---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Pessimism, when you get used to it, is…"
description: "\"Pessimism, when you get used to it, is just as agreeable as optimism.\" — Arnold Bennett"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec2/arnold-bennett-3325_agreeable_pessimism-when-you-get-used-to-it-is-jus_1989629.png"
---

#  Pessimism, when you get used to it, is just as agreeable…

![“Pessimism, when you get used to it, is just as agreeable as optimism.” quote by Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec2/arnold-bennett-3325_agreeable_pessimism-when-you-get-used-to-it-is-jus_1989629.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec2/arnold-bennett-3325_agreeable_pessimism-when-you-get-used-to-it-is-jus_1989629.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec2/arnold-bennett-3325_agreeable_pessimism-when-you-get-used-to-it-is-jus_1989629.png)

> “Pessimism, when you get used to it, is just as agreeable as optimism.”

[Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Repeated exposure to pessimism makes it feel comfortable, equating it with optimism.

**In simple terms:** Pessimism can become habitually comfortable.

Key Takeaway

Beware of settling into negative comfort zones.

Themes

mindset comfort optimism pessimism

Mood

thoughtful cautious

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- daily news consumption
- personal relationships
- self‑talk

Key Concepts

cognitive bias habit formation

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you notice when negativity feels normal?
- Can you reframe a pessimistic thought positively?

A Different Perspective

Optimism may be dismissed as unrealistic.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Agreeable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agreeable/) [Agreeable Optimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agreeable-optimism-3441911/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Just Agreeable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-agreeable-1371816/) [Optimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimism/) [Pessimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimism/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/)

## Related quotes

> [I've been drawing all my life, just as a hobby, without really having shows or anything. It's just an agreeable thing to do, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-ve-been-drawing-all-my-life-just-as-a-hobby-without-really-having/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [I'm a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-gramsci/i-m-a-pessimist-because-of-intelligence-but-an-optimist-because-of/)

[Antonio Gramsci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-gramsci/)

> [Optimism is an alienated form of faith, pessimism an alienated form of despair. If one truly responds to man and his future, ie ,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/optimism-is-an-alienated-form-of-faith-pessimism-an-alienated-form-of/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [Creeds matter very little... The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-branch-cabell/creeds-matter-very-little-the-optimist-proclaims-that-we-live-in-the/)

[James Branch Cabell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-branch-cabell/)

> [“To quote the late John Templeton, “Bull-markets are born on pessimism, grow on skepticism, mature on optimism and die on euphoria. The time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-skarica/to-quote-the-late-john-templeton-bull-markets-are-born-on-pessimism/)

[David Skarica](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-skarica/)

> [Pessimists fear becoming the dupes of Hope. Optimists enjoy Hope's company, and consider being duped no great matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/pessimists-fear-becoming-the-dupes-of-hope-optimists-enjoy-hope-s/)

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

> [Vision involves optimism and hope. The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty. The pessimist tends to hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-oswald-sanders/vision-involves-optimism-and-hope-the-pessimist-sees-difficulty-in/)

[J. Oswald Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-oswald-sanders/)

> [“To see all pessimists as pessimists is to be a pessimist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/to-see-all-pessimists-as-pessimists-is-to-be-a-pessimist/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [To think in terms of either pessimism or optimism oversimplifies the truth. The problem is to see reality as it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-think-in-terms-of-either-pessimism-or-optimism-oversimplifies-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“The point that in the absence of birth nobody exists who can be deprived of happiness is terribly conspicuous. For optimists, this fact plays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/the-point-that-in-the-absence-of-birth-nobody-exists-who-can-be/)

[Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/)

> [You can spend your whole life complaining about how much you hate life or you can spend it finding new ways to love it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/you-can-spend-your-whole-life-complaining-about-how-much-you-hate/)

[Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/)

> [Naive optimism and pervasive pessimism are both to be avoided, therefore. It's not an easy balance to maintain, to be asked to work away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/naive-optimism-and-pervasive-pessimism-are-both-to-be-avoided/)

[Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/)

> [“The optimist and the pessimist both die in the end, but each lives is life in a completely different way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-optimist-and-the-pessimist-both-die-in-the-end-but-each-lives-is/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [“How little one is justified in speaking in this connection of "optimism" and "pessimism" and how much the characterization of liberalism as "optimistic" aims…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/how-little-one-is-justified-in-speaking-in-this-connection-of/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [Every person has the power to make others happy. Some do it simply by entering a room others by leaving the room. Some individuals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/every-person-has-the-power-to-make-others-happy-some-do-it-simply-by/)

[William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/)

## More by Arnold Bennett

> [The chances are that you have already come to believe that happiness is unattainable. But men have attained it. And they have attained it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/the-chances-are-that-you-have-already-come-to-believe-that-happiness/)

[Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/)

> [Good taste is better than bad taste, but bad taste is better than no taste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/good-taste-is-better-than-bad-taste-but-bad-taste-is-better-than-no/)

[Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/)

> [To write is to make oneself the echo of what cannot cease speaking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/to-write-is-to-make-oneself-the-echo-of-what-cannot-cease-speaking/)

[Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/)

> [The parents exist to teach the child, but also they must learn what the child has to teach them; and the child has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/the-parents-exist-to-teach-the-child-but-also-they-must-learn-what/)

[Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/)

> [The gain in self-confidence of having accomplished a tiresome labour is immense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/the-gain-in-self-confidence-of-having-accomplished-a-tiresome-labour/)

[Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/)

> [A man of sixty has spent twenty years in bed and over three years in eating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/a-man-of-sixty-has-spent-twenty-years-in-bed-and-over-three-years-in/)

[Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/)

