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Hope springs eternal

Cultural  

  1. People always hope for the best, even in the face of adversity. This saying is from “An Essay on Man,” by Alexander Pope.

hope springs eternal Idioms  

  1. People will keep on hoping, no matter what the odds. For example, I keep buying lottery tickets—hope springs eternal. This expression was coined by Alexander Pope (An Essay on Man, 1732) and quickly became proverbial.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But hope springs eternal, and the couple had a surprising three-egg clutch again this year.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2025

But hope springs eternal, and so does fear of angering the White House.

From Salon • Sep. 26, 2023

"I will personally continue engaging with the authorities. I'm very determined to do so," he said, adding that "hope springs eternal."

From Reuters • Dec. 9, 2022

And of course, hope springs eternal among those who must scramble to explain such things.

From Washington Times • Oct. 13, 2022

Matchmaking hope springs eternal in the desi Muslim mom’s imagination.

From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.