It's better

Hi teachers,

Could you possibly help me by correcting these sentences if they do not dound natural to native speakers?:

It is better to accept sadness now than to hope for something impossible and much later discover/ find  that the things you hope for /have been hoping for never happen.

You would rather accept sadness now than to hope for something impossible and much later discover/ find  that the things you hope for /have been hoping for never happen.

Thank you in advance

Thank you Caris,but how about if I say as follows:

a/ It is better to accept sadness now than ( not "rather than") to hope for something impossible and much later discover that the things you have been hoping for never happened.

b/ You would rather accept sadness now than to hope for something impossible and much later discover/ find out  that the things you have been hoping for never happened.

Best wishes