Quote
Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul—and sings the tunes without the words—and never stops at all.
Note
Dickinson personifies hope as a persistent bird that lives within us, singing wordlessly and endlessly. This is an internal standard—hope resides in the soul, not dependent on external circumstances. The image is gentle: hope doesn't shout or demand, it simply sings. The fact that it "never stops" suggests resilience even in difficulty. It's a reassuring vision of hope as something innate and constant, requiring no justification or proof.