Wishes that we cling to too tightly can easily deprive us of part of what we should and could be. Wishes that we continually overcome for the sake of the task at hand, on the other hand, enrich us. Those who have no wishes are poor. I see almost only people around me who cling to their wishes, and therefore they mean nothing to those around them; they are deaf and incapable of loving their neighbor. I believe that here too we must live as if there were no wishes or future, and be entirely what we are. A fulfilled life exists despite many unfulfilled wishes; that is roughly what I actually wanted to say. (…) Otherwise, I must add in conclusion that more than ever I believe we are moving towards the fulfillment of our wishes, and therefore we must not succumb to resignation.
(Dietrich Bonhoeffer /1906–1945/, letter from Nazi prison to a friend, March 19, 1944;
quoted from the book Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Resistance and Submission, Letters from Prison. Kalich 2023)
