On Being with Krista Tippett Jason Reynolds — On Hopelessness, the Virtue of Stamina, and Showing Grace to Ourselves
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Mar 19, 2026 
Jason Reynolds, bestselling author and MacArthur Fellow known for books for young people, brings grounded wisdom and warmth. He discusses hope as stamina and the need to give ourselves grace when we feel hopeless. He shares a restorative conversation in a bar, the gap between everyday encounters and media fear, and how curiosity, language, and storytelling bridge divides.
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Hope Is A Muscular Practice With Built In Rest
- Hope functions like a muscle that requires stamina and rest rather than a constant, unbroken optimism.
- Jason Reynolds compares running out of breath in a race to moments of hopelessness and urges grace so community hope can carry you until you catch your breath.
Give Yourself Permission To Pause And Rely On Community
- Allow yourself permission to be hopeless temporarily and rely on community support to sustain forward motion.
- Treat moments of hopelessness like pausing to catch breath in a relay, then expect to pass the baton when you recover.
The Larry Conversation That Restored Hope
- Jason Reynolds describes a bar encounter with a man named Larry who said Americans focus too much on victimhood and not enough on gratitude.
- Reynolds used curiosity and grace to ask questions, which turned the exchange into a respectful conversation that left him hopeful.