---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are setting ourselves up for…"
description: "\"We are setting ourselves up for disappointment if our hope is built on anything less than Jesus.\" — Shane Claiborne"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/531/shane-claiborne-960_built_we-are-setting-ourselves-up-for-disappoi_1442526.png"
---

#  We are setting ourselves up for disappointment if our hope…

![“We are setting ourselves up for disappointment if our hope is built on anything less than Jesus.” quote by Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/531/shane-claiborne-960_built_we-are-setting-ourselves-up-for-disappoi_1442526.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/531/shane-claiborne-960_built_we-are-setting-ourselves-up-for-disappoi_1442526.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/531/shane-claiborne-960_built_we-are-setting-ourselves-up-for-disappoi_1442526.png)

> “We are setting ourselves up for disappointment if our hope is built on anything less than Jesus.”

[Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Hope that isn’t rooted in Jesus leads to inevitable disappointment.

**In simple terms:** Hope without Jesus ends in disappointment.

Key Takeaway

Ground hope in spiritual faith.

Themes

faith hope disappointment spirituality

Mood

hopeful serious

Type

religious philosophical

When to use this quote

- church groups
- personal prayer
- faith‑based counseling
- community service
- spiritual retreats

Key Concepts

theology existential meaning religious commitment

Questions to Reflect On

- What does hope mean without religion?
- How can faith be inclusive?

A Different Perspective

Non‑believers may find hope elsewhere; exclusivity can alienate.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/built/) [Disappointment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappointment/) [Disappointment Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappointment-hope-3127689/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Hope Built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope-built-5166489/) [Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus/) [Setting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/setting/) [Setting Disappointment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/setting-disappointment-2636867/)

## Related quotes

> [So to compare your real life, or your partner or lover or whoever to a character in a movie, you're setting yourself up for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/so-to-compare-your-real-life-or-your-partner-or-lover-or-whoever-to-a/)

[Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/)

> [“Jesus, today and every day, we declare that our hope is built on nothing else, nothing less, and nothing more than you and what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scotty-smith/jesus-today-and-every-day-we-declare-that-our-hope-is-built-on/)

[Scotty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scotty-smith/)

> [“Hope not built on reason brings disappointment only.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chitra-banerjee-divakaruni/hope-not-built-on-reason-brings-disappointment-only/)

[Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chitra-banerjee-divakaruni/)

> [“Disappointment is considered bad. A thoughtless prejudice. How, if not through disappointment, should we discover what we have expected and hoped for? And where,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pascal-mercier/disappointment-is-considered-bad-a-thoughtless-prejudice-how-if-not/)

[Pascal Mercier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pascal-mercier/)

> [“I don't like ferocious irony but rather the kind that vacillates between disappointment and hope. Okay?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrique-vila-matas/i-don-t-like-ferocious-irony-but-rather-the-kind-that-vacillates/)

[Enrique Vila-Matas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrique-vila-matas/)

> [The sudden disappointment of a hope leaves a scar which the ultimate fulfilment of that hope never entirely removes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/the-sudden-disappointment-of-a-hope-leaves-a-scar-which-the-ultimate/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [The sudden disappointment of a hope leaves a scar which the ultimate fulfillment of that hope never entirely removes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/the-sudden-disappointment-of-a-hope-leaves-a-scar-which-the-ultimate-2/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [Don't predict disappointment while hope is an option](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/obert-skye/don-t-predict-disappointment-while-hope-is-an-option/)

[Obert Skye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/obert-skye/)

> [“It's always just a matter of what someone is willing to see and what someone is willing to ignore. I think we are all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-mollen/it-s-always-just-a-matter-of-what-someone-is-willing-to-see-and-what/)

[Jenny Mollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-mollen/)

> [When you have expectations, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-reynolds/when-you-have-expectations-you-are-setting-yourself-up-for/)

[Ryan Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-reynolds/)

