counteract severe depression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Futility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/futility/) [Hopelessness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hopelessness/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) ## Related quotes > [It was not until after the coming of Christ that time and humans could breathe freely. It was not until after him that people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/it-was-not-until-after-the-coming-of-christ-that-time-and-humans/) [Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/) > [Humans will die like all living things do, but we have the added burden of knowing that we will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/humans-will-die-like-all-living-things-do-but-we-have-the-added/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [Poor humans; they will all die.""Poor us; we will not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernor-vinge/poor-humans-they-will-all-die-poor-us-we-will-not/) [Vernor Vinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernor-vinge/) > [“Just look at what happens to humans after they die-most of that is done by microbes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-r-clark/just-look-at-what-happens-to-humans-after-they-die-most-of-that-is/) William R. Clark > [“Despair requires hope—some faint flicker of belief that things might change. I have none.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-harnisch/despair-requires-hope-some-faint-flicker-of-belief-that-things-might/) [Jonathan Harnisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-harnisch/) > [It is to the United States that all freemen look for the light and the hope of the world. Unless we dedicate ourselves completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-n-bradley/it-is-to-the-united-states-that-all-freemen-look-for-the-light-and/) [Omar N. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-n-bradley/) > [More than at any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/more-than-at-any-other-time-in-history-mankind-faces-a-crossroads-one/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [Suddenly the clouds seem high above us. They’re moving over us in an arch, circling the planet. They have seen abysmal oceans and charred,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/suddenly-the-clouds-seem-high-above-us-they-re-moving-over-us-in-an/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [A mature artist is at the same time aware of the futility of his achievement and the validity of the pursuit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-helion/a-mature-artist-is-at-the-same-time-aware-of-the-futility-of-his/) [Jean Helion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-helion/) > [It occurred to me that my speech or my silence, indeed any action of mine, would be a mere futility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/it-occurred-to-me-that-my-speech-or-my-silence-indeed-any-action-of/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [Death is the only monastery; the tomb is the only cell, and the grave that adjoins the convent is the bitterest mock of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/death-is-the-only-monastery-the-tomb-is-the-only-cell-and-the-grave/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [“Dabbling in the sandbox gives Rabbit a small headache. Over at the pavilion the rubber thump of Roofball and the click of checkers call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/dabbling-in-the-sandbox-gives-rabbit-a-small-headache-over-at-the/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“The nobility of age is that it conceals from the young the futility of effort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yeo-tze/the-nobility-of-age-is-that-it-conceals-from-the-young-the-futility/) Yeo-tze > [I am alive again, now that I can no longer stand to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-am-alive-again-now-that-i-can-no-longer-stand-to-live/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Married life had taught him the futility of arguing with a female in a dark-brown mood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/married-life-had-taught-him-the-futility-of-arguing-with-a-female-in/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) ## More by Larry Dossey > [Eventually it became clear that our emotions, attitudes, and thoughts profoundly affect our bodies, sometimes to the degree of life or death. Soon mind-body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-dossey/eventually-it-became-clear-that-our-emotions-attitudes-and-thoughts/) [Larry Dossey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-dossey/) > [Our relatedness with other living forms provides us something we sorely need: a reverence for the life of all creatures great and small, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-dossey/our-relatedness-with-other-living-forms-provides-us-something-we/) [Larry Dossey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-dossey/) > [“I believe the vital ingredient is love—a state of caring and compassion that is so deep and genuine that the barriers we erect around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-dossey/i-believe-the-vital-ingredient-is-love-a-state-of-caring-and/) [Larry Dossey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-dossey/) > [The garden is a metaphor for life, and gardening is a symbol of the spiritual path.