In the Greek myth of Pandora’s jar, hope remained inside after the troubles escaped. Hesiod’s Works and Days says that the destructive forces left the vessel, while Elpis, commonly translated as hope, stayed within it.
The role of hope is one of the most debated parts of the myth. Some readers view its retention as a consolation: although suffering enters human life, people are not deprived of hope. Others argue that hope is itself being withheld from humanity, because it remains trapped rather than escaping.
The Greek word elpis does not always mean positive optimism in ancient literature. It can refer more broadly to expectation or anticipation, and its meaning in this passage depends on how the surrounding lines are interpreted.
Later retellings usually present hope as a beneficial final gift. That interpretation is not the only scholarly possibility, but it has become the standard cultural reading. The saying “hope remains” therefore comes from a specific detail in Hesiod’s account rather than from the modern phrase alone.