5 Sayings to Start a New Chapter with Hope

Sayings to start a new chapter of your life with hope are a way to find strength when you've just closed one phase of our life, and you're looking to start something new that can offer you the happiness you deserve.
5 Sayings to Start a New Chapter with Hope
Valeria Sabater

Written and verified by the psychologist Valeria Sabater.

Last update: 15 November, 2021

Sayings to start a new chapter of your life with hope can give you great encouragement. Seeking happiness in your life implies knowing how to close cycles and open up new chapters. It implies knowing how to control fears and awaken new strength.

You just have to know how and where to look, because on the horizon there are always new doors to try. And the chance to make a new start in life starts with something we call “today”!

We all remember the famous myth of Pandora’s box. Pandora was a woman created by Hephaestus and Pallas Athena. She was the bearer of a seemingly fearsome present that Zeus wanted to give to Prometheus in revenge for having stolen fire from him in the sky. That box (or jar according to several texts) contained all the evils of the world, which Pandora would release out of curiosity.

However, at the bottom of that box, remained one element: hope. This myth has led people like Friedrich Nietzsche himself to ponder whether this dimension was simply another manifestation of evil. Another source of woe to add to all the others that the God of Olympus wanted to dump on humanity.

These days, psychologists such as Martin Seligman have pointed out something interesting about this legend. Those sources of woe contained in the box are nothing more than elements that are part of life itself.

Aspects such as illness, sadness, disappointment, or old age are the threads that are woven into all out lives. Hope, on the other hand, was not and is not a source of evil or woe. It was actually a hidden gift that Zeus gave to mankind.

Pandora's box.

Five sayings to start a new chapter full of hope

These sayings to start a new chapter full of hope remind you that you always have to look at the bottom of the box. These sayings are a way of finding momentum when you think that everything around you is full of negativity and adversity. There, right in the depths of your heart, you can find that delicate gift, which, at the same time, is so full of strength.

Of course, hope won’t make all your dreams come true. However, what it does do is give you the inner calm, confidence, and optimism to face all your difficulties in the best possible way. Only in this way will you be able to generate real change in your life. Only this way will you be able to guide your life in the best direction with an improved attitude.

Let’s have a look at these sayings that you can use to start a new chapter in your life, full of hope.

1. Keep calm and have trust

“If we will be quiet and ready enough, we shall find compensation in every disappointment.”

-Henry David Thoreau-

Henry David Thoreau, a writer and naturalist, was known, above all, for his anti-system ideals and for marking a notable influence on figures such as Gandhi and Martin Luther King. However, there was a message that lay at the heart of all his teachings: the importance of being calm, of staying in control in the worst situations, of being good observers, and not losing heart.

When starting a new chapter in life, and trying to do it in the best way, you need to find internal balance. Only then will you be able to accept everything that you’ve experienced, learn from it, and move on in the best possible way.

2. Falling and getting up, again and again

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”

-Confucius-

Among the best phrases to start new stages with hope is undoubtedly this one from Confucius. We can use it to reflect on something we often neglect. Many of us are afraid of falling. We’re afraid of failing or messing things up in those difficult times when we have to start a new chapter.

However, don’t forget that a person who never falls is unlikely to learn anything. The strong person is not the one who resists the most, but the one who’s able to get up again and again. The person who forms clear goals and doesn’t ignore the opportunities that may come along the way.

A woman starting a new chapter.

3. Cultivate enthusiasm, motivation, and your ability to dream

“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.”

-Antoine de Saint-Exupéry-

If you lose your ability to dream and to get excited about life, then you lose everything. In order to keep hope and make progress that’s in tune with your needs, then you first need to learn to look. After all, those who focus only on their daily work, and on the pressures and the routines, will lose perspective.

Life is like an immense ocean. Only when you raise your eyes to the horizon or the starry sky will you be aware of your freedom and of all the possibilities that surround you.

4. The source of change is inside you

“However bad life may seem, there’s always something you can do and succeed at. Where there’s life, there’s hope.”

-Stephen Hawking-

Another of the sayings to start a new chapter full of hope is this valuable one from Stephen Hawking. In it, he reminds us that life itself is hope and that there’s always something you can do to change your reality.

You need to understand that the real key to happiness and change is you. You have life, you have strength, and you’re guided by the need to achieve better things. Learn to trust a little more in your abilities and put some plans in motion to give yourself the change you need.

A woman looking at a starry sky.

5. Never give up

“Many of life’s failures are people who didn’t realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”

-Thomas Edison-

Someone who keeps their hope strong never gives up. It’s clear that there’ll always be battles that aren’t worth fighting, but you should never retreat straight away. You should cultivate the persistence and the faith of those who try again and again, those who seek new roads, new approaches, and who make use of a creative mindset and a heart fit for the challenge.

Sometimes, the best achievements are just a step away, and there for the taking. Sometimes, they’re further away and you have to arm yourself with new resources or tools before you’ll be in a position to achieve what you want. Distinguishing one situation from another isn’t easy, but staying calm will always give you a clearer picture of what’s really going on.


All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.


  • Park, N., Peterson, C., y Seligman, MEP (2004). Fortalezas de carácter y bienestar. Revista de psicología social y clínica, 23, 603-619.

This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.