Best despair & thinking Quotes | Short & Famous Sayings

“When we think of the height of God's infinity we should not despair of His compassion reaching us from such a height; and when we recall the infinite depth of our fall through sin we should not refuse to believe that the virtue which has been killed in us will rise again. For God can accomplish both these things: He can come down and illumine our intellect with spiritual knowledge, and He can raise up the virtue within us and exalt it with Himself through works of righteousness.”

“I fundamentally believe that politics is counterintuitive. The left think they're helping working people by providing more rights, but all that actually happens is you create poverty and despair, because jobs go to your competitors who have fewer rights for workers.”

People Thinking Believe Helping Happens Jobs Left Poverty Rights Despair Workers Fewer Providing Competitors

Author:Louise Mensch

“I have always believed that art should be a deep pleasure. I think there is a contradiction in an art of total despair, because the very fact that the art is made seems to contradict despair.”

Thinking Should Art Made Facts Seems Pleasure Despair Art Is Contradiction Always Believe

Author:David Hockney

“Two world wars, three monstrous dictatorships-in Soviet Russia, Nazi Germany, Red China-plus every lesser variant of devastating socialist experimentation in a global spread of brutality and despair, have not prompted modern intellectuals to question or revise their dogma. They still think that it is daring, idealistic and unconventional to denounce the rich. They still believe that money is the root of all evil-except government money, which is the solution to all problems.”

“It is not envy or malice, as so many people think, but utter despair that has persuaded many educational reformers to recommend the abolition of the English public schools.”

People Thinking School Despair Educational Envy Public School Malice Abolition Reformers Utter Despair

Author:Peter Medawar

“There is a hint of despair in the cry of 'I told you so,' an element of disappointment in the apparent satisfaction when idols turn out to have clay feet. The human race, when it thinks it has proved that no one is superior, is partly gratified and partly depressed.”

Thinking Humans Turns Race Feet Cry Despair Elements Disappointment Satisfaction Superiors Human Race Idols Clay Hints Told You So

Author:Alice Thomas Ellis

“Punishment is not prevention. History offers cold comfort to those who think grievance and despair can be subdued by force.”

Thinking Force Cold Comfort Offers Despair Punishment Prevention Grievance

Book:To seek a newer world

Source: To seek a newer world

“The millions currently trapped in poverty and despair are a tremendous untapped resource. Just think of what it would mean for America to gain full use of the talents and abilities of all her people. They would develop new innovations to improve our lives, or help build the next great American company.”

People Thinking Mean Helping Use America Next Ability Company Poverty Millions Our Lives Talent Despair Gains Resources Innovation Trapped Great American Talents And Abilities

Author:Marco Rubio

“One of the things that is most striking about the young generation is that they never talk about their own futures, there are no futures for this generation, not any of them and so naturally they never think of them. It is very striking, they do not live in the present they just live, as well as they can, and they do not plan. It is extraordinary that whole populations have no projects for a future, none at all.”

Thinking Wells War Whole Young Plans Generations Despair Projects Extraordinary Population Live In The Present This Generation Just Live Young Generation

Book:Wars I have seen

Source: Wars I have seen

“This is the first time in history that a war has involved the whole world, and also it may last many years more; this thought is soul-shattering for all of us as human beings. It is horrible to think that the crimes committed by this one man Hitler have these many years been destroying the lives of hundreds of thousands and millions, and one would despair entirely were it not certain that the majority, the innumerable majority which opposes him openly or secretly, will succeed in wiping out once and for all him and his.”

Source: Stefan and Friderike Zweig: their correspondence, 1912-1942

“Parents, preachers, and politicians think rock music is the source of young people's despair. They don't understand it's just a reflection. They also forget that music can be a source of hope, a reason to live.”

People Thinking Reason Young Parent Forget Rocks Source Politician Despair Music Is Reflection Preacher Rock Music Reason To Live

Book:Wicked Game

Source: Wicked Game

“Despondency is not a state of humility; on the contrary, it is the vexation and despair of a cowardly pride--nothing is worse; whether we stumble or whether we fall, we must only think of rising again and going on in our course.”

Thinking States Fall Courses Humility Pride Despair Contrary Rising Cowardly Vexation Despondency Rising Again

Author:Francois Fenelon

“When you think of what you are, and despair; think also of what He is, and take heart.”

Thinking Heart Despair

Author:Charles Spurgeon

“Men of strong minds and who think for themselves, should not be discouraged on finding occasionally that some of their best ideas have been anticipated by former writers; they will neither anathematize others nor despair themselves. They will rather go on discovering things before discovered, until they are rewarded with a land hitherto unknown, an empire indisputably their own, both right of conquest and of discovery.”

