What is hope?

Are we lost without it?

Or is it false reality we’re creating?

Without hope, there is nothing. It’s the only thing to live for. Even when faced with a grim reality, a glimmer of hope can be enough to keep us going. But are we fooling ourselves?

When the world says, “Give up,” Hope whispers, “Try it one more time.” ~Author Unknown

Once you choose hope, anything’s possible.  ~Christopher Reeve

Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops… at all.  ~Emily Dickinson

Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark.  ~George Iles

God puts rainbows in the clouds so that each of us – in the dreariest and most dreaded moments – can see a possibility of hope.  ~Maya Angelou

The wings of hope carry us, soaring high above the driving winds of life.  ~Ana Jacob

But then I think, what about false hope? Is it better to be realistic at times? I don’t like having a pessimistic view but sometimes you do have to face the harsh reality. So what happens to hope then? Is hope there just to soothe us, make us feel better?

Hope deceives more men than cunning does.  ~Vauvenargues, Reflections and Maxims, 1746

Hope, deceitful as it is, serves at least to lead us to the end of our lives by an agreeable route.  ~François Duc de La Rochefoucauld

Hope is the only universal liar who never loses his reputation for veracity.  ~Robert G. Ingersoll

Things which you do not hope happen more frequently than things which you do hope.  ~Titus Maccius Plautus

In reality, hope is the worst of all evils, because it prolongs man’s torments.  ~Friedrich Nietzsche, Human, All Too Human, 1878

 

I can related to both sides of hope… Although sometimes you have to face the harsh reality, hope can be all you have when you have nothing else.  Even through the darkness, there is light.

If you knew that hope and false hope were paths to the same destination, which one would you choose?

 

Author

Maria Lianos-Carbone is the author of “Oh Baby! A Mom’s Self-Care Survival Guide for the First Year”, and publisher of amotherworld.com, a leading lifestyle blog for women.

1 Comment

  1. Dianne / Smilenwaven Reply

    Thank goodness we have HOPE… b/c that dreaded REALITY is always just around the corner!

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