--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He looked back on his past life, which…" description: "\"“He looked back on his past life, which had been so wretched. How had he been able to bear that terrible burden? He had borne it because through the da..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/leo-tolstoy-55_hope_he-looked-back-on-his-past-life-which-ha_1468514.jpg" --- # He looked back on his past life, which had been so… ![“He looked back on his past life, which had been so wretched. How had he been able to bear that terrible burden? He had borne it because through the darkness flickered a tiny star of hope. Once when he was alive he thought that perhaps a better lot might still be in store for him. But now that he…” quote by Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/leo-tolstoy-55_hope_he-looked-back-on-his-past-life-which-ha_1468514.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/leo-tolstoy-55_hope_he-looked-back-on-his-past-life-which-ha_1468514.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/leo-tolstoy-55_hope_he-looked-back-on-his-past-life-which-ha_1468514.jpg) > ““He looked back on his past life, which had been so wretched. How had he been able to bear that terrible burden? He had borne it because through the darkness flickered a tiny star of hope. Once when he was alive he thought that perhaps a better lot might still be in store for him. But now that he had advanced toward the end, hope, too, was dead.”” [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. In old age, the narrator reflects on a life of suffering, finding that hope was the only light that made the burden bearable, but even that hope has vanished. **In simple terms:** Hope was his only comfort, now gone. Key Takeaway Recognize the fragility of hope. Themes suffering hope reflection Mood melancholic reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - elderly reflection - grief counseling - end‑of‑life care - philosophical writing Key Concepts existentialism human resilience Questions to Reflect On - What sustains you when hope fades? - Can meaning replace hope? A Different Perspective Hope may be fleeting and unreliable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Past life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-life/) ## Related quotes > [“A little muzhik was working on the railroad, mumbling in his beard. And the candle by which she had read the book that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/a-little-muzhik-was-working-on-the-railroad-mumbling-in-his-beard-and/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [And the light by which she had read the book filled with troubles, falsehoods, sorrow, and evil, flared up more brightly than ever before,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/and-the-light-by-which-she-had-read-the-book-filled-with-troubles/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“While there's life there's hope, and only the dead have none.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theocritus/while-there-s-life-there-s-hope-and-only-the-dead-have-none/) [Theocritus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theocritus/) > [“For centuries, most of the devout had looked past vast amounts of scientific data and rational logic in defense of their faith.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/for-centuries-most-of-the-devout-had-looked-past-vast-amounts-of/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [I know I'm not a marquee name, and I'm looked past by most guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-kennedy/i-know-i-m-not-a-marquee-name-and-i-m-looked-past-by-most-guys/) [Tim Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-kennedy/) > [“I looked past him, to the sea framed in the arched opening of the wall, to the line formed where the water met the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/i-looked-past-him-to-the-sea-framed-in-the-arched-opening-of-the-wall/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [GUESS WHAT ...I LOOKED AROUND TO SEE WHO WAS BEHIND ME...IT WAS NOTHING BUT MY PAST...I DIDNT MISS A STEP!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-paul-rose/guess-what-i-looked-around-to-see-who-was-behind-me-it-was-nothing/) [LEONARD PAUL ROSE](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-paul-rose/) > [“At her tone, at once intimate and formal, a terrible sadness came over me, and when we looked at each other it seemed that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/at-her-tone-at-once-intimate-and-formal-a-terrible-sadness-came-over/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“She was tranquil, but it was with the quietness of exhausted grief, not of resignation; and she looked back upon the past, and awaited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-radcliffe/she-was-tranquil-but-it-was-with-the-quietness-of-exhausted-grief-not/) [Ann Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-radcliffe/) > [I've been looked past the majority of my career. I'm overlooked, underestimated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-condit/i-ve-been-looked-past-the-majority-of-my-career-i-m-overlooked/) [Carlos Condit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-condit/) > [She looked at her own past, and, for the first time, she forgave herself: it hadn't been her fault, but the fault of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/she-looked-at-her-own-past-and-for-the-first-time-she-forgave-herself/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“I'll never forget the stillness, the hesitation, and a trace of something I'd never before seen on Ghosh's face: cunning. Then it gave in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-ll-never-forget-the-stillness-the-hesitation-and-a-trace-of/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [“Her face flamed and her breasts prickled. She did not think again of the sheriff or of his unmarried daughter. She thought instead of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-roberson/her-face-flamed-and-her-breasts-prickled-she-did-not-think-again-of/) [Jennifer Roberson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-roberson/) > [“When I look back on that time, it’s with the strangest stew of emotions: love, longing, terror, horror, regret, and the deep sweetness only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/when-i-look-back-on-that-time-it-s-with-the-strangest-stew-of/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Usually they looked past me hopefully and some even went and peered into the car to see if the man they really wanted was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-herriot/usually-they-looked-past-me-hopefully-and-some-even-went-and-peered/) [James Herriot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-herriot/) ## More