Sublime

The word hope first appeared in English about a thousand years ago, denoting some combination of confidence and desire. But what I desired—life—was not what I was confident about—death. When I talked about hope, then, did I really mean “Leave some room for unfounded desire?”

for there is no real hope that has not once been a forlorn hope.

A great truth, attributed to Emily Dickinson, is that “hope inspires the good to reveal itself.”

“Hope is never wasted,”

though hope is about the future, grounds for hope lie in the records and recollections of the past.