--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mournier defined his own position as one…" description: "\"“Mournier defined his own position as one of 'tragic optimism--' a Christian attitude of absolute engagement in the struggles of history, despite the f..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3b/robert-ellsberg-53444_history_mournier-defined-his-own-position-as-one_1497692.jpg" --- # Mournier defined his own position as one of 'tragic… ![“Mournier defined his own position as one of 'tragic optimism--' a Christian attitude of absolute engagement in the struggles of history, despite the fact that the Absolute cannot be contained in history.” quote by Robert Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3b/robert-ellsberg-53444_history_mournier-defined-his-own-position-as-one_1497692.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3b/robert-ellsberg-53444_history_mournier-defined-his-own-position-as-one_1497692.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3b/robert-ellsberg-53444_history_mournier-defined-his-own-position-as-one_1497692.jpg) > ““Mournier defined his own position as one of 'tragic optimism--' a Christian attitude of absolute engagement in the struggles of history, despite the fact that the Absolute cannot be contained in history. ”” [Robert Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ellsberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Tragic optimism means embracing life's struggles fully while trusting that ultimate meaning lies beyond history. **In simple terms:** Accept struggles, trust deeper purpose. Key Takeaway Engage fully despite uncertainty. Themes faith optimism history engagement Mood hopeful reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal crises - social activism - spiritual practice - leadership challenges Key Concepts Christian theology existential meaning Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance hope with concrete action? - What limits does history impose on faith? A Different Perspective May overlook practical solutions by focusing on abstract hope. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Optimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimism/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) ## Related quotes > [Let Christ turn your natural optimism into Christian hope, your energy into moral virtue, your good will into genuine self-sacrificin g love! This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/let-christ-turn-your-natural-optimism-into-christian-hope-your-energy/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [“There are five important things for living a successful and fulfilling life: never stop dreaming, never stop believing, never give up, never stop trying,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-bennett/there-are-five-important-things-for-living-a-successful-and/) [Roy Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-bennett/) > [Optimism. It's not just a mind-set, it is behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-elder/optimism-it-s-not-just-a-mind-set-it-is-behavior/) [Larry Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-elder/) > [“How little one is justified in speaking in this connection of "optimism" and "pessimism" and how much the characterization of liberalism as "optimistic" aims…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/how-little-one-is-justified-in-speaking-in-this-connection-of/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [“Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, focus your energy on what you can create.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-bennett/instead-of-worrying-about-what-you-cannot-control-focus-your-energy/) [Roy Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-bennett/) > [Be of good cheer. Do not think of today's failures, but of the success that may come tomorrow. You have set yourselves a difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/be-of-good-cheer-do-not-think-of-today-s-failures-but-of-the-success/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [I'm a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-gramsci/i-m-a-pessimist-because-of-intelligence-but-an-optimist-because-of/) [Antonio Gramsci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-gramsci/) > [The still youthful energies of the globe have only to be directed in their proper channel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-still-youthful-energies-of-the-globe-have-only-to-be-directed-in/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“Hope is not mere optimism; rather, it is moving forward in anticipation of redemption in spite of the improbability of rescue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-b-allender/hope-is-not-mere-optimism-rather-it-is-moving-forward-in-anticipation/) [Dan B. Allender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-b-allender/) > [When everything feels like an uphill struggle, just think of the view from the top.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-everything-feels-like-an-uphill-struggle-just-think-of-the-view/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Oh, dear Hazel.” Aphrodite folded her fan. “Such optimism, yet you have heartrending days ahead of you. Of course war is coming. Love and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/oh-dear-hazel-aphrodite-folded-her-fan-such-optimism-yet-you-have/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [If you can find as much happiness at the bottom of the ladder of success as you can at the top, then you understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-krause/if-you-can-find-as-much-happiness-at-the-bottom-of-the-ladder-of/) [Tom Krause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-krause/) > [Wherever I go I'm always wearing my smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewshy/wherever-i-go-i-m-always-wearing-my-smile/) Ewshy > [The late 1990s were really a moment of still tremendous hope and optimism about the relationship between Russia and the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-blinken/the-late-1990s-were-really-a-moment-of-still-tremendous-hope-and/) [Antony Blinken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-blinken/) > [Spring training means flowers, people coming outdoors, sunshine, optimism and baseball. Spring training is a time to think about being young again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-banks/spring-training-means-flowers-people-coming-outdoors-sunshine/) [Ernie Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-banks/) ## More by Robert Ellsberg > [ He \[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin\] was thrilled with the idea that through work in the world human beings were participating in the ongoing extension… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ellsberg/he-pierre-teilhard-de-chardin-was-thrilled-with-the-idea-that-through/) [Robert Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ellsberg/) > [ “Consistently, \[Yves\] Congar emphasized the distinction between Tradition and traditionalism. The latter was an unyielding commitment to the past. The former was a living… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ellsberg/consistently-yves-congar-emphasized-the-distinction-between-tradition/) [Robert Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ellsberg/) > [“As persons, so Mournier maintained, we possess both a spiritual and temporal dimension; we exist in history, in relationship with others, but open to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ellsberg/as-persons-so-mournier-maintained-we-possess-both-a-spiritual-and/) [Robert Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ellsberg/) > [ “The definition of God as infinite Love was a particularly important theme for \[John Duns\] Scotus. He disagreed with Anselm, who understood the Incarnation… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ellsberg/the-definition-of-god-as-infinite-love-was-a-particularly-important/) [Robert Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ellsberg/) > [“It is not dying but deadness we should fear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ellsberg/it-is-not-dying-but-deadness-we-should-fear/) [Robert Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ellsberg/) [Explore all 6 Robert Ellsberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ellsberg/) ## More History quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [The NBA is my history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-hardaway/the-nba-is-my-history/) [Penny Hardaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-hardaway/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit, and you discover a whole new side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/history-is-a-certain-way-but-you-just-change-the-point-of-view-a/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/) [Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/) > [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/) C-DASH > [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/) [Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/) > [“To those great geniuses now in petticoats, who shall write novels for the beloved reader's children, these men and things will be as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/to-those-great-geniuses-now-in-petticoats-who-shall-write-novels-for/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) [Browse all 27,263 History quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Mournier defined his own position as one of 'tragic optimism--' a Christian attitude of absolute engagement in the struggles of history, despite the fact that the Absolute cannot be contained in history. ”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Ellsberg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ellsberg/mournier-defined-his-own-position-as-one-of-tragic-optimism-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "History" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ellsberg/mournier-defined-his-own-position-as-one-of-tragic-optimism-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3b/robert-ellsberg-53444_history_mournier-defined-his-own-position-as-one_1497692.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3b/robert-ellsberg-53444_history_mournier-defined-his-own-position-as-one_1497692.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3b/robert-ellsberg-53444_history_mournier-defined-his-own-position-as-one_1497692.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Mournier defined his own position as one of 'tragic optimism--' a Christian attitude of absolute engagement…” — Robert Ellsberg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Robert Ellsberg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ellsberg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Mournier defined his own position as...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ellsberg/mournier-defined-his-own-position-as-one-of-tragic-optimism-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ellsberg/mournier-defined-his-own-position-as-one-of-tragic-optimism-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```