--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We live in hope that the good we do here…" description: "\"“We live in hope that the good we do here on earth will be rewarded in heaven. We also hope to win the war. We hope that right and goodness will triump..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b68/connie-willis-5208_allies_we-live-in-hope-that-the-good-we-do-here_291171.png" --- # We live in hope that the good we do here on earth will be… ![“We live in hope that the good we do here on earth will be rewarded in heaven. We also hope to win the war. We hope that right and goodness will triumph, and that when the war is won, we shall have a better world. And we work toward that end. We buy war bonds and put out incendiaries and knit…” quote by Connie Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b68/connie-willis-5208_allies_we-live-in-hope-that-the-good-we-do-here_291171.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b68/connie-willis-5208_allies_we-live-in-hope-that-the-good-we-do-here_291171.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b68/connie-willis-5208_allies_we-live-in-hope-that-the-good-we-do-here_291171.png) > ““We live in hope that the good we do here on earth will be rewarded in heaven. We also hope to win the war. We hope that right and goodness will triumph, and that when the war is won, we shall have a better world. And we work toward that end. We buy war bonds and put out incendiaries and knit stockings---" And pumpkin-colored scarves, Polly thought. "---and volunteer to take in evacuated children and work in hospitals and drive ambulances" - here Alf grinned and nudged Eileen sharply in the ribs - "and man anti-aircraft guns. We join the Home Guard and the ATS and the Civil Defence, but we cannot know whether the scrap metal we collect, the letter we write to a solider, the vegetables we grow, will turn out in the end to have helped win the war or not. We act in faith. "But the vital thing is that we act. We do not rely on hope alone, thought hope is our bulwark, our light through dark days and darker nights. We also work, and fight, and endure, and it does not matter whether the part we play is large or small. The reason that God marks the fall of the sparrow is that he knows that it is as important to the world as the bulldog or the wolf. We all, all must do 'our bit'. For it is through our deeds that the war will be won, through our kindness and devotion and courage that we make that better world for which we long.”” [Connie Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-willis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage stresses that hope and action together are essential; even small deeds matter in a larger cause, especially during war. **In simple terms:** Hope must be paired with effort; every contribution counts. Key Takeaway Act, don’t just hope. Themes hope action war effort faith community Mood determined reflective Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - home front volunteering - civil defense work - war bond buying - ambulance driving - anti‑aircraft service Key Concepts collective responsibility meaning of sacrifice moral duty Questions to Reflect On - How do you measure the impact of small actions? - When does hope become complacency? A Different Perspective Hope alone is insufficient; outcomes are uncertain and effort may feel futile. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Allies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allies/) [Better world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-world/) [Dark days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark-days/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/london/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Resistance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resistance/) [Scrap metal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scrap-metal/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Wartime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wartime/) [World war 2](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-war-2/) [World war ii](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-war-ii/) ## Related quotes > [“We jumped for joy. After the awful events of yesterday, finally something good happens and brings us...hope! Hope for an end to the war,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-frank/we-jumped-for-joy-after-the-awful-events-of-yesterday-finally/) [Anne Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-frank/) > [Betsy. The great war is on but I hope ours is over. Please come home. Joe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maud-hart-lovelace/betsy-the-great-war-is-on-but-i-hope-ours-is-over-please-come-home-joe/) [Maud Hart Lovelace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maud-hart-lovelace/) > [War is, at first, the hope that one will be better off; next, the expectation that the other fellow will be worse off; then,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/war-is-at-first-the-hope-that-one-will-be-better-off-next-the/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [My views and feelings (are) in favor of the abolition of war-and I hope it is practicable, by improving the mind and morals of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/my-views-and-feelings-are-in-favor-of-the-abolition-of-war-and-i-hope/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [There are some patriotic citizens who sincerely hope that America will win the war - but they also hope that Russia will lose it;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmer-davis/there-are-some-patriotic-citizens-who-sincerely-hope-that-america/) [Elmer Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmer-davis/) > [When things are bad, we take comfort in the thought that they could always be worse. And when they are, we find hope in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/when-things-are-bad-we-take-comfort-in-the-thought-that-they-could/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [“What can I do but stand with my mouth open, no sound emerging? My lips move and I wave my arms making gestures from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-doty/what-can-i-do-but-stand-with-my-mouth-open-no-sound-emerging-my-lips/) [Mark Doty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-doty/) > [Tom Paine was a great American visionary. His book, Common Sense, sold a couple of hundred thousand copies in a population of four or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/tom-paine-was-a-great-american-visionary-his-book-common-sense-sold-a/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [A lifetime of what-ifs, carefully strung on a single hope thought for dead but the sun rose again today my heart whispered 'it's worth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-lifetime-of-what-ifs-carefully-strung-on-a-single-hope-thought-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Not hope that he would be rescued--that was gone. But hope in his knowledge. Hope in the fact that he could learn and survive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-paulsen/not-hope-that-he-would-be-rescued-that-was-gone-but-hope-in-his/) [Gary Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-paulsen/) > [Hope is necessary. It's a necessary concept. And Barack Obama didn't just talk about hope because he thought it was just a nice slogan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/hope-is-necessary-it-s-a-necessary-concept-and-barack-obama-didn-t/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [When I was a kid, my father didn't really have much hope for me. He thought I was a dreamer; he didn't think I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/when-i-was-a-kid-my-father-didn-t-really-have-much-hope-for-me-he/) [Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/) > [“Although you set your goal of getting a B, when your first exam score, worth 30% of your final grade is returned, you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/although-you-set-your-goal-of-getting-a-b-when-your-first-exam-score/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [When I was saving pills to kill myself, I thought there was no hope. I thought my life was over because I was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cleve-jones/when-i-was-saving-pills-to-kill-myself-i-thought-there-was-no-hope-i/) [Cleve Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cleve-jones/) > [We all do our best. We hope we can win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/essam-el-hadary/we-all-do-our-best-we-hope-we-can-win/) [Essam El Hadary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/essam-el-hadary/) ## More by Connie Willis > [“Cyril had staked out his claim and refused to move. "Move over!" I said, freeing one hand from holding the cat to push. "Dogs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-willis/cyril-had-staked-out-his-claim-and-refused-to-move-move-over-i-said/) [Connie Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-willis/) > [Shakespeare put no children in his plays for a reason," Sir Godfrey muttered, glaring at Alf and Binnie. "You're forgetting the Little Prince," Polly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-willis/shakespeare-put-no-children-in-his-plays-for-a-reason-sir-godfrey/) [Connie Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-willis/) > [If King Harold had had swans on his side, England would still be Saxon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-willis/if-king-harold-had-had-swans-on-his-side-england-would-still-be-saxon/) [Connie Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-willis/) > [“Sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to inflict my rantings on you, even though we are destined to spend the rest of our lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-willis/sorry-he-apologized-i-didn-t-mean-to-inflict-my-rantings-on-you-even/) [connie willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-willis/) > [A Grand Design we couldn't see because we were part of it. A Grand Design we only got occasional, fleeting glimpses of. A Grand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-willis/a-grand-design-we-couldn-t-see-because-we-were-part-of-it-a-grand/) [Connie Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-willis/) > [“Well, at least she’s asserting herself, and you don’t have to worry about her having ‘squelched girl syndrome,’ ” she said. Mary Clare ignored that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-willis/well-at-least-she-s-asserting-herself-and-you-don-t-have-to-worry/) [Connie Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-willis/) > [“Show tunes are great. Stephen Sondheim. Rodgers and Hammerstein. Wicked. Rent. The Music Man. Almost any musical will do. Except Cats.” “Why? Doesn’t it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-willis/show-tunes-are-great-stephen-sondheim-rodgers-and-hammerstein-wicked/) [Connie Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-willis/) > [No," I said finally. "Slowness in Answering," she said into the handheld. "When's the last time you slept?" "1940" I said promptly, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-willis/no-i-said-finally-slowness-in-answering-she-said-into-the-handheld/) [Connie Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-willis/) > [When you're a writer, the question people always ask you is, "Where do you get your ideas?" Writers hate this question. It's like asking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-willis/when-you-re-a-writer-the-question-people-always-ask-you-is-where-do/) [Connie Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-willis/) > [“You can't go yet, not without telling us what all's happened to you since we saw you last." I faked amnesia, nearly killed Alan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-willis/you-can-t-go-yet-not-without-telling-us-what-all-s-happened-to-you/) [Connie Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-willis/) > [And kissed her for a hundred and sixty-nine years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-willis/and-kissed-her-for-a-hundred-and-sixty-nine-years/) [Connie Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-willis/) > [Management cares about only one thing. Paperwork. They will forgive almost anything else - cost overruns, gross incompetence, criminal indictments - as long as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-willis/management-cares-about-only-one-thing-paperwork-they-will-forgive/) [Connie Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-willis/) > [And every place and time an author writes about is imaginary, from Oz to Raymond Chandler's L.A. to Dickens's London.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-willis/and-every-place-and-time-an-author-writes-about-is-imaginary-from-oz/) [Connie Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-willis/) > [“1. Optimize potential. 2. Facilitate empowerment. 3. Implement visioning. 4. Strategize priorities. 5. Augment core structures.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-willis/1-optimize-potential-2-facilitate-empowerment-3-implement-visioning-4/) [Connie Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-willis/) > [Fred Astaire is my hero. I love him because he was willing to kill himself to make his art look effortless. And because he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-willis/fred-astaire-is-my-hero-i-love-him-because-he-was-willing-to-kill/) [Connie Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-willis/) [Explore all 100 Connie Willis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-willis/) ## More Allies quotes > [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/) Brian Reade > [If the women in the factories stopped work for twenty minutes, the Allies would lose the war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joffre/if-the-women-in-the-factories-stopped-work-for-twenty-minutes-the/) Joseph Joffre > [As far as Japan is concerned, I want to help all of our allies, but we are losing billions and billions of dollars. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/as-far-as-japan-is-concerned-i-want-to-help-all-of-our-allies-but-we/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [ No wonder that Churchill described this effort \[the British codebreakers working at Bletchley Park\] as "Britian"s secret weapon," a weapon far more effective than… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hilton/no-wonder-that-churchill-described-this-effort-the-british/) [Peter Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hilton/) > [One of our great allies at present is the Church itself. Do not misunderstand me. I do not mean the Church as we see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/one-of-our-great-allies-at-present-is-the-church-itself-do-not/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Our security depends on having good relationships with our allies. Donald Trump mainly shows contempt for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wolfowitz/our-security-depends-on-having-good-relationships-with-our-allies/) [Paul Wolfowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wolfowitz/) > [So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-americans-understand-the-costs-of-war-yet-as-a-country-we-will/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [What would your life be like if your body were your friend and ally?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-northrup/what-would-your-life-be-like-if-your-body-were-your-friend-and-ally/) [Christiane Northrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-northrup/) > [“Bacteria and viruses were the most effective allies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-hughes-galeano/bacteria-and-viruses-were-the-most-effective-allies/) [Eduardo Hughes Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-hughes-galeano/) > [When black women are down with you and in your corner, you have an ally that will move Heaven and Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-perry/when-black-women-are-down-with-you-and-in-your-corner-you-have-an/) [Tyler Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-perry/) > [There is an irreplaceable ally. It's called the United States of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-netanyahu/there-is-an-irreplaceable-ally-it-s-called-the-united-states-of/) [Benjamin Netanyahu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-netanyahu/) > [It would have been easier to fight alone with inadequate forces than to have to accept...responsibility for our ally's lack of fighting qualities and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-kesselring/it-would-have-been-easier-to-fight-alone-with-inadequate-forces-than/) [Albert Kesselring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-kesselring/) > [It isn't until you begin to fight in your own cause that you become really committed to winning and become a genuine ally of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-morgan/it-isn-t-until-you-begin-to-fight-in-your-own-cause-that-you-become/) [Robin Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-morgan/) > [ Again, I hear almost everyday from atheists who write off religion as primitive, premodern nonsense. I summon Aquinas, Augustine, Paul \[of Tarsus\], Teresa of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barron/again-i-hear-almost-everyday-from-atheists-who-write-off-religion-as/) [Robert Barron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barron/) > [My own take on the word "transgender" is that it's an umbrella term for anyone who breaks any rules, laws, guidelines or protocol of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bornstein/my-own-take-on-the-word-transgender-is-that-it-s-an-umbrella-term-for/) [Kate Bornstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bornstein/) [Browse all 1,053 Allies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allies/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We live in hope that the good we do here on earth will be rewarded in heaven. We also hope to win the war. We hope that right and goodness will triumph, and that when the war is won, we shall have a better world. And we work toward that end. We buy war bonds and put out incendiaries and knit stockings---\" And pumpkin-colored scarves, Polly thought. \"---and volunteer to take in evacuated children and work in hospitals and drive ambulances\" - here Alf grinned and nudged Eileen sharply in the ribs - \"and man anti-aircraft guns. We join the Home Guard and the ATS and the Civil Defence, but we cannot know whether the scrap metal we collect, the letter we write to a solider, the vegetables we grow, will turn out in the end to have helped win the war or not. We act in faith. \"But the vital thing is that we act. We do not rely on hope alone, thought hope is our bulwark, our light through dark days and darker nights. We also work, and fight, and endure, and it does not matter whether the part we play is large or small. The reason that God marks the fall of the sparrow is that he knows that it is as important to the world as the bulldog or the wolf. We all, all must do 'our bit'. For it is through our deeds that the war will be won, through our kindness and devotion and courage that we make that better world for which we long.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Connie Willis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-willis/we-live-in-hope-that-the-good-we-do-here-on-earth-will-be-rewarded-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Allies" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-willis/we-live-in-hope-that-the-good-we-do-here-on-earth-will-be-rewarded-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b68/connie-willis-5208_allies_we-live-in-hope-that-the-good-we-do-here_291171.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b68/connie-willis-5208_allies_we-live-in-hope-that-the-good-we-do-here_291171.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b68/connie-willis-5208_allies_we-live-in-hope-that-the-good-we-do-here_291171.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We live in hope that the good we do here on earth will be rewarded in heaven. We also hope to win the war…” — Connie Willis", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Connie Willis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-willis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“We live in hope that the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-willis/we-live-in-hope-that-the-good-we-do-here-on-earth-will-be-rewarded-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-willis/we-live-in-hope-that-the-good-we-do-here-on-earth-will-be-rewarded-in/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```