What can I do but stand with my mouth open, no sound emerging? My lips move and I wave my arms making gestures from the other side of the glass, which I cant penetrate.people can speak out of anything, though the struggle takes years. The problem is, whatever I say about the present feels false-nothing contains it all, or catches the depth of things, or their terrible one-dimensionality.What am I living on? Someone said the other day, that old irrepressible-impossible- hope. And I thought no, this doesnt feel like hope. But maybe thats what hope is, no shining thing but a kind of sustenance, plain as bread, the ordinary thing that feeds us. How could we confuse this optimism, when it has nothing to do with expecting things to get better?Hope has to do with continuing, thats allI can imagine now, where I couldnt before, this long erosion of faith, this steady drawing from ones strength, until whats left is tenuous, transparent.
faith grief hope loss sorrow wisdom

About This Quote

About Mark Doty

Mark Doty was a contemporary American poet and memoirist. Mark Doty is an American poet and memoirist best known for his work My Alexandria. He was the winner of the National Book Award for Poetry in 2008. Read more on Wikipedia →

Themes

  • Faith — Reflections on belief, spirituality, and trust in the unseen
  • Hope — Words of encouragement about optimism and brighter futures
  • Wisdom — Timeless insights drawn from experience and reflection

More quotes by Mark Doty

“Love, I think, is a gateway to the world, not an escape from it.”
— Mark Doty
feelings life living love

“And then we ease him out of that worn-out body with a kiss, and he's gone like a whisper, the easiest breath.”
— Mark Doty
breath death dying kiss

“What did you think, that joy / was some slight thing?”
— Mark Doty
poetry

“And, I think, this greening does thaw at the edges, at least, of my own cold season. Joy sneaks in: listening to music, riding my bicycle, I catch myself feeling, in a way thats as old as I am but ...”
— Mark Doty
grief grieving joy spring

“Ive been moving a little to the music while I worked and then I realize I am actually dancing. It feels wonderful, though I can feel how stiff my muscles are, how rigidly Ive been holding myselfMos...”
— Mark Doty
beauty dancing grief grieving

“One last mystery: on one of the little ponds, this morning, I saw wind riffling the first of the waterlily leaves. They havent all emerged yet, but new circles tattoo the water, here and there, a c...”
— Mark Doty
beauty death joy life
View all quotes by Mark Doty →

Related Quotes

“Some people don't understand the promises they're making when they make them," I said."Right, of course. But you keep the promise anyway. That's what love is. Love is keeping the promise anyway.”
— John Green
faith faithfulness love promises

“I think if I've learned anything about friendship, it's to hang in, stay connected, fight for them, and let them fight for you. Don't walk away, don't be distracted, don't be too busy or tired, don...”
— Jon Katz
faith friends friendship love

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
— Anonymous
faith god hope love

“Tears shed for another person are not a sign of weakness. They are a sign of a pure heart.”
— Jos N. Harris
grief grieving hope loss

“Without you in my arms, I feel an emptiness in my soul. I find myself searching the crowds for your face - I know it's an impossibility, but I cannot help myself.”
— Nicholas Sparks
grief love

“So its true, when all is said and done, grief is the price we pay for love.”
— E.A. Bucchianeri
grief grief-inspirational heartbreak life

“When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.”
— Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
hope inspiration love santiago

“The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.”
— J.R.R. Tolkien
hope inspirational love

“This is where it all begins. Everything starts here, today.”
— David Nicholls, One Day
hope love