--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The word hope first appeared in English…" description: "\"“The word hope first appeared in English about a thousand years ago, denoting some combination of confidence and desire. But what I desired—life—was no..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/531/paul-kalanithi-5204_confidence_the-word-hope-first-appeared-in-english_618427.jpg" --- # The word hope first appeared in English about a thousand… ![“The word hope first appeared in English about a thousand years ago, denoting some combination of confidence and desire. But what I desired—life—was not what I was confident about—death.” quote by Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/531/paul-kalanithi-5204_confidence_the-word-hope-first-appeared-in-english_618427.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/531/paul-kalanithi-5204_confidence_the-word-hope-first-appeared-in-english_618427.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/531/paul-kalanithi-5204_confidence_the-word-hope-first-appeared-in-english_618427.jpg) > ““The word hope first appeared in English about a thousand years ago, denoting some combination of confidence and desire. But what I desired—life—was not what I was confident about—death.”” [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Hope blends confidence and desire, yet confronting mortality reveals a gap between what we long for and what we trust. **In simple terms:** Hope mixes wanting life with uncertainty about death. Key Takeaway Recognize hope’s dual nature. Themes mortality hope existentialism Mood thoughtful somber Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - end‑of‑life care - personal crisis - philosophical contemplation Key Concepts meaning purpose psychology Questions to Reflect On - What does hope mean to you in uncertainty? - How do you reconcile desire for life with fear of death? A Different Perspective Hope may be fragile when faced with stark reality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Thousand years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand-years/) ## Related quotes > [We have been sold a lifestyle, when what our soul desired was life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriah-dreamer/we-have-been-sold-a-lifestyle-when-what-our-soul-desired-was-life/) [Oriah Dreamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriah-dreamer/) > [I found that what I had desired all my life was not to live - if what others are doing is called living -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-found-that-what-i-had-desired-all-my-life-was-not-to-live-if-what/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [It was as if hope had appeared out of nowhere to settle beside her and it wasn't going anywhere, it wasn't going to desert…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/it-was-as-if-hope-had-appeared-out-of-nowhere-to-settle-beside-her/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [Love is like the sunrise; hope appeared at the same time on two faces and in two souls connected by the same wonders and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-fulger/love-is-like-the-sunrise-hope-appeared-at-the-same-time-on-two-faces/) [Mariana Fulger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-fulger/) > [“I saw portraits of pain and snapshots of hope—they appeared as complex energies, softly kaleidoscopic, levitating in air with no connotations to joy or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-victory/i-saw-portraits-of-pain-and-snapshots-of-hope-they-appeared-as/) Ross Victory > [My quality of life is more amazing than I ever could've imagined in those 20 years of struggling with illness. In those 20 years,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-hamilton/my-quality-of-life-is-more-amazing-than-i-ever-could-ve-imagined-in/) [Linda Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-hamilton/) > [And if it's over It hurts but I'm giving you my word I hope that you're always Happy like we were~James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-if-it-s-over-it-hurts-but-i-m-giving-you-my-word-i-hope-that-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Sure is a word of hope not the word of trust”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dattasmita-hv/sure-is-a-word-of-hope-not-the-word-of-trust/) Dattasmita HV > [“For a long time things were so bad. Very bad. Dark even when there was light. The only thing that kept the dark back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/for-a-long-time-things-were-so-bad-very-bad-dark-even-when-there-was/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [We use the word 'hope' perhaps more often than any other word in the vocabulary: 'I hope it's a nice day.' 'Hopefully, you're doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/we-use-the-word-hope-perhaps-more-often-than-any-other-word-in-the/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [“I mediate on God’s word, therefore, I have hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/i-mediate-on-god-s-word-therefore-i-have-hope/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Latin America is very fond of the word "hope." We like to be called the "continent of hope." Candidates for deputy, senator, president, call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/latin-america-is-very-fond-of-the-word-hope-we-like-to-be-called-the/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [I think by now I have made it fairly clear that I am not very happy with the word hope. I don't believe in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aung-san-suu-kyi/i-think-by-now-i-have-made-it-fairly-clear-that-i-am-not-very-happy/) [Aung San Suu Kyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aung-san-suu-kyi/) > [“Here’s what we all need to keep in mind at all times: the One who rules over this world is the ultimate definition of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-david-tripp/here-s-what-we-all-need-to-keep-in-mind-at-all-times-the-one-who/) [Paul David Tripp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-david-tripp/) > [“Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD” (Ps. 27:14), and “I wait for the LORD, my soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-feola/wait-for-the-lord-be-strong-and-take-heart-and-wait-for-the-lord-ps/) Kristen Feola ## More by Paul Kalanithi > [“operative risk, it was the best kind of tumor to have, and the best place to have it; surgery would almost certainly eliminate her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/operative-risk-it-was-the-best-kind-of-tumor-to-have-and-the-best/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [“If the unexamined life was not worth living, was the unlived life worth examining?