Mahler had been convinced from the start of the work's significance; in renouncing the pessimism that had marked much of his music, he offered the Eighth as an expression of confidence in the eternal human spirit.
Mahler estaba convencido dende o principio da importancia da obra, ao renunciar ao pesimismo que marcara gran parte da súa música, ofreceu a Oitava como unha expresión de confianza no eterno espírito humano.