History Main / HopeSpringsEternal

* G.K. Chesterton famously wrote, "Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."

* Creator/FriedrichNietzsche has little love for this trope in general, likely due to the influence of Greek tragedy on his works. To be very brief, he regards this concept and establishments that foster it to be one of the primary obstacles to the rise of the {{Ubermensch}}, since it robs people of their will to shape their own destinies. See ''Literature/ThusSpokeZarathustra'', ''Literature/BeyondGoodAndEvil'', and ''Literature/OnTheGeneologyOfMorals''.

** Deconstructed with [[spoiler: Nagito Komaeda]] from the [[VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair second game]]: [[spoiler: he's convinced that hope will always triumph over despair, so he'll deliberately make an already existing despair ''worse'' so that the subsequent hope may be even brighter.]]

These stories about the ChosenOne and the super-weapon might be true but their truthfulness matters less than what it means that these stories exist at all: '''Hope lives on! ''' One day, maybe not tomorrow, maybe not next week, maybe not in our lifetimes, but one day, AsLongAsThereIsOneMan, JusticeWillPrevail.

Not to be confused with HopeSproutsEternal.

* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'': [[spoiler: Homura has witnessed her best friend dying or corrupting four times or more and failed to stop it from happening three times or more. She's watched her fellow magical girls kill each other out of despair. She was present for the end of the world. Kyubey's system of Miracle Contracts is, by her own admission, inescapable. Yet despite all of this, she's determined to find the GoldenPath that leads to Walpurgisnacht's defeat without Madoka's HeroicSacrifice.]]

* In ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', All Might deliberately cultivated this image for himself: By defeating villains in public, he hopes to inspire other people to fight crime and stand up against injustice. For much of his career as a superhero, he's successful at this -- until he's critically wounded in a fight against his ArchNemesis, All for One. This event causes doubt and uncertainty to spread among society at large, villains become more bold and brazen, and the other heroes start getting overwhelmed. In a more literal sense, All Might's SuperStrength can be passed down from person to person, and each inheritor thus far has used it to become symbols of hope like All Might.

--->'''Verity''': But it's ''not'' the end? There's — There's ''hope''?\\
'''Loki''': It's never the end of ''all'' stories. They get everywhere. Like '''roaches'''. Wipe out the whole ''omniverse'' — There'll still be a story ''somewhere''. ''Loads'', probably.
* The CentralTheme of ''ComicBook/TheTransformersUnicron''. Even as Unicron consumes worlds and grows ever-stronger, even as it begins to seem like no force in the universe can stop him, even as [[CosmicHorrorStory everyone is confronted with just how small and helpless they really are in the cosmos...]]the Autobots keep going. Because as long as they have even the smallest shred of hope, they’ll try to save people, because that’s what heroes do. And when there’s no more hope to go around? [[DoNotGoGentle They’ll go down fighting.]]

* In [[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/61489/26/the-abundance/the-battle-of-cloudsdale-part-3 The Abundance]], the chapter begins with a quote from The Lord of the Rings saying there is no hope and things look that way: Twilight has been taken down by Loyalty, Scootaloo is dead, and Faith has gone missing after being mortally wounded. To twist the knife, Loyalty captures The Doctor and Dinky Hooves and sends them plummeting to their deaths. It is then that Derpy Hooves, who spent the entire story catatonic due to her daughter being taken, performs a freaking Sonic Rainboom, showering Cloudsdale in light. Twilight breaks free, Scootaloo's heart starts back up, and Faith, seeing the Rainboom, turns the massive airship he stole towards Cloudsdale. The chapter ends with another LOTR's quote: Hope... is kindled.

** The major theme of ''Film/RogueOne''. The Empire might have a super weapon, the Rebellion suffered a massive beating and [[spoiler: the major heroes all died]] but the plans for the Death Star have been transmitted and the movie segues into ''Film/ANewHope''.
-->'''Jyn Erso: '''We have hope. Rebellions are built on hope!
** ''Film/TheLastJedi'' also ends with a grim note with Luke Skywalker dead and the remaining Resistance soldiers are down to a few dozen. However, Luke has regained his faith in the Jedi Order and named Rey his final apprentice who will restore peace to the Galaxy while Leia assures that the Resistance will rise once more.

