The Demands of Despair ... and of Hope

Despair demands less of us, it's more predictable, and in a sad way safer. Authentic hope requires clarity — seeing the troubles in this world — and imagination, seeing what might lie beyond these situations that are perhaps not inevitable and immutable.

Rebecca Solnit, Hope in the Dark

I never would have thought to label despair and hope in this way but, of course, this cuts to the heart of the two emotions.