--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Begin the journey without hope of getting…" description: "\"“Begin the journey without hope of getting ground under your feet. Begin with hopelessness.”\" — Pema Chödrön" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc2/pema-ch-dr-n-327_begin_begin-the-journey-without-hope-of-gettin_270440.png" --- # Begin the journey without hope of getting ground under… ![“Begin the journey without hope of getting ground under your feet. Begin with hopelessness.” quote by Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc2/pema-ch-dr-n-327_begin_begin-the-journey-without-hope-of-gettin_270440.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc2/pema-ch-dr-n-327_begin_begin-the-journey-without-hope-of-gettin_270440.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc2/pema-ch-dr-n-327_begin_begin-the-journey-without-hope-of-gettin_270440.png) > ““Begin the journey without hope of getting ground under your feet. Begin with hopelessness.”” [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Embrace uncertainty and lack of control as a starting point for authentic growth. **In simple terms:** Start from a place of not knowing. Key Takeaway Accept uncertainty to open new possibilities. Themes mindfulness growth uncertainty Mood reflective calm Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal development - spiritual practice - creative projects Key Concepts Buddhist practice existential openness Questions to Reflect On - How can you find purpose when outcomes are unclear? - What practices help you stay present in uncertainty? A Different Perspective Starting without hope can feel destabilizing and may hinder motivation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Begin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/begin/) [Begin Hopelessness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/begin-hopelessness-2644563/) [Begin Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/begin-journey-1889311/) [Feet Begin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feet-begin-2644564/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Hopelessness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hopelessness/) [Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey/) [Without hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/without-hope/) ## Related quotes > [To wear dreams on one's feet is to begin to give a reality to one's dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-vivier/to-wear-dreams-on-one-s-feet-is-to-begin-to-give-a-reality-to-one-s/) [Roger Vivier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-vivier/) > [Sometimes it is better to begin the journey, to get under way, then it is to sit back and wait until such time that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-engler/sometimes-it-is-better-to-begin-the-journey-to-get-under-way-then-it/) [John Engler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-engler/) > [“But there is one thing I do know, tucked away inside myself: hope unstitches you. Hope leaves you open and wounded. Without hope there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-russon/but-there-is-one-thing-i-do-know-tucked-away-inside-myself-hope/) [Patti Russon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-russon/) > [You can go a month without food, you can live three days without water, but you can't go more then sixty seconds without HOPE.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-swarner/you-can-go-a-month-without-food-you-can-live-three-days-without-water/) [Sean Swarner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-swarner/) > [“Sometimes in life we must fight not only without fear, but also without hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alessandro-pertini/sometimes-in-life-we-must-fight-not-only-without-fear-but-also/) [Alessandro Pertini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alessandro-pertini/) > [“Totally without hope one cannot live. To live without hope is to cease to live. Hell is hopelessness. It is no accident that above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/totally-without-hope-one-cannot-live-to-live-without-hope-is-to-cease/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You begin your journey not knowing where it will take you. You have plans, you have dreams, but every now and again you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/you-begin-your-journey-not-knowing-where-it-will-take-you-you-have/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [“Very soon you will find yourself at the end of a dirt road, only inches from a threshold . . . a threshold into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ristau/very-soon-you-will-find-yourself-at-the-end-of-a-dirt-road-only/) [Mark Ristau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ristau/) > [“For you to arrive at your destination you must first begin your journey.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-bax/for-you-to-arrive-at-your-destination-you-must-first-begin-your/) [Timothy Bax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-bax/) > [“To arrive at a happy tomorrow, you'll need to begin the journey today.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-wright/to-arrive-at-a-happy-tomorrow-you-ll-need-to-begin-the-journey-today/) [J.R. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-wright/) > [Once you begin the journey toward a life of purpose, you enter the realm of real magic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/once-you-begin-the-journey-toward-a-life-of-purpose-you-enter-the/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Dont worry that youre not strong enough before you begin. It is in the journey that God makes you strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/dont-worry-that-youre-not-strong-enough-before-you-begin-it-is-in-the/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [How to begin the journey? You need only to take the first step. When? There is always now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-leonard/how-to-begin-the-journey-you-need-only-to-take-the-first-step-when/) [George Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-leonard/) > [“Without a mission, men wander around aimlessly, wondering when they’re going to catch their break. They may look around and see other men operating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-michler/without-a-mission-men-wander-around-aimlessly-wondering-when-they-re/) [Ryan Michler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-michler/) > [“...yes is all you ever need to say to begin a journey.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-richardson/yes-is-all-you-ever-need-to-say-to-begin-a-journey/) [Bill Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-richardson/) ## More by Pema Chödrön > [“LIFE’S work is to wake up, to let the things that enter into your life wake you up rather than put you to sleep.