* ''WesternAnimation/TransformersTheMovie'': The majority of the film features the Autobots getting their asses kicked across the galaxy. At the very end, they unite to make a last ditch effort to destroy Unicron and Light Their DarkestHour.

* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'': A recurring theme in the show, particularly by [[SamuraiJack/TropesSeason5 Season 5,]] is that Jack has become [[HopeBringer a beacon of hope]] under Aku's dark reign. [[spoiler:XCVII is basically a ContinuityCavalcade showing people who Jack has inspired and saved who went on to see him such.]]

*** A version not well known of the myth state that what the box contained weren't evils, but blessings, and that these blessings will benefit the mankind as long the box was never opened, but a nameless idiot (and not pandora) opened the box, the result: the blessings flew back to the olympus, and when the lid was closed again, the only blessing that was lef behind was the hop, as is shown here: [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Epimetheus_opening_Pandora%27s_box_MET_DP812748.jpg[[/note]]

*** A version not well know of the myth state that what the box contained weren't evils, but blessings and that these blessing will benefit the mankind as long the box was never opened, but a nameless idiot(and not pandora)opened the box, the result: the blessings flew back to the olympus, and when the lid was closed again, the only blessing that was lef behind was the hope.

*** A version not well know of the myth state that what the box contained weren't evils, but blessings and that these blessing will benefit the mankind as long the box was never opened, but a man with no reason opened (and not pandora) the box, the result: the blessings flew back to the olympus, and when the lid was closed again, the only blessing that was lef behind was the hope.

[[DestructiveRomance This dripping from my broken heart is never running dry]]

* This is the schtick of the [[ComicBook/GreenLantern Blue Lantern Corps]]. It's composed of hand-selected individuals who have the ability to inspire great hope. Their unofficial leader, Saint Walker, was considered a savior by his people and was the first Blue Lantern. The way their rings work also acknowledges the limitations of hope: their rings can perform amazing feats while they are supporting Green Lanterns but are almost powerless on their own, since hope without the willpower to change things is meaningless.
** They ritualized this trope in their [[BadassCreed Lantern Oath]]
-->''In fearful day, in raging night,''
--> ''With strong hearts full, our souls ignite.''
--> ''When all seems lost in the war of light,''
-->''Look to the stars'', '''for hope burns bright'''

* During ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'', Superman travels through the Multiverse. One Earth he glimpses is a post-apocalyptic wasteland based on the old Atomic Knights comic-book. Superman describes it as "alive with radioactivity and '''hope'''".
* In the first issue of Comicbook/SecretWars2015, worlds have collided, it's a multiverse-spanning apocalypse, and Reed Richards has just seen his family die before his eyes. Just as Reed is crossing the DespairEventHorizon, we see Doctor Doom's masked visage in the glowing-white aftermath. Doom, who was outside the multiverse, confronting the Beyonders.
** The same event's tie-in Last Days arc of ''Comicbook/LokiAgentOfAsgard'' gave us the probably ''least'' flatteringly worded description of this trope from the newly-rebranded God of Stories, Loki:
-->'''Verity''': But it's ''not'' the end? There's — There's ''hope''?
-->'''Loki''': It's never the end of ''all'' stories. They get everywhere. Like '''roaches'''. Wipe out the whole ''omniverse'' — There'll still be a story ''somewhere''. ''Loads'', probably.

* This is the subject of the Israeli national anthem, [-HaTikvah-], or The Hope. The song is about how, despite the trials and tribulations and pain they've undergone over the past two thousand years, they still look to Jerusalem and to Israel as a source of hope everlasting.

* This is the subject of the Israeli national anthem, [HaTikvah], or The Hope. The song is about how, despite the trials and tribulations and pain they've undergone over the past two thousand years, they still look to Jerusalem and to Israel as a source of hope everlasting.

* This is the subject of the Israeli national anthem, HaTikvah, or The Hope. The song is about how, despite the trials and tribulations and pain they've undergone over the past two thousand years, they still look to Jerusalem and to Israel as a source of hope everlasting.

