--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Despair is a form of certainty, certainty…" description: "\"“Despair is a form of certainty, certainty that the future will be a lot like the present or will decline from it; despair is a confident memory of the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0c/rebecca-solnit-569_despair_despair-is-a-form-of-certainty-certainty_1931303.jpg" --- # Despair is a form of certainty, certainty that the future… ![“Despair is a form of certainty, certainty that the future will be a lot like the present or will decline from it; despair is a confident memory of the future, in Gonzalez’s resonant phrase. Optimism is similarly confident about what will happen. Both are grounds for not acting. Hope can be the…” quote by Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0c/rebecca-solnit-569_despair_despair-is-a-form-of-certainty-certainty_1931303.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0c/rebecca-solnit-569_despair_despair-is-a-form-of-certainty-certainty_1931303.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0c/rebecca-solnit-569_despair_despair-is-a-form-of-certainty-certainty_1931303.jpg) > ““Despair is a form of certainty, certainty that the future will be a lot like the present or will decline from it; despair is a confident memory of the future, in Gonzalez’s resonant phrase. Optimism is similarly confident about what will happen. Both are grounds for not acting. Hope can be the knowledge that we don’t have that memory and that reality doesn’t necessarily match our plans; hope like creative ability can come from what the Romantic poet John Keats called Negative Capability. On”” [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Despair and optimism both freeze action by assuming certainty about the future; hope embraces uncertainty and creative possibility. **In simple terms:** Despair and optimism stop us; hope invites action. Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty to act. Themes hope action uncertainty psychology philosophy Mood reflective inspired thoughtful Type philosophical motivational inspirational When to use this quote - personal decision making - policy planning - artistic creation - social movements - mental health Key Concepts Negative capability future certainty creative imagination Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn hopeful uncertainty into concrete steps? - What risks arise from acting without certainty? A Different Perspective Hope may be vague and lack concrete direction, making it hard to translate into specific plans. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Despair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despair/) [Despair Confident](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despair-confident-1551216/) [Despair Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despair-form-1551217/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/john-keats/) [Optimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimism/) [Phrase Optimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phrase-optimism-3024135/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Despair is a form of certainty, certainty that the future will be a lot like the present or will decline from it; despair is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/despair-is-a-form-of-certainty-certainty-that-the-future-will-be-a-2/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“It was a truth that Leo Tolstoy declaimed a century or so ago: our response to art has the agency to do what “external…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lewis/it-was-a-truth-that-leo-tolstoy-declaimed-a-century-or-so-ago-our/) [Sarah Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lewis/) > [“I look upon fine phrases as a lover. - John Keats”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrice-k-otto/i-look-upon-fine-phrases-as-a-lover-john-keats/) [Beatrice K. 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It seems to be an art of recognizing the role of the unforeseen, of keeping your balance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/how-do-you-calculate-upon-the-unforeseen-it-seems-to-be-an-art-of/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [Walking shares with making and working that crucial element of engagement of the body and the mind with the world, of knowing the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/walking-shares-with-making-and-working-that-crucial-element-of/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Marriage equality is a threat: to inequality. It’s a boon to everyone who values and benefits from equality. It’s for all of us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/marriage-equality-is-a-threat-to-inequality-it-s-a-boon-to-everyone/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Mountaineering is always spoken of as though summiting is conquest, but as you get higher, the world gets bigger, and you feel smaller in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/mountaineering-is-always-spoken-of-as-though-summiting-is-conquest/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“A procession is a participants' journey, while a parade is a performance with an audience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/a-procession-is-a-participants-journey-while-a-parade-is-a/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) [Explore all 469 Rebecca Solnit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) ## More Despair quotes > [“As ofttimes as it rains on my little spot of earth, you'd think I'd grow accustomed to the gloom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/as-ofttimes-as-it-rains-on-my-little-spot-of-earth-you-d-think-i-d/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [“She searched her mind for a single day when it had felt good to be alive. There must have been one, surely?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-abbott/she-searched-her-mind-for-a-single-day-when-it-had-felt-good-to-be/) [Rachel Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-abbott/) > [“Men circle like bees around honey, buzzing to communicate their sexual despair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-h-krueger/men-circle-like-bees-around-honey-buzzing-to-communicate-their-sexual/) [Carla H Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-h-krueger/) > [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [Your spirit is the part of you that seeks meaning and purpose. 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It caused me nothing but sorrow. No need for another tomorrow. In your heart, I will never be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louaiq8/enough-for-this-bow-arrow-it-caused-me-nothing-but-sorrow-no-need-for/) [Louaiq8](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louaiq8/) > [True repentance never leads to despair. Its leads home. It leads to grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/true-repentance-never-leads-to-despair-its-leads-home-it-leads-to/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [Do not consider despair as a thick and high wall standing on your way; it is just a darkness and you can still walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/do-not-consider-despair-as-a-thick-and-high-wall-standing-on-your-way/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Despair is the price one pays for setting oneself an impossible aim. 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Feed a man, clothe him, put him in a good house,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-have-noticed-that-there-is-no-dissatisfaction-like-that-of-the-rich/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) [Browse all 3,181 Despair quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despair/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Despair is a form of certainty, certainty that the future will be a lot like the present or will decline from it; despair is a confident memory of the future, in Gonzalez’s resonant phrase. Optimism is similarly confident about what will happen. Both are grounds for not acting. Hope can be the knowledge that we don’t have that memory and that reality doesn’t necessarily match our plans; hope like creative ability can come from what the Romantic poet John Keats called Negative Capability. 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