Thinking Men Should Mind Has Beens Ideas Strong Land Goes On Despair Findings Discovery Former Empires Discovering Conquest Discouraged Strong Mind Discovering Things

Author:Charles Caleb Colton

“It's one thing to be discouraged. It's another thing to have despair. Despair is when you think there's just no end to this [suffering]. There's no solution for this. Despair is when you think that your suffering has no purpose, and your suffering has no end.”

Thinking Ends Purpose Suffering One Thing Despair Solutions Discouraged

Author:Max Lucado

“I think it's probably true that creative people are touched by melancholy more than the average person, and to the extent that delving into that shadow world produces good work, I'm all for it. But I think you have to be able to step back from the work, and say, "Look how miserable I felt. Look how beautifully I wrote about it. Now I'm going to get an iced coffee and chat with a friend." Writing should be a way out of despair.”

“But by far the greatest obstacle to the progress of science and to the undertaking of new tasks and provinces therein is found in this-that men despair and think things impossible.”

Thinking Men Science Found Progress Impossible Despair Tasks Obstacles Undertakings Provinces Greatest Obstacles

Book:The Great Instauration

Source: The Great Instauration

“Very few people have a natural feeling for painting, and so, of course, they naturally think that painting is an expression of the artist's mood. But it rarely is. Very often he may be in greatest despair and be painting his happiest paintings.”

People Thinking May Feelings Artist Courses Natural Emotion Painting Expression Despair Mood Natural Feelings

Author:Francis Bacon

“Denial is really death. People think that when you're connected with other people it's more painful. The opposite is true. When you're connected to the river you have despair, but you also have joy, and there's a flow in the river.”

People Thinking Joy Despair Flow Rivers Opposites Painful Connected Denial

Author:Eve Ensler

“I think the parable is a peculiar way of saying that redemption is immanent whether or not it's imminent, that the world to come is in a sense always already here, if still unavailable. I find this idea powerful for several reasons. For one thing, it's an antidote to despair.”

Ifs Thinking World Way Stills Ideas Reason Powerful One Thing Despair Redemption Peculiar Antidote Parables

Author:Ben Lerner

“Many people on our planet right now despair; they think we’ve reached a point where we’ve discovered most of the things. I’m going tell you right now: Please don’t despair.”

People Thinking Planets Please Right Now Despair Our Planet

Author:Nathan Wolfe

“If you think for one second no one knows what you've been going through; be accepting of the fact that you are wrong, that the long drawn and heavy breaths of despair have at times been felt by everyone - that pain is part of the human condition and that alone makes you a legion.”

Ifs Thinking Knows Humans Long Facts Pain Felt Accepting Conditions Despair Breaths Heavy Human Condition Legion

Author:Shane Koyczan

“The individualism of American life, to our glory and despair, creates anger and encourages its release; for when everything is possible, limitations are irksome. When the desires of the self come first, the needs of others are annoying. When we think we deserve it all, reaping only a portion can enrage.”

Thinking Needs Firsts Self Desire Despair Glory Deserve Release Limitation Annoying Individualism Portions American Life Needs Of Others

Book:Anger: The Misunderstood Emotion

Source: Anger: The Misunderstood Emotion

“Life and mind are continuously in conflict with each other. I want happiness, security. I won't reach that by considerations of my mind; on the contrary they will lead to a certain despair of the inner person. Not what he thinks engages the artist, but what he feels.”

Thinking Want Feels Mind Persons Artist Certain Security Conflict Despair Contrary Consideration Of My Mind

Author:Bram van Velde

“Imagining the world without us is a recipe for despair and paralysis. I actually think it's more helpful to imagine the world before us, to look back at those unstable ecosystems of the Triassic and realize that were in another phase of unstable ecosystems. Knowing that, demystifying our situation as it were, makes it easier to think about solutions. We are not looking into the unknown. The only thing unknown about the situation is how we're going to fix it, and when.”

Thinking World Looks Realizing Situation Knowing Imagine Easier Despair Solutions Helpful Phases Recipes Ecosystems Unstable Paralysis

Author:Annalee Newitz

“I think it's more important to concentrate on trying to be, simply, happy. Once you've known deep despair, you feel even more motivated to be as happy as possible. That's how I feel.”

Thinking Feels Trying Important Known Despair Motivated Simply Happy

Author:Emily Susan Rapp

“I was in the emergency room twice with heart palpitations and panic attacks. As one of my actor friends pointed out: your body doesn't know that you're making art. You think about struggle and challenge and you imagine yourself weighing 302 pounds and being restricted and in despair. Your body doesn't know that that's not the case.”