> [Depending on others is like setting yourself up for disappointment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/depending-on-others-is-like-setting-yourself-up-for-disappointment/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Life has its ups and downs, so to expect otherwise is setting yourself up for disappointment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-matheson/life-has-its-ups-and-downs-so-to-expect-otherwise-is-setting-yourself/)

[Tim Matheson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-matheson/)

> [When you depend on another's perceptions to match your expectations, you're setting yourself up for disappointment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cottrell/when-you-depend-on-another-s-perceptions-to-match-your-expectations/)

[David Cottrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cottrell/)

> [I have to be happy in the here and now because every time you start focusing on your legacy you're really setting yourself up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bolton/i-have-to-be-happy-in-the-here-and-now-because-every-time-you-start/)

[Michael Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bolton/)

> [The recipe to an unhappy life in Japan is to want to be Japanese if you are not. Anyone who wants to penetrate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/the-recipe-to-an-unhappy-life-in-japan-is-to-want-to-be-japanese-if/)

[Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/)

## More by Shane Claiborne

> [“we can live without sex, but we cant live without love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/we-can-live-without-sex-but-we-cant-live-without-love/)

[Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/)

> [We're not church planters. We are community planters and, as we work in our communities, we join local churches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/we-re-not-church-planters-we-are-community-planters-and-as-we-work-in/)

[Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/)

> [There are some - called 'death fatigue' - people who just grow so tired of death, so they don't want to keep perpetuating death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/there-are-some-called-death-fatigue-people-who-just-grow-so-tired-of/)

[Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/)

> [Every 70-year-old needs a young person in their lives to mentor, and every 20-year-old needs a senior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/every-70-year-old-needs-a-young-person-in-their-lives-to-mentor-and/)

[Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/)

> [I just have a more holistic sense of what it means to be for life, knowing that life does not just begin at conception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/i-just-have-a-more-holistic-sense-of-what-it-means-to-be-for-life/)

[Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/)

> [It's not that hard to say slavery is wrong after we've abolished it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/it-s-not-that-hard-to-say-slavery-is-wrong-after-we-ve-abolished-it/)

[Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/)

> [We think of justice sometimes as getting what you deserve, you know - what crime was committed and what is the punishment for that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/we-think-of-justice-sometimes-as-getting-what-you-deserve-you-know/)

[Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/)

> [Mother Theresa said it is not how much we give that is important but how much love you put into doing it. So it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/mother-theresa-said-it-is-not-how-much-we-give-that-is-important-but/)

[Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/)

> [No one has seen God, but as we love one another, God lives in us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/no-one-has-seen-god-but-as-we-love-one-another-god-lives-in-us/)

[Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/)

> [“If you find yourself climbing the ladder of success, be careful or else on your way up you might pass Jesus on his way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/if-you-find-yourself-climbing-the-ladder-of-success-be-careful-or/)

[Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/)

> [We need good laws, but no law can change a human heart - only God can do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/we-need-good-laws-but-no-law-can-change-a-human-heart-only-god-can-do/)

[Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/)

> [We're remembering each other's heroes, too. We are learning each other's songs. We are reminding ourselves that we are a global family praying together.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/we-re-remembering-each-other-s-heroes-too-we-are-learning-each-other/)

[Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/)

> [There is a certain power when old and young come together - we can do more together than we can on our own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/there-is-a-certain-power-when-old-and-young-come-together-we-can-do/)

[Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/)

> [You can't really learn God's hope like you learn the logic of an argument or the details of a story. It's more like learning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/you-can-t-really-learn-god-s-hope-like-you-learn-the-logic-of-an/)

[Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/)

> [“Clarence Jordan, co-founder of Koinonia Farm, wrote, “The Good News of the resurrection is not that we shall die and go home with him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/clarence-jordan-co-founder-of-koinonia-farm-wrote-the-good-news-of/)

[Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/)

[Explore all 319 Shane Claiborne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/)

## More Built quotes

> [It's really fun and challenging to build things that have never been built before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/it-s-really-fun-and-challenging-to-build-things-that-have-never-been/)

