---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are no tragedies in life, only…"
description: "\"“There are no tragedies in life, only violent coup d’etats on the state of irrational optimism”\" — Dean Cavanagh"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d35/dean-cavanagh-3359_dean-cavanagh_there-are-no-tragedies-in-life-only-viol_737162.png"
---

#  There are no tragedies in life, only violent coup d’etats…

![“There are no tragedies in life, only violent coup d’etats on the state of irrational optimism” quote by Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d35/dean-cavanagh-3359_dean-cavanagh_there-are-no-tragedies-in-life-only-viol_737162.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d35/dean-cavanagh-3359_dean-cavanagh_there-are-no-tragedies-in-life-only-viol_737162.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d35/dean-cavanagh-3359_dean-cavanagh_there-are-no-tragedies-in-life-only-viol_737162.png)

> ““There are no tragedies in life, only violent coup d’etats on the state of irrational optimism””

[Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/)

## 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 suggests that perceived tragedies are actually sudden disruptions of irrational optimism, implying that optimism can be destabilized violently.

**In simple terms:** Tragedies are just violent blows to irrational optimism.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and guard against sudden optimism loss.

Themes

optimism disruption perception philosophy

Mood

reflective analytical

Type

philosophical critical

When to use this quote

- personal crises
- political upheavals
- market crashes
- relationship breakdowns

Key Concepts

cognitive bias emotional volatility

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you maintain optimism during sudden setbacks?
- What protects optimism from being violently disrupted?

A Different Perspective

Optimism may be resilient, not easily shattered.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Optimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimism/) [Tragedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragedy/)

## Related quotes

> [I've always been sceptical about the notion that the market is a person you can engage in an argument with, and that that person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/i-ve-always-been-sceptical-about-the-notion-that-the-market-is-a/)

[Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/)

> [“Death Laughs In The Faces Of Clocks”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/death-laughs-in-the-faces-of-clocks/)

[Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/)

> [The quantum death of Philip Seymour Hoffman. 24 hours before he was "officially" declared dead it was announced on the internet that he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/the-quantum-death-of-philip-seymour-hoffman-24-hours-before-he-was/)

[Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/)

> [“Most Politicians Are The Whores at The Establishment Party, But We're The Ones Getting Fucked”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/most-politicians-are-the-whores-at-the-establishment-party-but-we-re/)

[Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/)

> [“The Social Engineers wet dream is to be able to surveil us in our sleep”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/the-social-engineers-wet-dream-is-to-be-able-to-surveil-us-in-our/)

[Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/)

> [“In the land of the blind the third eyed man is king”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/in-the-land-of-the-blind-the-third-eyed-man-is-king/)

[Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/)

> [Most governments in the United States in a hundred years have not respected the peoples of Latin America. They have sponsored coup d'etats, assassinations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugo-chavez/most-governments-in-the-united-states-in-a-hundred-years-have-not/)

[Hugo Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugo-chavez/)

> [Shouldn't the General Assembly adopt a declaration on the inadmissibility of interference into domestic affairs of sovereign states and nonrecognition of coup d'etats as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-lavrov/shouldn-t-the-general-assembly-adopt-a-declaration-on-the/)

[Sergei Lavrov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-lavrov/)

> [Irrational optimism, never, ever, ever give up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lo-bosworth/irrational-optimism-never-ever-ever-give-up/)

[Lo Bosworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lo-bosworth/)

> [Pathological Stubbornness and Irrational Optimism – Lessons I’ve learned on my entrepreneurial journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-kelly/pathological-stubbornness-and-irrational-optimism-lessons-i-ve/)

Ruth Kelly

> [I'm human," he said in a tormented tone. "And I'm not." He dropped his hand to her shoulder. "I never knew softness," he breathed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/i-m-human-he-said-in-a-tormented-tone-and-i-m-not-he-dropped-his-hand/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [My painting is not violent, it's life that is violent. Even within the most beautiful landscape, in the trees, under the leaves, the insects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/my-painting-is-not-violent-it-s-life-that-is-violent-even-within-the/)

[Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/)

> [Be regular and orderly in your life, that you may be violent and original in your work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/be-regular-and-orderly-in-your-life-that-you-may-be-violent-and/)

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

> [“As it usually happened after an engagement, a heavy sadness was coming down over his spirits. To some degree it was the prodigious contrastbetween…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-o-brian/as-it-usually-happened-after-an-engagement-a-heavy-sadness-was-coming/)

[Patrick O'Brian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-o-brian/)

> [I never set out to write literature; I set out to tell stories. And some of my work may be very raunchy and very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilbur-smith/i-never-set-out-to-write-literature-i-set-out-to-tell-stories-and/)

[Wilbur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilbur-smith/)

