Man is so muddled, so dependent on the things immediately before his eyes, that every day even the most submissive believer can be seen to risk the torments of the afterlife for the smallest pleasure. – Joseph De Maistre
I think its realistic to have hope. One can be a perverse idealist and say the easiest thing: I despair. The worlds no good. Thats a perverse idealist. Its practical to hope, because the hope is for us to survive as a human species. Thats very realistic. – Studs Terkel