Thinking Knows Heart Art Body Actors Challenges Rooms Cases Struggle Imagine Despair Your Body Pounds Panic Emergencies Weighing Panic Attacks Emergency Room Palpitation

Author:Lori Lansens

“When I remember how unhappy I was in adolescence - about the fact that, though I wasn't really using the term to or for myself, I knew that I was gay - I think, "Oh, if someone then could have shown me just an hour in the life that I have now, I would have made it through all of that misery and despair just fine." The pain lay in thinking that I had a desolate future.”

Ifs Thinking Made Facts Pain Remember Term Hours Fine Gay Despair Lays Misery Unhappy Made It Adolescence Desolate

Author:Andrew Solomon

“If a spaceship from the outer reaches of the galaxy landed on Earth in the next two months, and its occupants climbed out and presented Earthlings with a list of secrets - a simple formula - for making life finally work on this planet without violence, killing, and war, without turmoil, pain, and suffering, without want, lack, and despair, do you think we would be wise to look it over? Even if it contradicted everything we knew to be true or thought to be so?”

“In the meantime, we have just incredible economic disparities and economic despair in this country and an entire generation that is basically held hostage in debt without the jobs to get out of it. And this is not a world that's working for us, and the climate is going up in flames right now, and the wars are expanding, and we've got 2,000 nuclear weapons on hair-trigger alert. This is not a good picture, and I think the American people are discovering that.”

“I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast in her society because she was disabled, to someone who picked herself from that despair and elevated herself within that community, and now that society accepting her as much as they formerly rejected her. People identified with that journey, overcoming an obstacle, but still triumphing.”

People Thinking Stills Stories Community Accepting Path Journey Special Subjects Despair Overcoming Obstacles Titles Classic Rejected Prudence Disabled Outcast Life Path

Author:Roger Ross Williams

“I think to dwell continually on the dark side creates gloom and despair and anger and hatred, and that just adds to the darkness. So rather than that, we need to think of the beauty in the world, and also send out love and compassion to all beings in this world. Not just the people we like, but people who we find difficult. Because they are very deeply in need of compassion.”

People Thinking World Needs Difficult Sides Dark Compassion Darkness This World Despair Hatred Add Gloom Dark Side Very Deep Love And Compassion

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“Something I wrote quite a few years ago was, "The voices in my head, they don't care what I do, they just want to argue the matter through and through." It is a common mistake, to think you're going to go into some kind of spiritual practice and you're going to be relieved of the human burdens, from human crosses like thought, jealousy, despair - in fact, if anything, these feelings are amplified.”

“If I think back to every rehearsal process for every play I've ever worked on, there's just so much crying at home. I barely sleep. There are moments of deep despair and anxiety, and then there are moments in rehearsal that are the most exhilarating; feeling seen and seeing everybody. Feeling like you have a purpose on the planet. A huge part of the process I enjoy is watching the actors figuring out what they can handle and what they can take and what they need from the director and me.”

Ifs Thinking Needs Play Moments Feelings Home Purpose Actors Process Enjoy Sleep Seeing Cry Planets Huge Like You Directors Despair Anxiety Handle Rehearsal Exhilarating Exhilarating Feeling

Author:Annie Baker

“I don't think people are like, "I'm going to save the planet by planting my own herbs." But on environmental issues like climate change, there's a sense of hopelessness and despair. Maybe it's really a small gesture but if you can have a garden it may make you feel like you're helping in some way, or that you're making a connection. You can't change the world but you can change your backyard.”

People Thinking World Helping Like You Despair Garden Environmental Climate Change Changing The World Hopelessness Save The Planet

Author:Novella Carpenter

“I don't keep from despairing. I let myself despair. I just don't linger there for too long. There's too much to laugh about, two knuckleheads I have to feed, and a lot of really excellent television to watch. I think the mess we're in deserves the full range of human feeling, from despair to its opposite, which I would say is not hope, happiness, or peace, but freedom.”

Thinking Long Feelings Laughing Despair Deserve Mess Excellent

Author:Emily Raboteau

“To a certain extent all philosophers have been involved in a systematic questioning that undermines confidence and certainty. Philosophy as a whole unleashed skeptical forces which, outside of the tightly controlled environment of a rigorous philosophical debate, led a lot of people to throw their hands up in despair and think 'what's the point?'. A lot of the public perception of philosophy is that it leaves you with no answers, and more confused than you were at the beginning.”

People Thinking Philosophy Environment Despair Perception Philosophical Philosopher Debate Certainty Confused Questioning Skeptical

Author:Julian Baggini

“I tend to think that we are all pretty much alike. We all feel despair. We all have problems with relationships. We all become afraid. We all look at others and think these other people are more fortunate than us. Certainly the details of our life are unique. Spending time thinking of how I am different from someone else, however, does not tend to be very productive.”

