--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't know if the optimists or the…" description: "\"I don't know if the optimists or the pessimists are right. But, the optimists are going to get something done.\" — Craig Venter" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a8/craig-venter-35054_done_i-don-t-know-if-the-optimists-or-the-pes_2635978.png" --- # I don't know if the optimists or the pessimists are right… ![“I don't know if the optimists or the pessimists are right. But, the optimists are going to get something done.” quote by Craig Venter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a8/craig-venter-35054_done_i-don-t-know-if-the-optimists-or-the-pes_2635978.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a8/craig-venter-35054_done_i-don-t-know-if-the-optimists-or-the-pes_2635978.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a8/craig-venter-35054_done_i-don-t-know-if-the-optimists-or-the-pes_2635978.png) > “I don't know if the optimists or the pessimists are right. But, the optimists are going to get something done.” [Craig Venter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-venter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Optimists act, while pessimists may stall; action drives progress. **In simple terms:** Optimists get things done. Key Takeaway Take proactive steps. Themes optimism action innovation Mood energetic forward‑looking Type advice motivational When to use this quote - entrepreneurship - research projects - community initiatives Key Concepts behavioral economics psychology Questions to Reflect On - What motivates your optimism? - How to channel optimism into effective action? A Different Perspective Action without planning can fail. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Optimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimism/) [Optimist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimist/) [Optimists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimists/) [Optimists Going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimists-going-2228951/) [Optimists Pessimists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimists-pessimists-282999/) [Pessimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimism/) [Pessimist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimist/) [Pessimists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimists/) [Pessimists Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimists-right-2228952/) ## Related quotes > [The world belongs to optimists; the pessimists are only spectators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-guizot/the-world-belongs-to-optimists-the-pessimists-are-only-spectators/) [Francois Guizot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-guizot/) > [Optimists and pessimists die the exact same death, but they live very different lives!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/optimists-and-pessimists-die-the-exact-same-death-but-they-live-very/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [Pessimists are not boring. Pessimists are right. Pessimists are superfluous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/pessimists-are-not-boring-pessimists-are-right-pessimists-are/) [Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/) > [“Optimists and pessimists differ only on the date of the end of the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-jerzy-lec/optimists-and-pessimists-differ-only-on-the-date-of-the-end-of-the/) [Stanisław Jerzy Lec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanis-aw-jerzy-lec/) > [“The world belongs to optimists. Pessimists are only spectators.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-guizot/the-world-belongs-to-optimists-pessimists-are-only-spectators/) [Francois Guizot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-guizot/) > [Stick with the optimists. It's going to be tough enough even if they're right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stick-with-the-optimists-it-s-going-to-be-tough-enough-even-if-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“tell them that both optimists and pessimists die in the end, but the optimist leads a hopeful and happy existence while the pessimist spends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/tell-them-that-both-optimists-and-pessimists-die-in-the-end-but-the/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [I thought all my life that optimists and pessimists pass away the same way, so why be a pessimist?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/i-thought-all-my-life-that-optimists-and-pessimists-pass-away-the/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [...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/) > [“Use every person's skill set to the fullest. Both optimists and pessimists contribute. An optimist invents the hot air balloon, and a pessimist invents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/use-every-person-s-skill-set-to-the-fullest-both-optimists-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The defining characteristic of pessimists is that they tend to believe that bad events will last a long time, will undermine everything they do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/the-defining-characteristic-of-pessimists-is-that-they-tend-to/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [Pessimists see a problem behind every opportunity. Optimists see an opportunity behind every problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/pessimists-see-a-problem-behind-every-opportunity-optimists-see-an/) [Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/) > [Pessimists see problems as stemming from stable and universal causes, thus making them less susceptible to corrective action. Optimists, in contrast, view problems as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosabeth-moss-kanter/pessimists-see-problems-as-stemming-from-stable-and-universal-causes/) [Rosabeth Moss Kanter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosabeth-moss-kanter/) > [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/) > [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/) ## More by Craig Venter > [Any virus that's been sequenced today - that genome can be made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-venter/any-virus-that-s-been-sequenced-today-that-genome-can-be-made/) [Craig Venter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-venter/) > [You can't just live in a comfortable little suburban neighborhood and get your education from movies and television and have any perspective on life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-venter/you-can-t-just-live-in-a-comfortable-little-suburban-neighborhood-and/) [Craig Venter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-venter/) > [Privacy with medical information is a fallacy. If everyone's information is out there, it's part of the collective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-venter/privacy-with-medical-information-is-a-fallacy-if-everyone-s/) [Craig Venter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-venter/) > [I have the modest goals of replacing the whole petrochemical industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-venter/i-have-the-modest-goals-of-replacing-the-whole-petrochemical-industry/) [Craig Venter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-venter/) > [I think from my experience in war and life and science, it all has made me believe that we have one life on this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-venter/i-think-from-my-experience-in-war-and-life-and-science-it-all-has/) [Craig Venter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-venter/) > [Genome design is going to be a key part of the future. That's why we need fast, cheap, accurate DNA synthesis, so you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-venter/genome-design-is-going-to-be-a-key-part-of-the-future-that-s-why-we/) [Craig Venter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-venter/) > [Moving forward in science is as much unwinding the distorted thinking of the past as it is putting a clearer idea on the table.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-venter/moving-forward-in-science-is-as-much-unwinding-the-distorted-thinking/) [Craig Venter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-venter/) > [My complaint is that there are more books and news articles than there are primary scientific papers. I am probably the biggest critic of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-venter/my-complaint-is-that-there-are-more-books-and-news-articles-than/) [Craig Venter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-venter/) > [The environment has fallen to the wayside in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-venter/the-environment-has-fallen-to-the-wayside-in-politics/) [Craig Venter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-venter/) > [I've gotten some pretty nice awards. I'm having trouble finding places to put them all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-venter/i-ve-gotten-some-pretty-nice-awards-i-m-having-trouble-finding-places/) [Craig Venter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-venter/) > [Most drugs work on only about a third of the population, they do no damage to another third, and the final third can have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-venter/most-drugs-work-on-only-about-a-third-of-the-population-they-do-no/) [Craig Venter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-venter/) > [We have learned nothing from the genome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-venter/we-have-learned-nothing-from-the-genome/) [Craig Venter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-venter/) [Explore all 13 Craig Venter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-venter/) ## More Done quotes > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [Usually male directors have to use foul language to get the job done. But I never came down to that level as being a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-khosla-kumar/usually-male-directors-have-to-use-foul-language-to-get-the-job-done/) [Divya Khosla Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-khosla-kumar/) > [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/) > [Forcing modern speakers of English to not - whoops, not to split an infinitive because it isn't done in Latin makes about as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/forcing-modern-speakers-of-english-to-not-whoops-not-to-split-an/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [Against his own will, almost, Will felt himself understanding; he would have done anything, he thought, told any lie, taken any risk, to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/against-his-own-will-almost-will-felt-himself-understanding-he-would/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/) [Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/) > [If the members of parliament no longer consider themselves mandatories of the taxpayers but deputies of those receiving salaries, wages, subsidies, doles, and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/if-the-members-of-parliament-no-longer-consider-themselves/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [I don't enjoy killing, but when done righteously, it's just a chore, like any other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua/i-don-t-enjoy-killing-but-when-done-righteously-it-s-just-a-chore/) [Joshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua/) > [Of everything I have done, 'The Archers' always gets the most excitement; there's a sort of uncontrollable joy from fans of the program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/of-everything-i-have-done-the-archers-always-gets-the-most-excitement/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) [Browse all 25,653 Done quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't know if the optimists or the pessimists are right. 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