ProverbWisdom
Latin origin
Latin originWhile there's life there's hope.
Meaning: Despair closes doors only death truly opens; circumstances remain changeable while breath remains.
Origin: Cicero wrote in a letter to his friend Atticus that while a sick man has breath, there is said to be hope, and the Greek poet Theocritus has a shepherd say that hopes are for the living, while the dead have none. The English proverb carries the same stubborn optimism.
Equivalents in Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Polish
Spanish: Mientras hay vida, hay esperanza (literally: While there's life, there's hope)
German: Die Hoffnung stirbt zuletzt (literally: Hope dies last)
Italian: Finché c'è vita c'è speranza (literally: While there's life there's hope)
Portuguese: Enquanto há vida, há esperança (literally: While there's life, there's hope)
Polish: Nadzieja umiera ostatnia (literally: Hope dies last)
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