--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Hope is to a man as a bladder to a…" description: "\"Hope is to a man as a bladder to a learning swimmer--it keeps him from sinking in the bosom of the waves, and by that help he may attain the exercise; ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/702/owen-feltham-9361_bladder_hope-is-to-a-man-as-a-bladder-to-a-learn_1682529.jpg" --- # Hope is to a man as a bladder to a learning swimmer--it… ![“Hope is to a man as a bladder to a learning swimmer--it keeps him from sinking in the bosom of the waves, and by that help he may attain the exercise; but yet it many times makes him venture beyond his height, and then if that breaks, or a storm rises, he drowns without recovery. How many would…” quote by Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/702/owen-feltham-9361_bladder_hope-is-to-a-man-as-a-bladder-to-a-learn_1682529.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/702/owen-feltham-9361_bladder_hope-is-to-a-man-as-a-bladder-to-a-learn_1682529.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/702/owen-feltham-9361_bladder_hope-is-to-a-man-as-a-bladder-to-a-learn_1682529.jpg) > “Hope is to a man as a bladder to a learning swimmer--it keeps him from sinking in the bosom of the waves, and by that help he may attain the exercise; but yet it many times makes him venture beyond his height, and then if that breaks, or a storm rises, he drowns without recovery. How many would die, did not hope sustain them! How many have died by hoping too much! This wonder we find in Hope, that she is both a flatterer and a true friend.” [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Hope acts as a buoyancy aid, keeping us afloat amid life's challenges, yet excessive hope can lead to overreaching and disaster. **In simple terms:** Hope keeps us afloat but can cause overconfidence. Key Takeaway Balance optimism with realistic assessment. Themes hope resilience risk faith balance Mood cautious reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal crises - career decisions - relationships - health challenges Key Concepts psychology philosophy human nature Questions to Reflect On - When has hope saved you? - When has hope led you astray? A Different Perspective Hope may mask underlying problems, leading to neglect of practical preparation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bladder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bladder/) [Bosoms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bosoms/) [Break](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break/) [Died](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/died/) [Dies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dies/) [Drowns Recovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drowns-recovery-971800/) [Exercise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exercise/) [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Flatterer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flatterer/) [Height](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/height/) [Helping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Hope Flatterer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope-flatterer-971799/) [Hope Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope-man-674965/) [Hoping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hoping/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Recovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recovery/) [Sinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sinking/) [Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storm/) [Swimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swimmer/) [Too much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-much/) [True friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-friend/) [Venture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/venture/) [Wave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wave/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) ## Related quotes > [Hope is a flatterer, but the most upright of all parasites; for she frequents the poor man's hut, as well as the palace of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shenstone/hope-is-a-flatterer-but-the-most-upright-of-all-parasites-for-she/) [William Shenstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shenstone/) > [In all the broad Universe there is no other hope for Man than ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/in-all-the-broad-universe-there-is-no-other-hope-for-man-than/) [L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) > [“But hope is only man's mistrust of the clear foresight of his mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/but-hope-is-only-man-s-mistrust-of-the-clear-foresight-of-his-mind/) [Paul Valéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [Just because I'm invisible to you it doesn't mean I'm there, I just hope that you will see me as a man who will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/just-because-i-m-invisible-to-you-it-doesn-t-mean-i-m-there-i-just/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“There is hope for every man to return to his Maker.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/there-is-hope-for-every-man-to-return-to-his-maker/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Hope is man's preparation for the unknown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/hope-is-man-s-preparation-for-the-unknown/) [Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/) > [God puts the excess of hope in one man, in order that it may be a medicine to the man who is despondent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/god-puts-the-excess-of-hope-in-one-man-in-order-that-it-may-be-a/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [Our hope is not in the man we put in the White House but in the Man we put on the Cross.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/our-hope-is-not-in-the-man-we-put-in-the-white-house-but-in-the-man/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [... There is always hope in a man who actually and earnestly works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/there-is-always-hope-in-a-man-who-actually-and-earnestly-works/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [A man without hope is a man without fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-miller/a-man-without-hope-is-a-man-without-fear/) [Frank Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-miller/) > [The man of the future who will redeem us not only from the hitherto reigning ideal but also from that which was bound to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-man-of-the-future-who-will-redeem-us-not-only-from-the-hitherto/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Man ever talks, and Man ever dreams Of better days that are yet to be, After glittering goal, that distant gleams, Running and racing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/man-ever-talks-and-man-ever-dreams-of-better-days-that-are-yet-to-be/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) > [“There is always hope for man or dog in life if only they be cute”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pariseau/there-is-always-hope-for-man-or-dog-in-life-if-only-they-be-cute/) [Chris Pariseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pariseau/) > [To give a generous hope to a man of his own nature, is to enrich him immeasurably.