Spring has come to many places around the world . Here in the Northern Hemisphere , we celebrate the first day of spring on the vernal equinox . In 2022 , spring began on March 20 . As a verb , the word “spring ” can mean to come forth with energy . For example , when you “spring into action ,” you start a project or task with a lot of positive energy . Here is another way to use “spring ” as a verb . If you “spring ” news or information on someone , you tell them something without preparation . For example , the other day a good friend told me she would be moving to a new city by the end of the week ! I can't believe she sprung such important news on me . And that brings us to our expression for today's show : hope springs eternal . “Hope springs eternal ” means that people can always find a reason to hope , even in the bleakest situations . Here , the word “bleak ” means to not have much hope . Eternal means to last or exist forever , without end or beginning . So , there is a dreamy quality to this expression . It is actually considered a proverb , a short well-known saying containing a wise thought . The wise thought here is that we human beings never stop hoping or believing that things will get better . Even when common sense tells us that something will not happen -- we still think it will . For example , a group of friends tried to start a business together . Their first three tries failed . But that did not stop them from trying again . You know what they say : Hope springs eternal ! Here is another example . Even though a woman lost her job , her car , and her apartment all in one month , she still kept a positive attitude . She still had good health and good friends . She asked them for a little help and then started to rebuild her life . For her , hope springs eternal is more than a proverb . It is her life's motto . People who use or believe in this proverb as optimists . They optimistically believe in a brighter tomorrow . A pessimist , the opposite of an optimist , probably won't use “hope springs eternal ” very often … if at all . Language experts say the proverb “Hope springs eternal ” comes from a shortened line from Alexander Pope's 1732 poem An Essay on Man . He wrote : "Hope springs eternal in every human breast .”