Echoes Across Time

Hope in the Dark

The hardest kind of hope: held not because things are going well, but precisely because they aren't. Albert Camus, James Baldwin, Mahmoud Darwish, Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Franz Kafka — eyes open, darkness visible.

30 total quotes

“
Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us.

—F. Scott FitzgeraldNovelist & Essayist

Early Modern ERA • North America

“
Another dawn, another darkness.

—Faiz Ahmad FaizScholar & Thinker

Early Modern ERA • South Asia

“
The universe is a cruel, cruel place. But it is not without its moments of grace.

—Junot DíazNovelist

Contemporary ERA • Caribbean

“
Hope is the only thing that sustains the poor.

—PremchandWriter

Early Modern ERA • South Asia

“
Freedom is the dream that haunts us, the bird we cannot catch, the song unheard.

—Pham Thi HoaiNovelist & Essayist

Late Modern ERA • Southeast Asia

“
Perhaps one day, it will be a joy to recall even this.

—VirgilPoet

Ancient World ERA • Southern Europe

“
We have on this earth what makes life worth living.

—Mahmoud DarwishPoet

Late Modern ERA • MENA

“
The sun sets, but its warmth lingers in the memory of the day.

—Namdeo Dhondo MahanorPoet

Contemporary ERA • South Asia

“
Hope cannot be said to exist, nor can it be said not to exist.

—Lu XunWriter, Essayist & Critic

Early Modern ERA • East Asia

“
Woe to him who lives without the light of hope!

—Adam MickiewiczPoet

Industrial Age ERA • Eastern Europe

“
Life is a constant wave, a desire to reach shore.

—Julia de BurgosPoet & Activist

Post-War ERA • Caribbean

“
Happiness is a bird that flies too high for human hands.

—Dulce María LoynazPoet & Novelist

Post-War ERA • Caribbean

“
The beautiful ones are not yet born.

—Ayi Kwei ArmahNovelist

Post-War ERA • West Africa

“
Hope is the only good god remaining among mankind.

—Theognis of MegaraElegiac Poet

Ancient World ERA • Southern Europe

“
There is infinite hope, but not for us.

—Franz KafkaWriter

Early Modern ERA • Eastern Europe

“
The most terrible of all feelings is the feeling of having hope, without hope.

—Federico García LorcaPoet & Playwright

Early Modern ERA • Southern Europe

“
When the moon is shining the cripple becomes hungry for a walk.

—Chinua AchebeNovelist & Critic

Post-War ERA • West Africa

“
In this bright future, you can't forget your past.

—Bob MarleyMusician

Post-War ERA • Caribbean

“
The road is hard. The road is long. Where will my heart find rest?

—Du FuPoet & Sage

Medieval ERA • East Asia

“
And once the storm is over, you won't remember how you made it through.

—Haruki MurakamiNovelist

Contemporary ERA • East Asia

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