--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But what else could we do but hope? that…" description: "\"“But what else could we do but hope? that, after all, is human nature.”\" — Thomas Buergenthal" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46e/thomas-buergenthal-282872_hope_but-what-else-could-we-do-but-hope-that_3061572.jpg" --- # But what else could we do but hope? that, after all, is… ![“But what else could we do but hope? that, after all, is human nature.” quote by Thomas Buergenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46e/thomas-buergenthal-282872_hope_but-what-else-could-we-do-but-hope-that_3061572.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46e/thomas-buergenthal-282872_hope_but-what-else-could-we-do-but-hope-that_3061572.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46e/thomas-buergenthal-282872_hope_but-what-else-could-we-do-but-hope-that_3061572.jpg) > ““But what else could we do but hope? that, after all, is human nature.”” [Thomas Buergenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-buergenthal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Hope is an intrinsic human response when faced with uncertainty; it defines our nature. **In simple terms:** Hope is human nature. Key Takeaway Cultivate hope. Themes hope human nature resilience Mood optimistic reflective Type hope:1 human:1 human nature:1 nature:0 nature of man:0 hope human:0 When to use this quote - crisis - personal setbacks - global challenges Key Concepts existential philosophy psychology of optimism coping mechanisms Questions to Reflect On - What fuels your hope? - How do you balance hope with realism? A Different Perspective May ignore practical action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Hope Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope-human-1637982/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Human nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-nature/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) ## Related quotes > [There is no human nature, since there is no god to conceive it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/there-is-no-human-nature-since-there-is-no-god-to-conceive-it/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [There is so much stubborn hope in the human heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/there-is-so-much-stubborn-hope-in-the-human-heart/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [To me the sole hope of human salvation lies in teaching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/to-me-the-sole-hope-of-human-salvation-lies-in-teaching/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle, I have hope for the human race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hg-wells/whenever-i-see-an-adult-on-a-bicycle-i-have-hope-for-the-human-race/) [HG Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hg-wells/) > [I'm sorry, I'm absolutely convinced that there is at the moment no realistic prospect for very much hope in human affairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/i-m-sorry-i-m-absolutely-convinced-that-there-is-at-the-moment-no/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [The last hope of human liberty in this world rests on us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-last-hope-of-human-liberty-in-this-world-rests-on-us/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The power of hope upon human exertion, and happiness, is wonderful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/the-power-of-hope-upon-human-exertion-and-happiness-is-wonderful/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Beware how you take away hope from another human being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/beware-how-you-take-away-hope-from-another-human-being/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's easy to become hopeless. So people must have hope: the human brain, the resilience of nature, the energy of young people and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/it-s-easy-to-become-hopeless-so-people-must-have-hope-the-human-brain/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [Beware how you take away hope from any human being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/beware-how-you-take-away-hope-from-any-human-being/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [By all that is sacred in our hope for the human race, I conjure those who love happiness and truth to give a fair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/by-all-that-is-sacred-in-our-hope-for-the-human-race-i-conjure-those/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [“If people don’t change their minds, there’s no hope for the human race.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marius-gabriel/if-people-don-t-change-their-minds-there-s-no-hope-for-the-human-race/) [Marius Gabriel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marius-gabriel/) > [Character is the colossal hope of human improvement within and without.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/character-is-the-colossal-hope-of-human-improvement-within-and-without/) [Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/) > [For the first time we have a weapon that nobody has used for thirty years. This gives me great hope for the human race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-ellison/for-the-first-time-we-have-a-weapon-that-nobody-has-used-for-thirty/) [Harlan Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-ellison/) > [“One always has hope for human nature”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/one-always-has-hope-for-human-nature/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "“But what else could we do but hope? that, after all, is human nature.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Buergenthal" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-buergenthal/but-what-else-could-we-do-but-hope-that-after-all-is-human-nature/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hope" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-buergenthal/but-what-else-could-we-do-but-hope-that-after-all-is-human-nature/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46e/thomas-buergenthal-282872_hope_but-what-else-could-we-do-but-hope-that_3061572.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46e/thomas-buergenthal-282872_hope_but-what-else-could-we-do-but-hope-that_3061572.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46e/thomas-buergenthal-282872_hope_but-what-else-could-we-do-but-hope-that_3061572.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But what else could we do but hope? that, after all, is human nature.” — Thomas Buergenthal", "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": "Thomas Buergenthal", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-buergenthal/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“But what else could we do...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-buergenthal/but-what-else-could-we-do-but-hope-that-after-all-is-human-nature/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-buergenthal/but-what-else-could-we-do-but-hope-that-after-all-is-human-nature/#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 } } ] } ```