It is the lava of the imagination whose eruption prevents an earthquake.
Lord ByronRead
But what is Hope? Nothing but the paint on the face of Existence; the least touch of truth rubs it off, and then we see what a hollow-cheeked harlot we have got hold of.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Hope is a facade that can easily be stripped away to reveal the emptiness beneath.
In this quote, Lord Byron suggests that hope can be superficial, akin to makeup that conceals the true nature of existence. When confronted with reality, the allure of hope can fade, revealing a stark and perhaps disappointing truth about life and its challenges. This reflection compels one to consider the fragility of hope and the importance of recognizing the underlying realities that it often obscures.
Themes
HopeExistenceTruthPhilosophyReality
In practice
Example use cases
During a talk about overcoming challenges, this quote can be used to illustrate the idea that hope may sometimes be merely an illusion.
More from Lord Byron
All quotes →For what were all these country patriots born? To hunt, and vote, and raise the price of corn?
Lord ByronRead
Absence - that common cure of love.
Lord ByronRead
Her great merit is finding out mine; there is nothing so amiable as discernment.
Lord ByronRead
But words are things, and a small drop of ink, Falling like dew, upon a thought, produces That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.
Lord ByronRead
For truth is always strange; stranger than fiction.
Lord ByronRead
Similar quotes
Into a world unknown,-the corner-stone of a nation!
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowRead
We lived always in the stretch or sag of nerves, either on the crest or in the trough of waves of feeling.
T. E. LawrenceRead
I have seen firsthand how injustice gets overlooked when the victims are powerless or vulnerable, when they have no one to speak up for them and no means of representing themselves to a higher authority. Animals are in precisely that position. Unless we are mindful of their interests and speak out loudly on their behalf, abuse and cruelty go unchallenged.
Desmond TutuRead
In the early days of the December that my father was to die, my younger brother brought me the news that I was a Jew. I was then a transplanted Englishman in America, married, with one son and, though unconsoled by any religion, a nonbelieving member of two Christian churches. On hearing the tidings, I was pleased to find that I was pleased.
Christopher HitchensRead
It don't matter if you believe in God Nick, he believes in you.
Stephen KingRead
Vice is a monster of so frightful mien As to be hated needs but to be seen; Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face, We first endure, then pity, then embrace.
Alexander PopeRead