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-dossey/the-garden-is-a-metaphor-for-life-and-gardening-is-a-symbol-of-the/) [Larry Dossey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-dossey/) > [The modern tradition of equating death with an ensuing nothingness can be abandoned. For there is no reason to believe that human death severs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-dossey/the-modern-tradition-of-equating-death-with-an-ensuing-nothingness/) [Larry Dossey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-dossey/) > [The soul is one of the most venerable, enduring images of spiritual traditions worldwide. In The Great Field, John James brings new information to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-dossey/the-soul-is-one-of-the-most-venerable-enduring-images-of-spiritual/) [Larry Dossey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-dossey/) > [Alan Watts, the Buddhist scholar, proposed the existence of a mental faculty he called forgettory, which is the flip side of memory. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-dossey/alan-watts-the-buddhist-scholar-proposed-the-existence-of-a-mental/) [Larry Dossey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-dossey/) > [The cognitive structure does not generate consciousness; it simply reflects it; and in the process limits and embellishes it. In a fundamental sense, consciousness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-dossey/the-cognitive-structure-does-not-generate-consciousness-it-simply/) [Larry Dossey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-dossey/) > [Prayer is an attitude of the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-dossey/prayer-is-an-attitude-of-the-heart/) [Larry Dossey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-dossey/) > [Not to employ prayer with my patients was the equivalent of deliberately withholding a potent drug or surgical procedure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-dossey/not-to-employ-prayer-with-my-patients-was-the-equivalent-of/) [Larry Dossey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-dossey/) > [Climbing Jacob''s Ladder is a gutsy, glowing account of one man's encounter with a potent spiritual practice and how it transformed his life. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-dossey/climbing-jacob-s-ladder-is-a-gutsy-glowing-account-of-one-man-s/) [Larry Dossey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-dossey/) > [Health and healing are about more than the eradication of disease. Health is related to wholeness and holy-knowing who we are and how we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-dossey/health-and-healing-are-about-more-than-the-eradication-of-disease/) [Larry Dossey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-dossey/) > [New Self, New World is an extraordinary work—an awesome display of wisdom distilled from the world’s great wisdom traditions and the majestic individuals who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-dossey/new-self-new-world-is-an-extraordinary-work-an-awesome-display-of/) [Larry Dossey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-dossey/) > [There is an old saying: If you want to hide the treasure, put it in plain sight. Then no one will see it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-dossey/there-is-an-old-saying-if-you-want-to-hide-the-treasure-put-it-in/) [Larry Dossey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-dossey/) > [Become a good noticer. Pay attention to the feelings, hunches, and intuitions that flood your life each day. If you do, you will see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-dossey/become-a-good-noticer-pay-attention-to-the-feelings-hunches-and/) [Larry Dossey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-dossey/) [Explore all 19 Larry Dossey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-dossey/) ## More Belief quotes > [“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/) > [“MIND & GRIND Self-belief and hard work can propel you past more talented peers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/mind-grind-self-belief-and-hard-work-can-propel-you-past-more/) [Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [It took me 20 years of hard training to get the physique I have today. what you need is what i had - BELIEF…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branch-warren/it-took-me-20-years-of-hard-training-to-get-the-physique-i-have-today/) [Branch Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branch-warren/) > [“Here is a fundamental difference between the man of faith and the man of unbelief. The unbeliever is 'of the world', judges everything by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-w-pink/here-is-a-fundamental-difference-between-the-man-of-faith-and-the-man/) [Arthur W. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-w-pink/) > [“She herself vacillated when it came to belief. She did not particularly believe in God. Or, rather, she didn't believe in a particular God.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/she-herself-vacillated-when-it-came-to-belief-she-did-not/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [“Rigid traditions capture souls prisons of spiritual thought man’s religion has captured a god grown too small and very weak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle/rigid-traditions-capture-souls-prisons-of-spiritual-thought-man-s/) [David W Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [In business, as in politics, it is never easy to go against the beliefs and attitudes held by the majority. The businessman who moves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-paul-getty/in-business-as-in-politics-it-is-never-easy-to-go-against-the-beliefs/) [J. Paul Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-paul-getty/) > [There's no greatest moment in the arts. It's a life; it's a continuity thing. You can't have a great moment because it's spiritual. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-neiman/there-s-no-greatest-moment-in-the-arts-it-s-a-life-it-s-a-continuity/) [LeRoy Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-neiman/) > [To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) [Browse all 10,268 Belief quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Hopelessness kills. 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