"It is only for the sake of those without hope that hope is given to us"

Walter Benjamin’s enigmatic assertion that hope exists “only for the sake of those without hope” unfolds a paradox that draws attention to the relationship between despair and aspiration. Rather than viewing hope as an individual resource reserved for those already inclined to optimism, Benjamin redirects its purpose toward those who lack all grounds for hope. Here, hope is not a self-serving feeling or a mere instrument for personal consolation; it is an ethical obligation and a communal good.

By suggesting that hope is “given to us,” Benjamin may imply that hope is not simply produced internally, but arrives as a kind of gift, a responsibility bestowed upon those capable of sustaining it. However, this responsibility is not for one’s own benefit, but for the benefit of those for whom circumstances have made hope impossible or obsolete. In this sense, hope becomes an act of solidarity, a gesture extended toward the hopeless, perhaps even on their behalf.

Hope, therefore, is recast as an act of witness and commitment in the face of darkness. It is most essential, and most meaningful, not where hope seems reasonable or justified, but precisely where it seems least likely to take root. Benjamin’s insight points toward a radical, almost messianic ethos: that we are called to maintain hope as an act of faith in others, in possibilities that are not yet visible, and in redemption where there is only despair. This hope is not naive optimism, but a refusal to abandon those for whom despair has become absolute.

By giving hope “for the sake” of the hopeless, Benjamin insists that our own hope is incomplete unless it bridges the gulf between ourselves and others. True hope is thus not about self-fulfillment, but a moral act grounded in empathy, defiance, and the belief in the possibility of transformation where all seems lost.