--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Hope is a strange commodity. It is an…" description: "\"“Hope is a strange commodity. It is an opiate. We swear we have relinquished it and, lo, here comes a day when, all unannounced, our enslavement to it ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f00/rose-tremain-13385_hope_hope-is-a-strange-commodity-it-is-an-opi_1059287.png" --- # Hope is a strange commodity. It is an opiate. We swear we… ![“Hope is a strange commodity. It is an opiate. We swear we have relinquished it and, lo, here comes a day when, all unannounced, our enslavement to it returns.” quote by Rose Tremain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f00/rose-tremain-13385_hope_hope-is-a-strange-commodity-it-is-an-opi_1059287.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f00/rose-tremain-13385_hope_hope-is-a-strange-commodity-it-is-an-opi_1059287.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f00/rose-tremain-13385_hope_hope-is-a-strange-commodity-it-is-an-opi_1059287.png) > ““Hope is a strange commodity. It is an opiate. We swear we have relinquished it and, lo, here comes a day when, all unannounced, our enslavement to it returns.”” [Rose Tremain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-tremain/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Hope can be both a comforting illusion and a binding dependency, resurfacing unexpectedly. **In simple terms:** Hope is soothing but can also trap us. Key Takeaway Recognize hope’s dual nature and its impact. Themes psychology emotion human nature dependency Mood melancholic reflective thoughtful Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - personal crises - creative pursuits - recovery processes - leadership decisions Key Concepts hope as coping mechanism addiction to optimism resilience Questions to Reflect On - When does hope become a hindrance? - How can we balance hope with realistic action? A Different Perspective Overreliance on hope may prevent proactive problem solving. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Opiate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opiate/) ## Related quotes > [Hope is a strange invention - A Patent of the Heart - In unremitting action Yet never wearing out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/hope-is-a-strange-invention-a-patent-of-the-heart-in-unremitting/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [Yes, hope is a strange thing. Peace at last. But at what price?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/yes-hope-is-a-strange-thing-peace-at-last-but-at-what-price/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“Like King Midas, I am left with nothing but this unreasonable hope that, somehow, my strange life and my lost family will return to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margarita-engle/like-king-midas-i-am-left-with-nothing-but-this-unreasonable-hope/) [Margarita Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margarita-engle/) > [When the end comes, I hope it’s as strange as that. I hope that the sky tears open and the world is washed with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-comeau/when-the-end-comes-i-hope-it-s-as-strange-as-that-i-hope-that-the-sky/) [Joey Comeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-comeau/) > [“Answers are the opiate of the people!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandor-schuman/answers-are-the-opiate-of-the-people/) Sandor Schuman > [ Television in its present form...\[is\] the opiate of the people of the United States. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/television-in-its-present-form-is-the-opiate-of-the-people-of-the/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [In 1844, Karl Marx said, "Religion is the opiate of the masses." He said this at a time when opium and opium derivatives were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/in-1844-karl-marx-said-religion-is-the-opiate-of-the-masses-he-said/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Mystery fiction is, after all, a substitute for tranquilizers, strong drink, and bad, if diverting, companions. One slips into bed ... onto the train…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-cantwell/mystery-fiction-is-after-all-a-substitute-for-tranquilizers-strong/) [Mary Cantwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-cantwell/) > [“Karl Marx famously called religion 'the opiate of the masses'. Buddhism, particularly as it is popularly practiced, promises improvement through karma. Islam and Christianity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/karl-marx-famously-called-religion-the-opiate-of-the-masses-buddhism/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Heterosexuality is the opiate of the masses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-labruce/heterosexuality-is-the-opiate-of-the-masses/) [Bruce LaBruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-labruce/) > [“She's like an opiate, or maybe more like a poison, whatever it is, it's running through my veins, and I'm unable to shy away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-marselas/she-s-like-an-opiate-or-maybe-more-like-a-poison-whatever-it-is-it-s/) Erica Marselas > [In America, it is sport that is the opiate of the masses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-baker/in-america-it-is-sport-that-is-the-opiate-of-the-masses/) [Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-baker/) > [“If only religion were an opiate. No known narcotic rots the brain so fast.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/if-only-religion-were-an-opiate-no-known-narcotic-rots-the-brain-so/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Opiates: Perk 30s, Oxy Contins, Morphine, Heroin, and many more… Iits all over the high schools and they just suck the life out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mccarty/opiates-perk-30s-oxy-contins-morphine-heroin-and-many-more-iits-all/) [Kevin Mccarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mccarty/) > [“Not in My Backyard (NIMBY) does not work. Opiate addicts live in our communities and in our families & they work in our businesses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-kassels/not-in-my-backyard-nimby-does-not-work-opiate-addicts-live-in-our/) Steven Kassels ## More by Rose Tremain > [I'm always amazed by writers who tell me they plan everything at the beginning. I feel their writing days must be very bland.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-tremain/i-m-always-amazed-by-writers-who-tell-me-they-plan-everything-at-the/) [Rose Tremain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-tremain/) > [“Wasting time changes the nature of time. And the heart is stilled.