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/if-the-unexamined-life-was-not-worth-living-was-the-unlived-life/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [“Yet the paradox is that scientific methodology is the product of human hands and thus cannot reach some permanent truth. We build scientific theories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/yet-the-paradox-is-that-scientific-methodology-is-the-product-of/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [“...but every day felt full of life, and of the relationships that give life meaning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/but-every-day-felt-full-of-life-and-of-the-relationships-that-give/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [“I struggled, while facing my own death, to rebuild my old life—or perhaps find a new one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/i-struggled-while-facing-my-own-death-to-rebuild-my-old-life-or/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [“My imagined future and my personal identity collapsed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/my-imagined-future-and-my-personal-identity-collapsed/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [“I had come to see language as an almost supernatural force, existing between people,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/i-had-come-to-see-language-as-an-almost-supernatural-force-existing/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [“When a patient comes in with a fatal head bleed, that first conversation with a neurosurgeon may forever color how the family remembers the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/when-a-patient-comes-in-with-a-fatal-head-bleed-that-first/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [“To the east, the full light of day beamed toward you; to the west, night reigned with no hint of surrender. No philosopher can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/to-the-east-the-full-light-of-day-beamed-toward-you-to-the-west-night/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [“I acted not, as I most often did, as death’s enemy, but as its ambassador. I had to help those families understand that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/i-acted-not-as-i-most-often-did-as-death-s-enemy-but-as-its/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [“A scan showed that a benign brain tumor was pressing on her right frontal lobe. In terms of operative risk, it was the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/a-scan-showed-that-a-benign-brain-tumor-was-pressing-on-her-right/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [“Now more than ever, you have to be there for each other. I don’t want either of you staying up all night at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/now-more-than-ever-you-have-to-be-there-for-each-other-i-don-t-want/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [“The funny thing about time in the OR, whether you race frenetically or proceed steadily, is that you have no sense of it passing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/the-funny-thing-about-time-in-the-or-whether-you-race-frenetically-or/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [“Learn to be fast now. You can learn to be good later.” In the OR, everyone’s eyes are always on the clock. For the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/learn-to-be-fast-now-you-can-learn-to-be-good-later-in-the-or/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [“I felt that the last thing he needed was the obligation to service a new friendship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/i-felt-that-the-last-thing-he-needed-was-the-obligation-to-service-a/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) [Explore all 100 Paul Kalanithi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) ## More Confidence quotes > [The CIA has concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/the-cia-has-concluded-in-a-secret-assessment-that-russia-intervened/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [I was just confident my work was good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bunny-yeager/i-was-just-confident-my-work-was-good/) [Bunny Yeager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bunny-yeager/) > [I am confident when I take the penalty otherwise I would pass for somebody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-fernandes/i-am-confident-when-i-take-the-penalty-otherwise-i-would-pass-for/) [Bruno Fernandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-fernandes/) > [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/) [Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [My friend made me a leather dress for the MTV awards. It gives you confidence, wearing something you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-deeley/my-friend-made-me-a-leather-dress-for-the-mtv-awards-it-gives-you/) [Cat Deeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-deeley/) > [Confidence comes from cutting yourself some slack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-daly/confidence-comes-from-cutting-yourself-some-slack/) [Tess Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-daly/) > [I would rather regret the things that I have done than the things that I have not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-ball/i-would-rather-regret-the-things-that-i-have-done-than-the-things/) [Lucille Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-ball/) > [You want to remain hungry and stay in a good place as a competitor; at the same time, you want to be confident but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-odom/you-want-to-remain-hungry-and-stay-in-a-good-place-as-a-competitor-at/) [Lamar Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-odom/) > [Get to know yourself well enough to not only expect, but also control, your response to the unexpected challenges in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/get-to-know-yourself-well-enough-to-not-only-expect-but-also-control/) Senoraroy > [The four Cs of making dreams come true: Curiosity, Courage, Consistency, Confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/the-four-cs-of-making-dreams-come-true-curiosity-courage-consistency/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [I look for someone who has confidence. Also someone whose energetic, cause I'm NOT that energetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-jonas/i-look-for-someone-who-has-confidence-also-someone-whose-energetic/) [Nick Jonas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-jonas/) > [Why shouldn't I be confident? I'm well educated, I can deliver a line, and I have more than three expressions. That's good right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonakshi-sinha/why-shouldn-t-i-be-confident-i-m-well-educated-i-can-deliver-a-line/) [Sonakshi Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonakshi-sinha/) > [I was very confident on the stage, and I stood out in a red gown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-johnson/i-was-very-confident-on-the-stage-and-i-stood-out-in-a-red-gown/) [Nicole Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-johnson/) > [If you go to any nunnery and ask them what the main obstacle is, they'll always say low self-esteem and lack of confidence. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/if-you-go-to-any-nunnery-and-ask-them-what-the-main-obstacle-is-they/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) [Browse all 11,290 Confidence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The word hope first appeared in English about a thousand years ago, denoting some combination of confidence and desire. 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