## More by Dean Cavanagh

> [“Would a DNA test for love take a sample from the heart or the mind?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/would-a-dna-test-for-love-take-a-sample-from-the-heart-or-the-mind/)

[Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/)

> [“Artist Matthew Barney has made a film about “shit”. It is hardly original. Hollywood has made shit films for decades.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/artist-matthew-barney-has-made-a-film-about-shit-it-is-hardly/)

[Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/)

> [“The obsession with the afterlife is born of a panic at not having memories of a before-life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/the-obsession-with-the-afterlife-is-born-of-a-panic-at-not-having/)

[Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/)

> [“The Path Of Least Resistance Is Littered With The Corpses Of The Bored To Death”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/the-path-of-least-resistance-is-littered-with-the-corpses-of-the/)

[Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/)

> [You can never read too much into anything](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/you-can-never-read-too-much-into-anything/)

[Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/)

> [You can't live in the digital and die in the analog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/you-can-t-live-in-the-digital-and-die-in-the-analog/)

[Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/)

> [“Time to pull the plug on the coma of the left, right paradigm”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/time-to-pull-the-plug-on-the-coma-of-the-left-right-paradigm/)

[Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/)

> [“The ultimate goal of the political elite is to privatize the air. So as not to destroy their own edifice of democratic compassion they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/the-ultimate-goal-of-the-political-elite-is-to-privatize-the-air-so/)

[Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/)

> [The ego camouflages itself like a fox born and raised in a hen house. Its only worry is that you fail to notice its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/the-ego-camouflages-itself-like-a-fox-born-and-raised-in-a-hen-house/)

[Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/)

> [We don't fall in love, we fall in lust. We ascend to love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/we-don-t-fall-in-love-we-fall-in-lust-we-ascend-to-love/)

[Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/)

> [“Death Laughs In The Faces Of Clocks”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/death-laughs-in-the-faces-of-clocks/)

[Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/)

> [“Keeping your mouth shut whilst eating shit will get you far in life but your soul will die of starvation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/keeping-your-mouth-shut-whilst-eating-shit-will-get-you-far-in-life/)

[Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/)

> [“The future promises us all our very own Truman Shows and when every man and woman is a star the spectacle becomes auto- cannibalizing;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/the-future-promises-us-all-our-very-own-truman-shows-and-when-every/)

[Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/)

> [The quantum death of Philip Seymour Hoffman. 24 hours before he was "officially" declared dead it was announced on the internet that he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/the-quantum-death-of-philip-seymour-hoffman-24-hours-before-he-was/)

[Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/)

> [“The Devil fights from behind barricades of linguistic complexity, but the war of words will be won by those armed only with simplistic truths”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/the-devil-fights-from-behind-barricades-of-linguistic-complexity-but/)

[Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/)

[Explore all 132 Dean Cavanagh quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/)

## More Dean-cavanagh quotes

> [“Death Laughs In The Faces Of Clocks”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/death-laughs-in-the-faces-of-clocks/)

[Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/)

> [The quantum death of Philip Seymour Hoffman. 24 hours before he was "officially" declared dead it was announced on the internet that he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/the-quantum-death-of-philip-seymour-hoffman-24-hours-before-he-was/)

[Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/)

> [“Most Politicians Are The Whores at The Establishment Party, But We're The Ones Getting Fucked”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/most-politicians-are-the-whores-at-the-establishment-party-but-we-re/)

[Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/)

> [“The Social Engineers wet dream is to be able to surveil us in our sleep”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/the-social-engineers-wet-dream-is-to-be-able-to-surveil-us-in-our/)

[Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/)

> [“In the land of the blind the third eyed man is king”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/in-the-land-of-the-blind-the-third-eyed-man-is-king/)

[Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/)

Browse all 6 Dean-cavanagh quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“There are no tragedies in life, only violent coup d’etats on the state of irrational optimism”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Dean Cavanagh"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/there-are-no-tragedies-in-life-only-violent-coup-d-etats-on-the-state/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dean-cavanagh"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/there-are-no-tragedies-in-life-only-violent-coup-d-etats-on-the-state/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d35/dean-cavanagh-3359_dean-cavanagh_there-are-no-tragedies-in-life-only-viol_737162.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d35/dean-cavanagh-3359_dean-cavanagh_there-are-no-tragedies-in-life-only-viol_737162.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d35/dean-cavanagh-3359_dean-cavanagh_there-are-no-tragedies-in-life-only-viol_737162.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There are no tragedies in life, only violent coup d’etats on the state of irrational optimism” — Dean Cavanagh",
                "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": "Dean Cavanagh",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“There are no tragedies in life,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/there-are-no-tragedies-in-life-only-violent-coup-d-etats-on-the-state/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/there-are-no-tragedies-in-life-only-violent-coup-d-etats-on-the-state/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