[Hilary Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mason/)

> [Astronomers have built telescopes which can show myriads of stars unseen before; but when a man looks through a tear in his own eye,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/astronomers-have-built-telescopes-which-can-show-myriads-of-stars/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [So I concentrated on the rhythmic side of things, and therefore left a lot of holes. I didn't want to use big pad chords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/midge-ure/so-i-concentrated-on-the-rhythmic-side-of-things-and-therefore-left-a/)

[Midge Ure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/midge-ure/)

> [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/)

[Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/)

> [Most startups are not just built for the person who is using them. When you do that, every now and then you get really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmett-shear/most-startups-are-not-just-built-for-the-person-who-is-using-them/)

[Emmett Shear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmett-shear/)

> [Call me the rap assassinator / rhymes rugged and built like Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raekwon/call-me-the-rap-assassinator-rhymes-rugged-and-built-like/)

[Raekwon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raekwon/)

> [Do we make ourselves into what we become or is it built into our genes, into the fate spun for us by whatever shapes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/do-we-make-ourselves-into-what-we-become-or-is-it-built-into-our/)

[Joseph Bruchac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/)

> [Democracy must be built through open societies that share information. When there is information, there is enlightenment. When there is debate, there are solutions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atifete-jahjaga/democracy-must-be-built-through-open-societies-that-share-information/)

[Atifete Jahjaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atifete-jahjaga/)

> [The dark ages still reign over all humanity, and the depth and persistence of this domination are only now becoming clear. This Dark Ages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/the-dark-ages-still-reign-over-all-humanity-and-the-depth-and/)

[R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/)

> [God and I have built an immense fire together. We keep each other happy and warm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hafez/god-and-i-have-built-an-immense-fire-together-we-keep-each-other/)

[Hafez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hafez/)

> [When we built Roomba, we explicitly designed it to not have a face. We didn't want to think it was cute; we wanted people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-angle/when-we-built-roomba-we-explicitly-designed-it-to-not-have-a-face-we/)

[Colin Angle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-angle/)

> [Winning a competition in architecture is a ticket to oblivion. It's just an idea. Ninety-nine per cent never get built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-libeskind/winning-a-competition-in-architecture-is-a-ticket-to-oblivion-it-s/)

[Daniel Libeskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-libeskind/)

> [Good churches are not built by bad men; at least, there must be probity and enthusiasm somewhere in the society. These minsters were neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/good-churches-are-not-built-by-bad-men-at-least-there-must-be-probity/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Mostly what I'm focused on is finding people who are younger who haven't built companies before but have a good idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hughes/mostly-what-i-m-focused-on-is-finding-people-who-are-younger-who/)

[Chris Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hughes/)

> [“Imagine what I could have done in ten years. I could have learned to speak Japanese. I could have played every RPG video game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/imagine-what-i-could-have-done-in-ten-years-i-could-have-learned-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Browse all 3,164 Built quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/built/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We are setting ourselves up for disappointment if our hope is built on anything less than Jesus.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Shane Claiborne"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/we-are-setting-ourselves-up-for-disappointment-if-our-hope-is-built/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Built"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/we-are-setting-ourselves-up-for-disappointment-if-our-hope-is-built/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/531/shane-claiborne-960_built_we-are-setting-ourselves-up-for-disappoi_1442526.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/531/shane-claiborne-960_built_we-are-setting-ourselves-up-for-disappoi_1442526.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/531/shane-claiborne-960_built_we-are-setting-ourselves-up-for-disappoi_1442526.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We are setting ourselves up for disappointment if our hope is built on anything less than Jesus.” — Shane Claiborne",
                "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": "Shane Claiborne",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We are setting ourselves up for...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/we-are-setting-ourselves-up-for-disappointment-if-our-hope-is-built/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/we-are-setting-ourselves-up-for-disappointment-if-our-hope-is-built/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