* The final song of Music/GustavMahler's ''Das Lied von der Erde'' is "Der Abschied"[[labelnote:*]]"The farewell"[[/labelnote]], a setting of two Chinese poems (by Mong-Kao-Jen[[labelnote:*]]or [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meng_Haoran Meng Haoran]]; see UsefulNotes/WhyMaoChangedHisName[[/labelnote]] and Wang-Sei[[labelnote:*]][[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wang_Wei_%288th_century_poet%29 Wang Wei]][[/labelnote]], respectively) in Hans Bethge's German translation. Both are about the departure of a dear friend. It might end on an extremely depressing note... except for Mahler's added lyrics at the end, which contribute to the [[AnAesop fatalistic moral]] of the work: [[WeAreAsMayflies that, even as we have passed away and our sorrows have been forgotten, life itself will go on]].

Ewig... Ewig...[[labelnote:*]]Everywhere the dear earth blossoms forth in spring and grows green again! Everywhere and forever, distant horizons gleam blue: forever... forever...[[/labelnote]]

* This is the core theme of ''Theatre/{{Hadestown}}''. Orpheus' song contains the power of hope that destabilizes Hadestown and threatens to upend the order of the world, and as tragic as the ending of his story is, Hermes can't help replaying it again and again "as though it might turn out this time".

** In the last words of the [[GodEmperor God Emperor of Mankind]] (before he became a HumanPopsicle) -

* This is one of the main themes in ''Franchise/DanganRonpa'', contrasting the BigBad's desire for despair.
** Deconstructed with [[spoiler: Nagito Komaeda]] from the [[VisualNovel/SuperDanganronpa2 second game]]: [[spoiler: he's convinced that hope will always triumph over despair, so he'll deliberately make an already existing despair ''worse'' so that the subsequent hope may be even brighter.]]

* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' and ''Literature/TheSilmarillion''. There are quite a few irredeemably evil entities attempting to oppress every other living entity, and most of them succeed for some period of time; so there's always a host of brave and wise elves, or outnumbered but courageous humans, or tough-as-nails dwarves, or determined hobbits, or powerful wizards, or even incredibly powerful godlike entities from across the sea preparing to come save the day. A few characters make speeches on hope (notably Sam to Frodo) which get everyone else back on their feet.

* Creator/LindsayEllis deconstructs this in her video "Protest Music of the Bush Era". After multiple protest songs about the Iraq War hit deaf ears, the musical trend of protest songs became this trope: to believe that they'll make it through these dark times and just wait it out until Bush left the white house. Lindsay calls out this fact, as the protest music trends are coming back to being pretty openly political, and points out that in a world where it's clear change must be fought for, waiting it out for things to get better is not a good approach, as there's no evidence that this is just "for now" or that everyone will make it through.

-->'''Grandfather:''' When my son discovered that book, he became filled with the kind of hope that snot nosed kids are stupid enough to believe in.
* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'': A recurring theme in the show, particularly by [[SamuraiJack/TropesSeason5 Season 5]], is that Jack has become [[HopeBringer a beacon of hope]] under Aku's dark reign. [[spoiler:XCVII is basically a Continuity Cavalcade showing people who Jack has inspired and saved who went on to see him such.]]

* The CentralTheme of ''ComicBook/TheTransformersUnicron''; even as Unicron consumes worlds and grows ever-stronger, even as it begins to seem like no force in the universe can stop him, even as [[CosmicHorrorStory everyone is confronted with just how small and helpless they really are in the cosmos]]... the Autobots keep going. Because as long as they have even the smallest shred of hope, they’ll try to save people, because that’s what heroes do. And when there’s no more hope to go around? [[DoNotGoGentle They’ll go down fighting]].

* In the first issue of Comicbook/SecretWars2015, worlds have collided, it's a multiverse spanning apocalypse, and Reed Richards has just seen his family die before his eyes. Just as Reed is crossing into the DespairEventHorizon, we Doctor Doom's masked visage in the glowing white aftermath, Doom, who was outside the multiverse, confronting the Beyonders.
** The same event's tie-in Last Days arc of ''Comicbook/LokiAgentOfAsgard'' gave us the probably ''least'' flatteringly worded description of this trope from the newly rebranded God of Stories Loki: