Hope operates as a capability in that it is something that allows us to achieve what we care about, what we are meant to do in the world. A little bit of hope can allow people to realize their potential. It’s also a particular kind of capability that allows us to create other capabilities. Hopelessness ends the ability to invest in one’s future, in oneself. — Esther Duflo, in her Tanner lecture on human values, “Hope as Capability” on May 3, 2012 January 03, 2013