This quote by James Freeman Clarke recommends that atheism does not provide a sense of hope or optimism for the future. It indicates that those who do not think in a greater power or a divine being lack a sense of function or direction in life. This could be translated as a criticism of atheism, as it indicates that those who do not think in a higher power are not able to discover significance or hope in life. On the other hand, it could also be interpreted as a tip that those who do not think in a greater power needs to still make every effort to discover hope and significance in life, even if it is not provided by a greater power. Ultimately, this quote functions as a pointer that everybody need to make every effort to discover hope and meaning in life, despite their beliefs.
"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"
