--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The pessimist says It can't be done. The…" description: "\"The pessimist says It can't be done. The optimist says It can be done. But the enthusiastic just says I just did it.\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e1/anonymous-1_enthusiasm_the-pessimist-says-it-can-t-be-done-the_1499651.jpg" --- # The pessimist says It can't be done. The optimist says It… ![“The pessimist says It can't be done. The optimist says It can be done. But the enthusiastic just says I just did it.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e1/anonymous-1_enthusiasm_the-pessimist-says-it-can-t-be-done-the_1499651.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e1/anonymous-1_enthusiasm_the-pessimist-says-it-can-t-be-done-the_1499651.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e1/anonymous-1_enthusiasm_the-pessimist-says-it-can-t-be-done-the_1499651.jpg) > “The pessimist says It can't be done. The optimist says It can be done. But the enthusiastic just says I just did it.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote contrasts pessimism, optimism, and enthusiasm, showing that action beats mere belief. **In simple terms:** Enthusiasm turns belief into action. Key Takeaway Act, not just hope. Themes optimism enthusiasm action mindset Mood motivational energetic Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - personal projects - team leadership - goal setting - overcoming doubt Key Concepts psychology motivation behavior Questions to Reflect On - How can you channel enthusiasm responsibly? - What risks do you ignore when you act? A Different Perspective Enthusiasm may overlook risks and planning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Enthusiasm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enthusiasm/) [Optimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimism/) [Optimist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimist/) [Pessimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimism/) [Pessimist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimist/) ## Related quotes > [The Optimist Says The Glass Is Half Full. The Pessimist Says The Glass Is Half Empty...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/the-optimist-says-the-glass-is-half-full-the-pessimist-says-the-glass-2/) Pacifiersucker > [“The optimist says, the cup is half full. The pessimist says, the cup is half empty. The child of God says; My cup runneth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniella-whyte/the-optimist-says-the-cup-is-half-full-the-pessimist-says-the-cup-is/) Daniella Whyte > [“The optimist says the glass is half full. The pessimist says the glass is half empty. It is only the truth seeker who wonders:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-fink/the-optimist-says-the-glass-is-half-full-the-pessimist-says-the-glass-4/) [Joseph Fink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-fink/) > [“The optimist says, "The glass is half full." The pessimist says, "The glass is half empty." The rationalist says, "This glass is twice as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cathcart/the-optimist-says-the-glass-is-half-full-the-pessimist-says-the-glass-3/) [Thomas Cathcart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cathcart/) > [“Do you know the difference between an optimist and a pessimist? A pessimist says, ‘Oh dear, things can’t possibly get any worse.’ An optimist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-galloway/do-you-know-the-difference-between-an-optimist-and-a-pessimist-a/) [Steven Galloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-galloway/) > [The pessimist says opportunities are NO WHERE. The optimist says opportunities are NOW HERE. Both see the same words, but read it differently. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rvm/the-pessimist-says-opportunities-are-no-where-the-optimist-says/) RVM > [“The optimist says, "The glass is half full.” The pessimist says, “The glass is half empty.” The rationalist says, “This glass is twice as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cathcart/the-optimist-says-the-glass-is-half-full-the-pessimist-says-the-glass/) [Thomas Cathcart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cathcart/) > [People tell me, "You're such an optimist". Am I an optimist? An optimist says the glass is half full. A pessimist says the glass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-zamperini/people-tell-me-you-re-such-an-optimist-am-i-an-optimist-an-optimist/) [Louis Zamperini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-zamperini/) > [There's no difference between a pessimist who says, "Oh it's hopeless, so don't bother doing anything." and an optimist who says, "Don't bother doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/there-s-no-difference-between-a-pessimist-who-says-oh-it-s-hopeless/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) > [“The pessimist says, ‘It can’t get any worse!’ And the optimist replies, ‘Oh yes it can!