This quote by Thomas Shadwell is a suggestion that hope alone is not enough to sustain us. It suggests that hope is not a reputable source of nutrition, which it is insufficient to sustain us in the long run. It recommends that we need to do something about it and make concrete efforts to attain our objectives, instead of relying exclusively on hope. The quote likewise indicates that hope can be a harmful thing if we depend on it too greatly, as it can result in disappointment and despair if our expectations are not fulfilled. Ultimately, this quote acts as a suggestion that hope is an important property, however it must not be our only source of nourishment. We must act and make concrete efforts to achieve our objectives in order to succeed.
"Poets have said that the reason to have children is to give yourself immortality. Immortality? Now that I have five children, my only hope is that they are all out of the house before I die"
"Courage is sometimes frail as hope is frail: a fragile shoot between two stones that grows brave toward the sun though warmth and brightness fail, striving and faith the only strength it knows"