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/life-s-work-is-to-wake-up-to-let-the-things-that-enter-into-your-life/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Since death is certain and the time of death is uncertain, what is the most important thing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/since-death-is-certain-and-the-time-of-death-is-uncertain-what-is-the/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Buddhist words such as compassion and emptiness don't mean much until we start cultivating our innate ability simply to be there with pain with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/buddhist-words-such-as-compassion-and-emptiness-don-t-mean-much-until/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [The essence of generosity is letting go. Pain is always a sign that we are holding on to something - usually ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-essence-of-generosity-is-letting-go-pain-is-always-a-sign-that-we/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“If the object of meditation were something concrete, something solid and graspable - an image or a statue or a dot on the floor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-the-object-of-meditation-were-something-concrete-something-solid/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [It's a transformative experience to simply pause instead of immediately fill up the space. By waiting, we begin to connect with fundamental restlessness as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/it-s-a-transformative-experience-to-simply-pause-instead-of/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“The essence of life is that it’s challenging. Sometimes it is sweet, and sometimes it is bitter. Sometimes your body tenses, and sometimes it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-essence-of-life-is-that-it-s-challenging-sometimes-it-is-sweet/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If we run a hundred miles an hour to the other end of the continent in order to get away from the obstacle, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-we-run-a-hundred-miles-an-hour-to-the-other-end-of-the-continent/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“But in this meditation technique, we are with the out-breath; there's no particular instruction about what to do until the next out-breath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/but-in-this-meditation-technique-we-are-with-the-out-breath-there-s/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know. Nothing ever really attacks us except our own confusion. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/nothing-ever-goes-away-until-it-has-taught-us-what-we-need-to-know/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [So even if the hot loneliness is there, and for 1.6 seconds we sit with that restlessness when yesterday we couldn't sit for even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/so-even-if-the-hot-loneliness-is-there-and-for-1-6-seconds-we-sit/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If you have rage and righteously act it out and blame it all on others, it's really you who suffers. The other people and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-you-have-rage-and-righteously-act-it-out-and-blame-it-all-on/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“When we realize that the path is the goal, there’s a sense of workability. Trungpa Rinpoche said, “Whatever occurs in the confused mind is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/when-we-realize-that-the-path-is-the-goal-there-s-a-sense-of/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Every day is a new opportunity to work with what you have inside toward enlightenment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/every-day-is-a-new-opportunity-to-work-with-what-you-have-inside/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If someone comes along and shoots an arrow into your heart, it’s fruitless to stand there and yell at the person. It would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-someone-comes-along-and-shoots-an-arrow-into-your-heart-it-s/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) [Explore all 664 Pema Chödrön quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) ## More Begin quotes > [If you wanted to put the world to rights, who should you begin with: yourself or others?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/if-you-wanted-to-put-the-world-to-rights-who-should-you-begin-with/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [“Let the motherfucking games begin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-mchugh/let-the-motherfucking-games-begin/) [Gail McHugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-mchugh/) > [“Begin as you mean to go on, and go on as you began, and let the Lord be all in all to you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-spurgeon/begin-as-you-mean-to-go-on-and-go-on-as-you-began-and-let-the-lord-be/) [Charles H. Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/) > [The world will only begin to have faith in you when you do too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/the-world-will-only-begin-to-have-faith-in-you-when-you-do-too/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [The idea with a collection is sort of to begin with a kind of bang.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-christgau/the-idea-with-a-collection-is-sort-of-to-begin-with-a-kind-of-bang/) [Robert Christgau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-christgau/) > [“Humble yourself before the Lord and he will lift you high. People who are gentle, humble and able always have a great ending no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/humble-yourself-before-the-lord-and-he-will-lift-you-high-people-who/) [israelmore ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Just begin and the mind grows heated; continue, and the task will be completed!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/just-begin-and-the-mind-grows-heated-continue-and-the-task-will-be/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [“Quitters don’t gain what they have started working on; waiters don’t start what they could have gained. What is common there is failure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/quitters-don-t-gain-what-they-have-started-working-on-waiters-don-t/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [I don't know the future. I didn't come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-akin/i-don-t-know-the-future-i-didn-t-come-here-to-tell-you-how-this-is/) [Todd Akin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-akin/) > [The public should begin to understand that there's nothing that comes out of this campaign, or this Obama White House, that they can believe.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sununu/the-public-should-begin-to-understand-that-there-s-nothing-that-comes/) [John Sununu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sununu/) > [“A mother is always the beginning. She is how things begin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/a-mother-is-always-the-beginning-she-is-how-things-begin/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [I look forward to the day that a lot of the folks that you all talk about and cover on this network will begin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-look-forward-to-the-day-that-a-lot-of-the-folks-that-you-all-talk/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“...I'd be interested in any tips you have for somebody starting out.” “Uh-huh,” I said, looking out the window. I decided, as we drove…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-jenkins-reid/i-d-be-interested-in-any-tips-you-have-for-somebody-starting-out-uh/) [Taylor Jenkins Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-jenkins-reid/) > [I'm Irish and always will be, but America has taught me so much. Maybe it's here in the U.S. that we find a healing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fionnula-flanagan/i-m-irish-and-always-will-be-but-america-has-taught-me-so-much-maybe/) [Fionnula Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fionnula-flanagan/) > [Begin where you are. Read every word, every phrase, every paragraph of the mind, as it operates through thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/begin-where-you-are-read-every-word-every-phrase-every-paragraph-of/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) [Browse all 1,199 Begin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/begin/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Begin the journey without hope of getting ground under your feet. 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