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-urban/the-pessimist-says-it-can-t-get-any-worse-and-the-optimist-replies-oh/) [Madeleine Urban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-urban/) > [You can be a pessimist and say Life sucks or you can be a optimist and says Life gets better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-be-a-pessimist-and-say-life-sucks-or-you-can-be-a-optimist/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Nothing worries the pessimist like the optimist who says there is nothing to worry about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/nothing-worries-the-pessimist-like-the-optimist-who-says-there-is/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [I'm a pessimist if I'm not careful, a feminist, a Black,...an oil-and-water combination of ambition, laziness, insecurity, certainty, and drive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-a-pessimist-if-i-m-not-careful-a-feminist-a-black-an-oil-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In the long run the pessimist may be proven right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-the-long-run-the-pessimist-may-be-proven-right-but-the-optimist/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is largely because the free-thinkers, as a school, have hardly made up their minds whether they want to be more optimist or more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-largely-because-the-free-thinkers-as-a-school-have-hardly-made/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Enthusiasm quotes > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [“Great things can be accomplish with passionate enthusiasm.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/great-things-can-be-accomplish-with-passionate-enthusiasm/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes shine to the stars. Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eyes, the swing in your gait.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/enthusiasm-is-the-yeast-that-makes-your-hopes-shine-to-the-stars/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [I'm fascinated by political enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/i-m-fascinated-by-political-enthusiasm/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/depression-is-merely-anger-without-enthusiasm/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [Nothing cools so fast as undue enthusiasm. Water that has boiled freezes sooner than any other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-iles/nothing-cools-so-fast-as-undue-enthusiasm-water-that-has-boiled/) [George Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-iles/) > [When you've got enough enthusiasm, and don't overthink, things turn out well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-trezeguet/when-you-ve-got-enough-enthusiasm-and-don-t-overthink-things-turn-out/) [David Trezeguet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-trezeguet/) > [The figure of the enthusiast who has just discovered jogging or a new way to fix tofu can be said to stand or, more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-h-lapham/the-figure-of-the-enthusiast-who-has-just-discovered-jogging-or-a-new/) [Lewis H. Lapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-h-lapham/) > [Attempt to be creative for the joy it brings… Select something like music, dance, sculpture, or poetry. Being creative will help you enjoy life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-g-scott/attempt-to-be-creative-for-the-joy-it-brings-select-something-like/) [Richard G. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-g-scott/) > [The sectaries of a persecuted religion, depressed by fear, animated with resentment, and perhaps heated by enthusiasm, are seldom in a proper temper of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-sectaries-of-a-persecuted-religion-depressed-by-fear-animated/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [Good churches are not built by bad men; at least, there must be probity and enthusiasm somewhere in the society. These minsters were neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/good-churches-are-not-built-by-bad-men-at-least-there-must-be-probity/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Enthusiasm is by far the highest paid quality on earth, probably because it is one of the rarest; yet it is one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-bettger/enthusiasm-is-by-far-the-highest-paid-quality-on-earth-probably/) [Frank Bettger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-bettger/) > [The book it reminded me of most is Henry Miller’s The Books in My Life. Like Miller, Shields manages to convey his affection for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-alexis/the-book-it-reminded-me-of-most-is-henry-miller-s-the-books-in-my/) [Andre Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-alexis/) > [I wanted to do a talk show that reminded me of the old school ones I loved as a kid, without all the fake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-norton/i-wanted-to-do-a-talk-show-that-reminded-me-of-the-old-school-ones-i/) [Jim Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-norton/) > [ As we have seen after every other \[Donald\] Trump controversy, this one only increased their enthusiasm for him. His supporters thought the idea of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-inskeep/as-we-have-seen-after-every-other-donald-trump-controversy-this-one/) [Steve Inskeep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-inskeep/) [Browse all 1,846 Enthusiasm quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enthusiasm/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The pessimist says It can't be done. The optimist says It can be done. 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