Those of us who read carried around with us like martyrs a secret knowledge, a secret joy and a secret hope: There is a life worth living where history is still taking place; there are ideas worth dying for, and circumstances where courage is still prized.

Annie Dillard
About This Quote

The secret knowledge, the secret joy and the secret hope are all very real. The secret knowledge is that there is a life worth living where history is still taking place. This means that there are still people who are willing to risk their lives to fight for what they believe in. The secret joy is that there are ideas worth dying for.

When you feel passion about something, you can’t just give up on it at some point. You must keep fighting for it even when the odds are not in your favour. The secret hope is the idea that circumstances where courage is still prized.

There are still circumstances in which people are willing to stand up with courage against injustice or unfairness even when it will cost them everything.

Source: An American Childhood

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