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ellery-channing/to-give-a-generous-hope-to-a-man-of-his-own-nature-is-to-enrich-him/) [William Ellery Channing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ellery-channing/) > [You do know, I hope, that no man under the age of forty can even approach fascinating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasha-alexander/you-do-know-i-hope-that-no-man-under-the-age-of-forty-can-even/) [Tasha Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasha-alexander/) ## More by Owen Feltham > [The boundary of man is moderation. When once we pass that pale our guardian angel quits his charge of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/the-boundary-of-man-is-moderation-when-once-we-pass-that-pale-our/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) > [Of all trees, I observe God hath chosen the vine, a low plant that creeps upon the helpful wall; of all beasts, the soft…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/of-all-trees-i-observe-god-hath-chosen-the-vine-a-low-plant-that/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) > [To go to law is for two persons to kindle a fire, at their own cost, to warm others and singe themselves to cinders;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/to-go-to-law-is-for-two-persons-to-kindle-a-fire-at-their-own-cost-to/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) > [Virtue is the truest liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/virtue-is-the-truest-liberty/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) > [Fear, if it be not immoderate, puts a guard about us that does watch and defend us; but credulity keeps us naked, and lays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/fear-if-it-be-not-immoderate-puts-a-guard-about-us-that-does-watch/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) > [Where there is plenty, charity is a duty, not a courtesy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/where-there-is-plenty-charity-is-a-duty-not-a-courtesy/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) > [Meditation is the soul's perspective glass, whereby, in her long remove, she discerneth God, as if He were nearer at hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/meditation-is-the-soul-s-perspective-glass-whereby-in-her-long-remove/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) > [Truth and fidelity are the pillars of the temple of the world; when these are broken, the fabric falls, and crushes all to pieces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/truth-and-fidelity-are-the-pillars-of-the-temple-of-the-world-when/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) > [There is no one subsists by himself alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/there-is-no-one-subsists-by-himself-alone/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) > [Promises may get friends, but it is performance that must nurse and keep them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/promises-may-get-friends-but-it-is-performance-that-must-nurse-and/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) > [It is rare to see a rich man religious; for religion preaches restraint, and riches prompt to unlicensed freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/it-is-rare-to-see-a-rich-man-religious-for-religion-preaches/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) > [Pleasures can undo a man at any time, if yielded to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/pleasures-can-undo-a-man-at-any-time-if-yielded-to/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) > [Human life has not a surer friend, nor oftentimes a greater enemy, than hope. It is the miserable man's god, which in the hardest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/human-life-has-not-a-surer-friend-nor-oftentimes-a-greater-enemy-than/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) > [Negligence is the rust of the soul that corrodes through all her best resolves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/negligence-is-the-rust-of-the-soul-that-corrodes-through-all-her-best/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) > [To be gentle is the test of a lady.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/to-be-gentle-is-the-test-of-a-lady/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) [Explore all 73 Owen Feltham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) ## More Bladder quotes > [I took a wrong turn on the way to the bathroom and found myself in a beautifully proportioned room I had never seen before,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-took-a-wrong-turn-on-the-way-to-the-bathroom-and-found-myself-in-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You still there?’ he asked. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘You must have a bladder like Lake Erie. I think empires rose and fell in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-still-there-he-asked-yes-she-said-you-must-have-a-bladder-like/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I went to the doctor, and they found something in my bladder. And whenever they find something, it's never anything good like, "We found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/i-went-to-the-doctor-and-they-found-something-in-my-bladder-and/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [Health experts working on a union backed screening program to detect bladder cancer in a Georgia chemical plant were stunned when the local (ACS)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-anderson/health-experts-working-on-a-union-backed-screening-program-to-detect/) [Jack Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-anderson/) > [“The past twelve weeks had been a blur, and now she was about to meet her baby via ultrasound, go home with a picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-kent/the-past-twelve-weeks-had-been-a-blur-and-now-she-was-about-to-meet/) [Julia Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-kent/) > [No one goes to the toilet in novels. You'd think none of us had bladders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/no-one-goes-to-the-toilet-in-novels-you-d-think-none-of-us-had/) [Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/) > [My bladder cancer was related to smoking, and I think smoking kills people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-schieffer/my-bladder-cancer-was-related-to-smoking-and-i-think-smoking-kills/) [Bob Schieffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-schieffer/) > [You cannot achieve happiness. Happiness happens and is a transitory stage. Imagine how happy I felt when I got relief from bladder pressure. How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-cannot-achieve-happiness-happiness-happens-and-is-a-transitory/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Please, by all the blessed saints and their bladders, tell me you two didn’t…Have you lost all semblance of intelligence? (Syn)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/please-by-all-the-blessed-saints-and-their-bladders-tell-me-you-two/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [I was 52 years old. I had diabetes and incipient arthritis. I had lost my gall bladder and most of my thyroid gland in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kroc/i-was-52-years-old-i-had-diabetes-and-incipient-arthritis-i-had-lost/) [Ray Kroc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kroc/) > [One of the most difficult things to contend with in a hospital is the assumption on the part of the staff that because you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-kerr/one-of-the-most-difficult-things-to-contend-with-in-a-hospital-is-the/) [Jean Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-kerr/) > [Playing dead is difficult with a full bladder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-lane/playing-dead-is-difficult-with-a-full-bladder/) [Diane Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-lane/) > [Life with most teenagers was like having a low-grade bladder infection. It hurts, but you had to tough it out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/life-with-most-teenagers-was-like-having-a-low-grade-bladder/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [When you have a tiny bladder you become very adept at finding and remembering clean public bathrooms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-jacobs/when-you-have-a-tiny-bladder-you-become-very-adept-at-finding-and/) [Gillian Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-jacobs/) > [My pappy told me never to bet my bladder against a brewery or get into an argument with people who buy ink by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lane-kirkland/my-pappy-told-me-never-to-bet-my-bladder-against-a-brewery-or-get/) [Lane Kirkland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lane-kirkland/) [Browse all 71 Bladder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bladder/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Hope is to a man as a bladder to a learning swimmer--it keeps him from sinking in the bosom of the waves, and by that help he may attain the exercise; but yet it many times makes him venture beyond his height, and then if that breaks, or a storm rises, he drowns without recovery. 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