People Thinking Different Problem Despair Unique Productive Spending Time

Author:Akhil Sharma

“If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair.”

Ifs Thinking Looks May Ends Truth Christianity Comfort Despair Live Life Soap Wishful Thinking Great Christian Soap Bubbles Words Of Comfort Comfort And Hope

Book:A Mind Awake: An Anthology of C. S. Lewis

Source: A Mind Awake: An Anthology of C. S. Lewis

“I think most artists create out of despair. The very nature of creation is not a performing glory on the outside, it's a painful, difficult search within.”

Thinking Art Pain Artist Suffering Difficult Sadness Creation Sad Despair Glory Painful Performing

Author:Louise Berliawsky Nevelson

“Most writers spend their lives standing a little apart from the crowd, watching and listening and hoping to catch that tiny hint of despair, that sliver of malice, that makes them think, 'Aha, here is the story.'”

Thinking Littles Stories Listening Despair Standing Crowds Tiny Malice Hints

Author:Ayelet Waldman

“I want no part of making any contribution whatsoever to the despair which eventually follows downbeat thinking.”

Thinking Want Despair Contribution

Author:Loretta Young

“There is always something to do. There are hungry people to feed, naked people to clothe, sick people to comfort and make well. And while I don't expect you to save the world I do think it's not asking too much for you to love those with whom you sleep, share the happiness of those whom you call friend, engage those among you who are visionary and remove from your life those who offer you depression, despair and disrespect.”

“Long looking at paintings is equivalent to being dropped into a foreign city, where gradually, out of desire and despair, a few key words, then a little syntax make a clearing in the silence. Art... is a foreign city, and we deceive ourselves when we think it familiar... We have to recognize that the language of art, all art, is not our mother-tongue.”

Thinking Littles Long Art Mother Desire Language Cities Silence Painting Keys Despair Art Is Tongue Familiar Deceiving Clearing Syntax Mother Tongue

Author:Jeanette Winterson

“...You find a way, somehow to get through the most horrible things, things you think would kill you. You find a way and you move through the days, one by one, in shock, in despair, but you move. The days pass, one after the other, and you go along with them - occasionally stunned, and not entirely relieved, to find that you are still alive.”

Thinking Way Stills Moving Alive Despair Horrible Shock Relieved Stunned Horrible Things

Author:Michelle Richmond

“My experiences of men has neither disposed me to think worse of them nor be indisposed to serve them: nor, in spite of failures which I lament, of errors which I now see and acknowledge, or the present aspect of affairs, do I despair of the future. The truth is this: The march of Providence is so slow and our desires so impatient; the work of progress so immense and our means of aiding it so feeble; the life of humanity is so long, that of the individual so brief, that we often see only the ebb of the advancing wave and are thus discouraged. It is history that teaches us to hope.”

Thinking Men Mean Long Desire Humanity Individual Teach Progress Truth Is Despair Aspect Errors Affair Wave Acknowledge Spite March Immense Providence Discouraged Impatient Advancing Lament

Author:Robert E. Lee

“Evan Handler is a man who’s looked into the abyss and laughed. His book, It’s Only Temporary, made me laugh along with him. He covers love, lust, showbiz, triumph, and despair – and he manages to be both funny and inspiring about all of it. It’s an important book that I think can help to spread goodness around the world. Something we desperately need.”

Thinking Men World Needs Made Important Book Helping Laughing Despair Goodness Spread Lust Manage Around The World Triumph Temporary Laughed Abyss Showbiz Love Lust

Author:Lance Armstrong

“When I think of all the harm [the Bible] has done, I despair of ever writing anything to equal it.”

Thinking Writing Done Atheism Equal Despair Positive Atheism Harm

Book:Epigrams of Oscar Wilde

Source: Epigrams of Oscar Wilde

“... the human body is much stronger than we think. It seems to laugh at the cobwebs of despair that the heart weaves before our eyes in order to blind us to our fate. The body walks and goes on walking.”

Thinking Humans Heart Body Seems Eye Order Walks Laughing Fate Goes On Walking Despair Stronger Blind Human Body Cobwebs

Author:Consuelo de Saint-Exupéry

“Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean, Tears from the depths of some devine despair Rise in the heart, and gather to the eyes, In looking on the happy autumn fields, And thinking of the days that are no more.”

Thinking Knows Heart Mean Eye Fields Tears Despair Depth Autumn Idle Autumn Days

Author:Alfred Lord Tennyson

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Despair Quotes