by Leo Tolstoy > [These joys were so trifling as to be as imperceptible as grains of gold among the sand, and in moments of depression she saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/these-joys-were-so-trifling-as-to-be-as-imperceptible-as-grains-of/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [The only significance of life consists in helping to establish the kingdom of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-only-significance-of-life-consists-in-helping-to-establish-the/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“I already love in you your beauty, but I am only beginning to love in you that which is eternal and ever precious –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-already-love-in-you-your-beauty-but-i-am-only-beginning-to-love-in/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Energy rests upon love; and come as it will, there's no forcing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/energy-rests-upon-love-and-come-as-it-will-there-s-no-forcing-it/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“If you only knew what those society women are, and women in general! My father is right. Selfish, vain, stupid, trivial in everything—that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/if-you-only-knew-what-those-society-women-are-and-women-in-general-my/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [To evoke in oneself a feeling one has once experienced, and having evoked it in oneself, then by means of movements, lines, colors, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-evoke-in-oneself-a-feeling-one-has-once-experienced-and-having/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [To speak of it would be giving importance to that which has none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-speak-of-it-would-be-giving-importance-to-that-which-has-none/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Once we're thrown off our habitual paths, we think all is lost, but it's only here that the new and the good begins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/once-we-re-thrown-off-our-habitual-paths-we-think-all-is-lost-but-it/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“He knew she was there by the rapture and the terror that seized on his heart. She was standing talking to a lady at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/he-knew-she-was-there-by-the-rapture-and-the-terror-that-seized-on/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Rest, nature, books, music...such is my idea of happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/rest-nature-books-music-such-is-my-idea-of-happiness/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“He was not to blame for being born with an irrepressible charachter and a mind some how constrained.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/he-was-not-to-blame-for-being-born-with-an-irrepressible-charachter/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [I ask one thing only: I ask for the right to hope, to suffer as I do. But if even that cannot be, command…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-ask-one-thing-only-i-ask-for-the-right-to-hope-to-suffer-as-i-do/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [The idea shared by many that life is a vale of tears is just as false as the idea shared by the great majority,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-idea-shared-by-many-that-life-is-a-vale-of-tears-is-just-as-false/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [To say that a work of art is good, but incomprehensible to the majority of men, is the same as saying of some kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-say-that-a-work-of-art-is-good-but-incomprehensible-to-the/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [True life is lived when tiny changes occur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/true-life-is-lived-when-tiny-changes-occur/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) [Explore all 1,754 Leo Tolstoy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) ## More Hope quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [“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/) > [“What can we do in any hardship? We can hope with prayerful praise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/what-can-we-do-in-any-hardship-we-can-hope-with-prayerful-praise/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [If one truly has lost hope, one would not be on hand to say so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bentley/if-one-truly-has-lost-hope-one-would-not-be-on-hand-to-say-so/) [Eric Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bentley/) > [“too—I realized that my only hope was to give up the life that had been, in order to make room for the life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/too-i-realized-that-my-only-hope-was-to-give-up-the-life-that-had/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Stop trying to give me hope ... I have no room left for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenn-f/stop-trying-to-give-me-hope-i-have-no-room-left-for-it/) [Jenn F](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenn-f/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Give me love, give me peace on earth, give me light, give me life, keep me free from birth, give me hope, help me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/give-me-love-give-me-peace-on-earth-give-me-light-give-me-life-keep/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Pray, hope, don't worry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pio-of-pietrelcina/pray-hope-don-t-worry/) [Pio of Pietrelcina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pio-of-pietrelcina/) > [Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillips-brooks/do-not-pray-for-tasks-equal-to-your-powers-pray-for-powers-equal-to/) [Phillips Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillips-brooks/) > [I am at a point in my life where everything I have worked for starts to look like a burden, a weight on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-abou-samra/i-am-at-a-point-in-my-life-where-everything-i-have-worked-for-starts/) Simone Abou Samra > [Im really happy that I met you I hope you know that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/im-nothing/im-really-happy-that-i-met-you-i-hope-you-know-that/) Im Nothing > [All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/all-that-i-am-or-ever-hope-to-be-i-owe-to-my-angel-mother/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) [Browse all 24,868 Hope quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He looked back on his past life, which had been so wretched. 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