To summarize both viewpoints in a single clichéd-but-true-timeless quote: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, ... it was the spring of hope,

To summarize both viewpoints in a single clichéd-but-true-timeless quote: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, ... it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair. ~Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities