--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The pessimist waits for better times, and…" description: "\"The pessimist waits for better times, and expects to keep on waiting; the optimist goes to work with the best that is at hand now, and proceeds to crea..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7f/christian-d-larson-9540_hands_the-pessimist-waits-for-better-times-and_685789.png" --- # The pessimist waits for better times, and expects to keep… ![“The pessimist waits for better times, and expects to keep on waiting; the optimist goes to work with the best that is at hand now, and proceeds to create better times.” quote by Christian D. Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7f/christian-d-larson-9540_hands_the-pessimist-waits-for-better-times-and_685789.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7f/christian-d-larson-9540_hands_the-pessimist-waits-for-better-times-and_685789.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7f/christian-d-larson-9540_hands_the-pessimist-waits-for-better-times-and_685789.png) > “The pessimist waits for better times, and expects to keep on waiting; the optimist goes to work with the best that is at hand now, and proceeds to create better times.” [Christian D. Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-d-larson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Optimism drives action and creation of better circumstances, while pessimism leads to passive waiting. **In simple terms:** Optimists act now; pessimists wait. Key Takeaway Choose proactive optimism over passive waiting. Themes optimism action mindset productivity Mood hopeful motivational energetic Type inspirational self‑help philosophical When to use this quote - career planning - personal development - entrepreneurship Key Concepts proactive behavior goal setting self‑efficacy Questions to Reflect On - What steps can you take today to improve your situation? - How do you balance optimism with realistic planning? A Different Perspective Optimism may ignore realistic constraints and lead to reckless decisions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [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/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [...the incontestable truth is that America has been built up by optimists, not by pessimists, but by men possessing courage, confidence in the nation's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/the-incontestable-truth-is-that-america-has-been-built-up-by/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Sometimes it's not the optimist you need, but another pessimist to walk beside you and know, absolutely know, that the sound in the dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/sometimes-it-s-not-the-optimist-you-need-but-another-pessimist-to/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [I think I probably hoped for it a little bit, but I'm not an optimist. I'm a realist... or maybe even a pessimist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-aiken/i-think-i-probably-hoped-for-it-a-little-bit-but-i-m-not-an-optimist/) [Clay Aiken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-aiken/) > [“You say you're a pessimist, but I happen to know that you're in the habit of practicing your flute for two hours every evening.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/you-say-you-re-a-pessimist-but-i-happen-to-know-that-you-re-in-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [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/) > [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/) > [People have always painted me like a pessimist, like somebody who sees the glass half-empty. But I think the fact that I keep showing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grant/people-have-always-painted-me-like-a-pessimist-like-somebody-who-sees/) [John Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grant/) > [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/) > [I'd rather be an optimist and a fool than a pessimist and right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-d-rather-be-an-optimist-and-a-fool-than-a-pessimist-and-right/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The intelligent investor is a realist who sells to optimists and buys from pessimists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-intelligent-investor-is-a-realist-who-sells-to-optimists-and-buys/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [I'm such a pessimist. I find it impossible to enjoy anything, especially while it's happening. I'm thinking about how to get the next thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-anderson/i-m-such-a-pessimist-i-find-it-impossible-to-enjoy-anything/) [Jacob Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-anderson/) > [“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/) > [The bottom line on attitude is that a good one helps to increase your possibilities. Pessimists usually get what they expect. So do optimists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/the-bottom-line-on-attitude-is-that-a-good-one-helps-to-increase-your/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [I am glad I am an optimist. The pessimist is half-licked before he starts. The optimist has won half the battle, the most important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-buckner/i-am-glad-i-am-an-optimist-the-pessimist-is-half-licked-before-he/) Thomas Buckner ## More by Christian D. Larson > [One of the principal reasons why so many fail to get what they want is because they do not definitely know what they want,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-d-larson/one-of-the-principal-reasons-why-so-many-fail-to-get-what-they-want/) [Christian D. Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-d-larson/) > [Nature intends all men and women to be mental and spiritual giants, and does not intend that any one should follow the will of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-d-larson/nature-intends-all-men-and-women-to-be-mental-and-spiritual-giants/) [Christian D. Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-d-larson/) > [The real feeling of youth comes when we actually think in the consciousness of youth and give the realization of the now to every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-d-larson/the-real-feeling-of-youth-comes-when-we-actually-think-in-the/) [Christian D. Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-d-larson/) > [Never try to compel others to change; leave them free to change naturally and orderly because they want to; and they will want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-d-larson/never-try-to-compel-others-to-change-leave-them-free-to-change/) [Christian D. Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-d-larson/) > [“God helps them that help themselves.” When you begin to help yourself, which means to make the best of what is in yourself, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-d-larson/god-helps-them-that-help-themselves-when-you-begin-to-help-yourself/) [Christian D. Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-d-larson/) > [The true purpose of the strong is to promote greater strength in the weak, and not to keep the weak in that state where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-d-larson/the-true-purpose-of-the-strong-is-to-promote-greater-strength-in-the/) [Christian D. Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-d-larson/) > [The habit of giving up when the present task is half finished and try something else is one of the chief causes of failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-d-larson/the-habit-of-giving-up-when-the-present-task-is-half-finished-and-try/) [Christian D. Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-d-larson/) > [“The man who never weakens when things are against him will grow stronger and stronger until all things will delight to be for him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-d-larson/the-man-who-never-weakens-when-things-are-against-him-will-grow/) [Christian D. Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-d-larson/) > [The master mind is the mind that thinks what it wants to think, regardless of what circumstances, environment or associations may suggest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-d-larson/the-master-mind-is-the-mind-that-thinks-what-it-wants-to-think/) [Christian D. Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-d-larson/) > [Depend only upon yourself, but work in harmony with all things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-d-larson/depend-only-upon-yourself-but-work-in-harmony-with-all-things/) [Christian D. Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-d-larson/) > [“The average person is in the habit of saying, “The older I get;”’ and he thereby calls the attention of his mind to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-d-larson/the-average-person-is-in-the-habit-of-saying-the-older-i-get-and-he/) [Christian D. Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-d-larson/) > [Whenever you permit yourself to think what persons, things, conditions, or circumstances may suggest, you are not following what you want to think. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-d-larson/whenever-you-permit-yourself-to-think-what-persons-things-conditions/) [Christian D. Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-d-larson/) > [“When you permit an outside agency to control your feelings and emotions at frequent intervals for a prolonged period, your system will soon get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-d-larson/when-you-permit-an-outside-agency-to-control-your-feelings-and/) [Christian D. Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-d-larson/) > [What we love in others we not only awaken in others, but we develop those very things more or less in ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-d-larson/what-we-love-in-others-we-not-only-awaken-in-others-but-we-develop/) [Christian D. Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-d-larson/) > [“Every mental process, or every mental action, that takes place in our wide-awake consciousness will, if it has depth of feeling or intensity, enter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-d-larson/every-mental-process-or-every-mental-action-that-takes-place-in-our/) [Christian D. Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-d-larson/) [Explore all 72 Christian D. Larson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-d-larson/) ## More Hands quotes > [When I passed the Chancellor he arose, waved his hand at me, and I waved back at him. I think the writers showed bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/when-i-passed-the-chancellor-he-arose-waved-his-hand-at-me-and-i/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [(knitting while on a motorcycle) "For several years she knitted in secret (my father would not approve; she was to concentrate on motorcycling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-zimmermann/knitting-while-on-a-motorcycle-for-several-years-she-knitted-in/) [Elizabeth Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-zimmermann/) > [Then come to realize that you're making mountains out of molehills. Realize how petty you've become. Sure, it may feel like you can't get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-asher/then-come-to-realize-that-you-re-making-mountains-out-of-molehills/) [Jay Asher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-asher/) > [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [To me, the beauty of a quilt or a dress lies within the stitches and the thought of the person who made them. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/) [Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/) > [I always step on the plane with my right foot and touch the outside of the plane with my left hand. Sometimes you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-davis/i-always-step-on-the-plane-with-my-right-foot-and-touch-the-outside/) [Hope Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-davis/) > [If one truly has lost hope, one would not be on hand to say so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bentley/if-one-truly-has-lost-hope-one-would-not-be-on-hand-to-say-so/) [Eric Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bentley/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My folks tried to make a preacher of me and missed by a narrow margin… I would have made a good one if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/my-folks-tried-to-make-a-preacher-of-me-and-missed-by-a-narrow-margin/) [Robert A. 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"If you could see into my past just by touching my back, you'd have a hard time resisting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/i-nibbled-my-lower-lip-if-you-could-see-into-my-past-just-by-touching/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) > [My happiness is in my hands not between another person hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hero/my-happiness-is-in-my-hands-not-between-another-person-hands/) [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hero/) Browse all 18,228 Hands quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The pessimist waits for better times, and expects to keep on waiting; the optimist goes to work with the best that is at hand now, and proceeds to create better times.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christian D. 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