I mean, every novel's a historical novel anyway. But calling something a historical novel seems to put mittens on it, right? It puts manners on it. And you don't want your novels to be mannered.
Colum MccannRead
I am of the opinion, and even more so the older I get, that it is more difficult to have hope than it is to despair. And I mean this in the sense that in order to have hope you must acknowledge the despair and then you have to get beyond it. Taken from a radio interview given on BBC Radio 4's Open Book
Interpretation
What this quote means
Having hope requires confronting despair and finding a way to move past it, which is often a tougher journey.
This quote by Colum McCann highlights the complexity of hope and despair. It suggests that hope is not a naive or effortless state; rather, it demands an acknowledgment of the deep struggles and pains of despair. As one grows older, the realization dawns that maintaining hope is challenging because it requires not only recognizing the darker aspects of life but also actively working through them to find a brighter perspective. Ultimately, this philosophical stance emphasizes the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.
Themes
HopeDespairResilienceLifeOvercoming
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech addressing mental health, I could use this quote to highlight the journey from despair to hope.
More from Colum Mccann
All quotes →Goodness was more difficult than evil. Evil men knew that more than good men. That's why they became evil. That's why it stuck with them. Evil was for those who could never reach the truth. It was a mask for stupidity and lack of love. Even if people laughed at the notion of goodness, if they found it sentimental, or nostalgic, it didn't matter -- it was none of those things, he said, and it had to be fought for.
Colum MccannRead
She takes another long haul, lets the smoke settle in her lungs-- she has heard somewhere that cigarettes are good for grief. One long drag and you forget how to cry. The body too busy dealing with the poison.
Colum MccannRead
It was a silence that heard itself, awful and beautiful.
Colum MccannRead
It struck me that distant cities are designed precisely so you can know where you came from.
Colum MccannRead
And I suddenly think, as I look across the table at him, that these are the days as they will be. This is the future as we see it. The swerve and the static. The confidence and the doubt.
Colum MccannRead
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A single overstatement, wherever or however it occurs, diminishes the whole, and a carefree superlative has the power to destroy, for the reader, the object of the writer's enthusiasm.
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