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-tremain/wasting-time-changes-the-nature-of-time-and-the-heart-is-stilled/) [Rose Tremain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-tremain/) > [At the moment, I'm toying with a new idea for a book, but fully engaged with writing screenplays, so the book idea - which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-tremain/at-the-moment-i-m-toying-with-a-new-idea-for-a-book-but-fully-engaged/) [Rose Tremain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-tremain/) > [The imagination conjures gifts; what the ungrateful, unsentimental part of the mind has to do is to unwrap them, find fault with them, see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-tremain/the-imagination-conjures-gifts-what-the-ungrateful-unsentimental-part/) [Rose Tremain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-tremain/) > [“Acceptance, she thinks, is the harshest lesson life teaches and the one most important to learn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-tremain/acceptance-she-thinks-is-the-harshest-lesson-life-teaches-and-the-one/) [Rose Tremain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-tremain/) > [There is something about the unexpected that moves us. As if the whole of existence is paid for in some way, except for that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-tremain/there-is-something-about-the-unexpected-that-moves-us-as-if-the-whole/) [Rose Tremain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-tremain/) > [When you've finished a piece of work you've had a kind of love affair with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-tremain/when-you-ve-finished-a-piece-of-work-you-ve-had-a-kind-of-love-affair/) [Rose Tremain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-tremain/) > [“My name is Lev," said Lev. "My name is Lydia," said the woman. And they shook hands, Lev's hand holding the scrunched-up kerchief and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-tremain/my-name-is-lev-said-lev-my-name-is-lydia-said-the-woman-and-they/) [Rose Tremain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-tremain/) > [In the planning stage of a book, don't plan the ending. It has to be earned by all that will go before it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-tremain/in-the-planning-stage-of-a-book-don-t-plan-the-ending-it-has-to-be/) [Rose Tremain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-tremain/) > [“Inevitably we make a small world in the midst of a big one. For a small world is all we know how to make.’p46”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-tremain/inevitably-we-make-a-small-world-in-the-midst-of-a-big-one-for-a/) [Rose Tremain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-tremain/) > [“...and Pao Yi was reminded that the inclination of almost every living thing is to cling on, to remain where it is, but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-tremain/and-pao-yi-was-reminded-that-the-inclination-of-almost-every-living/) [Rose Tremain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-tremain/) > [Never be satisfied with a first draft. In fact, never be satisfied with your own stuff at all, until you're certain it's as good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-tremain/never-be-satisfied-with-a-first-draft-in-fact-never-be-satisfied-with/) [Rose Tremain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-tremain/) > [“Lev took out a cigarette and stuck it between his lips and the woman sitting next to him a plump contained person with moles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-tremain/lev-took-out-a-cigarette-and-stuck-it-between-his-lips-and-the-woman/) [Rose Tremain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-tremain/) > [Any setting can potentially acquire this vividness. It slowly arrives during the period of research, until it is as immediate to me as my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-tremain/any-setting-can-potentially-acquire-this-vividness-it-slowly-arrives/) [Rose Tremain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-tremain/) > [Forget the boring old dictum, 'Write about what you know.' Instead, seek out an unknown yet knowable area of experience that's going to enhance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-tremain/forget-the-boring-old-dictum-write-about-what-you-know-instead-seek/) [Rose Tremain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-tremain/) [Explore all 50 Rose Tremain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-tremain/) ## More Hope quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [“Cine a ucis stelele? Cine a surpat drumul spre viitor al celor din morminte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/cine-a-ucis-stelele-cine-a-surpat-drumul-spre-viitor-al-celor-din/) [Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/) > [“What can we do in any hardship? We can hope with prayerful praise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/what-can-we-do-in-any-hardship-we-can-hope-with-prayerful-praise/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [If one truly has lost hope, one would not be on hand to say so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bentley/if-one-truly-has-lost-hope-one-would-not-be-on-hand-to-say-so/) [Eric Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bentley/) > [“too—I realized that my only hope was to give up the life that had been, in order to make room for the life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/too-i-realized-that-my-only-hope-was-to-give-up-the-life-that-had/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Stop trying to give me hope ... I have no room left for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenn-f/stop-trying-to-give-me-hope-i-have-no-room-left-for-it/) [Jenn F](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenn-f/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Give me love, give me peace on earth, give me light, give me life, keep me free from birth, give me hope, help me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/give-me-love-give-me-peace-on-earth-give-me-light-give-me-life-keep/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Pray, hope, don't worry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pio-of-pietrelcina/pray-hope-don-t-worry/) [Pio of Pietrelcina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pio-of-pietrelcina/) > [Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillips-brooks/do-not-pray-for-tasks-equal-to-your-powers-pray-for-powers-equal-to/) [Phillips Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillips-brooks/) > [I am at a point in my life where everything I have worked for starts to look like a burden, a weight on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-abou-samra/i-am-at-a-point-in-my-life-where-everything-i-have-worked-for-starts/) Simone Abou Samra > [Im really happy that I met you I hope you know that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/im-nothing/im-really-happy-that-i-met-you-i-hope-you-know-that/) Im Nothing > [All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/all-that-i-am-or-ever-hope-to-be-i-owe-to-my-angel-mother/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) [Browse all 24,868 Hope quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Hope is a strange commodity. 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