The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times

by Jane Goodall

For the first time, fires have even been recorded in the Arctic Circle.

But each time I become depressed I think of all the amazing stories of the courage, steadfastness, and determination of those who are fighting the “forces of evil.”

But how much more powerful and inspirational are the

voices of those who stand up against it. And even when they lose their lives, their voices still resonate long after they are ...

Hope is often misunderstood. People tend to think that it is simply passive wishful thinking: I hope something will happen but I’m not going to do anything about it. This is indeed the opposite of real hope, which requires action and engagement.

The cumulative effect of thousands of ethical actions can help to save and improve our world for future generations.

I wondered if there is something about hope and purpose that keeps one endlessly young.

You won’t be active unless you hope that your action is going to do some good. So you need hope to get you going, but then by taking action, you generate more hope. It’s a circular thing.”

naturalist,” Jane said, “looks for the wonder of nature—she listens to the voice of nature and learns from nature as she tries to understand it.

Hope leads to future success in a way that wishful thinking does not.

“there is evidence that an optimistic personality may be partly the result of genetic inheritance, but this can surely be overruled by environmental factors—just as those born without a genetic tendency toward optimism can develop a more optimistic and self-reliant outlook.

Hope science has identified four components that are essential for any lasting sense of hope in our lives—and perhaps in our world. We need to have realistic goals to pursue as well as realistic pathways to achieve them. In addition, we need the confidence that we can achieve these goals, and the support to help us overcome adversity along the way. Some researchers call these four components the “hope cycle” because the more of each we have, the more they encourage each other and inspire hope in our life.

those who seemed healthiest and happiest were those who focused on something beyond their own troubles.

‘We don’t know where we’re going. We don’t know what’s going to happen. Just remember, no one can take away from you what you’ve put in your mind.’

Hope, she says, does not deny the evil but is a response to it.”

Jane’s hopefulness in spite of grim global realities was focused around four main reasons for hope: the amazing human intellect, the resilience of nature, the power of youth, and the indomitable human spirit.

the good news is that an intellect smart enough to create nuclear weapons and AI is also, surely, capable of coming up with ways to heal the harm we have inflicted on this poor old planet.

It is truly altruistic when you help someone even when your intellect knows the risk you run.

forgiveness is how we unchain ourselves from the past. We choose the forgiveness cycle instead of the revenge cycle.

wisdom involves using our powerful intellect to recognize the consequences of our actions and to think of the well-being of the whole.

“First—we must alleviate poverty.

“Second, we must reduce the unsustainable lifestyles of the affluent.

“Third, we must eliminate corruption,

finally, we must face up to the problems caused by growing populations of humans and their livestock.

The Hidden Life of Trees.

In the Shadow of Man

Finding the Mother Tree

Our human intellect is amazing, but we must be humble and recognize that there is an even greater intelligence in nature.”

It’s fascinating to see how a species can survive if one or a few individuals manage to change—and pass on their behaviors to others in the group.

Each time a species goes extinct it is as though a hole is torn in that wonderful tapestry of life.

It’s not hope or fear—or anger. We need them all.”

“I tell them that while they will have to live with the existing system, they can still hang on to their values, make some small difference every day, and maintain their hopes for a better future.”

millions of drops actually make the ocean.”

it is a reminder of how much our words matter, even when we don’t know it,

‘The difficult is hard, the impossible just a little harder.’”

disasters always lead to stories of altruism and bravery,”

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin when he said, ‘We are spiritual beings having a human experience.’”