“Hope is the chief blessing of man, and that hope only is rational of which we are certain that it cannot deceive us.”

Distinguishing sustaining hope from hope founded on illusion · Rambler No. 203

• Faith
• Hope

“Evil is uncertain in the same degree as good, and for the reason that we ought not to hope too securely, we ought not to fear with too much dejection.”

Calling for balance between overconfidence and excessive dread · Rambler No. 29

• Despair
• Hope

“The desires of man increase with his acquisitions; every step which he advances brings something within his view, which he did not see before, and which, as soon as he sees it, he begins to want.”

Describing desire as something that expands with possession · Idler No. 30

• Desire
• Time