"Hope is a good breakfast, but it is a bad supper"

Francis Bacon’s expression, "Hope is a good breakfast, but it is a bad supper", captures the complex duality of hope in human life. Breakfast, as the first meal of the day, represents beginnings, fresh energy, and the promise of opportunity. At the start of any endeavor or challenge, hope can infuse us with motivation and a positive mindset, fueling effort and initiative. Hope brings a sense of possibility, encouraging people to take the essential first steps, trust in future outcomes, and envision success. When setting out into the unknown, it acts as a vital force that combats fear, apathy, or defeatism.

As the day deepens, however, nourishment must derive not only from expectation but also from tangible results. Supper stands for the end of the day, a time to reflect on what was achieved or not. If one relies only on hope by the day’s close, disappointment and dissatisfaction may arise. Action, perseverance, and results must take the place of mere wishing; sustained hope, untethered from reality or effort, becomes hollow and even destructive. Hope cannot substitute for work, nor can it endlessly delay reckoning with facts or unmet goals.

The metaphor warns against complacency and the danger of living indefinitely in anticipation. Continued reliance on hope, without accompanying deeds or adjustments in response to reality, is futile. At day’s end, one must gather the harvest, not dream of it. Bacon subtly suggests that while optimism is beneficial to inspire beginnings, fulfillment and closure require engagement with reality and acknowledgment of outcomes. Hope’s proper role is to initiate, not to sustain indefinitely; its sweetness fades when it becomes a substitute for reflection, learning, or acceptance. When misapplied, hope turns from nourishment into an empty promise, ultimately leaving one unsatisfied.