> [“What then? Are we only to buy the books that we read? The question has merely to be thus bluntly put, and it answers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/what-then-are-we-only-to-buy-the-books-that-we-read-the-question-has/)

[Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/)

> [The most important preliminary to the task of arranging one's life so that one may live fully and comfortably within one's daily budget of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/the-most-important-preliminary-to-the-task-of-arranging-one-s-life-so/)

[Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/)

> [You are not in charge of the universe; you are in charge of yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/you-are-not-in-charge-of-the-universe-you-are-in-charge-of-yourself/)

[Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/)

> [“When one has thoroughly got imbued into one's head the leading truth that nothing happens without a cause, one grows not only large-minded, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/when-one-has-thoroughly-got-imbued-into-one-s-head-the-leading-truth/)

[Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/)

> [Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/any-change-even-a-change-for-the-better-is-always-accompanied-by/)

[Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/)

> [“The public is a great actuality, like war. If you are a creative and creating artist, you cannot ignore it, though it can ignore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/the-public-is-a-great-actuality-like-war-if-you-are-a-creative-and/)

[Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/)

> [“Good clothes, when put to the test, survive a change in fortune, as a Roman arch survives the luxury of departed empire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/good-clothes-when-put-to-the-test-survive-a-change-in-fortune-as-a/)

[Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/)

> [Ninety percent of the friction of daily life is caused by tone of voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/ninety-percent-of-the-friction-of-daily-life-is-caused-by-tone-of/)

[Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/)

> [During a long and varied career as a bachelor, I have noticed that marriage is the death of politeness between a man and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/during-a-long-and-varied-career-as-a-bachelor-i-have-noticed-that/)

[Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/)

[Explore all 133 Arnold Bennett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/)

## More Agreeable quotes

> [It is with rivers as it is with people: the greatest are not always the most agreeable nor the best to live with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/it-is-with-rivers-as-it-is-with-people-the-greatest-are-not-always/)

[Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/)

> [I roll out of my couch every morning with the more agreeable expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/i-roll-out-of-my-couch-every-morning-with-the-more-agreeable/)

[H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/)

> [Remember that when you meet your antagonist, to do everything in a mild agreeable manner. Let your courage be keen, but, at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/remember-that-when-you-meet-your-antagonist-to-do-everything-in-a/)

[Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/)

> [“Expect a most agreeable letter, for not being overburdened with subject (having nothing at all to say), there shall be no check to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/expect-a-most-agreeable-letter-for-not-being-overburdened-with/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“Above all one should accept everything, in general and individually, in oneself or in others, agreeable or disagreeable, with a prompt and confident spirit,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-the-great/above-all-one-should-accept-everything-in-general-and-individually-in/)

[Albert the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-the-great/)

> [“We laughed at the same things, and we liked the same things. What more is needed for agreeable society?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/we-laughed-at-the-same-things-and-we-liked-the-same-things-what-more/)

[George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/)

> [I'm small, but I'm neither compliant nor agreeable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/i-m-small-but-i-m-neither-compliant-nor-agreeable/)

[Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/)

> [Surrounded by all the members of my dear family, enjoying the affection of numerous friends, who have never abandoned me, and possessing a sufficient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-james-audubon/surrounded-by-all-the-members-of-my-dear-family-enjoying-the/)

[John James Audubon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-james-audubon/)

> [Choose the GOOD WILL that is most useful, and habit will make it the most agreeable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marv-stark/choose-the-good-will-that-is-most-useful-and-habit-will-make-it-the/)

[Marv Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marv-stark/)

> [An agreeable figure and winning manner, which inspire affection without love, are always new. Beauty loses its relish, the graces never, after the longest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-home-lord-kames/an-agreeable-figure-and-winning-manner-which-inspire-affection/)

[Henry Home, Lord Kames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-home-lord-kames/)

> [I always follow the rules. No fake co-productions. I know how to make content agreeable and acceptable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-zheng-wu/i-always-follow-the-rules-no-fake-co-productions-i-know-how-to-make/)

[Bruno Zheng Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-zheng-wu/)

> [I like to make people happy, and with fairy tales, I can say anything I want to, but in an agreeable way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-ocelot/i-like-to-make-people-happy-and-with-fairy-tales-i-can-say-anything-i/)

[Michel Ocelot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-ocelot/)

> [Dandies, when first-rate, are generally very agreeable men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/dandies-when-first-rate-are-generally-very-agreeable-men/)

[Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/)

> [This goin' ware glory waits ye haint one agreeable feetur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/this-goin-ware-glory-waits-ye-haint-one-agreeable-feetur/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [One thing which makes us find so few people who appear reasonable and agreeable in conversation is, that there is scarcely any one who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/one-thing-which-makes-us-find-so-few-people-who-appear-reasonable-and/)

[Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/)

[Browse all 151 Agreeable quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agreeable/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Pessimism, when you get used to it, is just as agreeable as optimism.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Arnold Bennett"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/pessimism-when-you-get-used-to-it-is-just-as-agreeable-as-optimism/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Agreeable"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/pessimism-when-you-get-used-to-it-is-just-as-agreeable-as-optimism/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec2/arnold-bennett-3325_agreeable_pessimism-when-you-get-used-to-it-is-jus_1989629.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec2/arnold-bennett-3325_agreeable_pessimism-when-you-get-used-to-it-is-jus_1989629.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec2/arnold-bennett-3325_agreeable_pessimism-when-you-get-used-to-it-is-jus_1989629.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Pessimism, when you get used to it, is just as agreeable as optimism.” — Arnold Bennett",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Arnold Bennett",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Pessimism, when you get used to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/pessimism-when-you-get-used-to-it-is-just-as-agreeable-as-optimism/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/pessimism-when-you-get-used-to-it-is-just-as-agreeable-as-optimism/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
