--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My deepest impulses are optimistic; an…" description: "\"My deepest impulses are optimistic; an attitude that seems to me as spiritually necessary and proper as it is intellectually suspect.\" — Ellen Willis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee6/ellen-willis-14968_attitude_my-deepest-impulses-are-optimistic-an-at_2872229.png" --- # My deepest impulses are optimistic; an attitude that seems… ![“My deepest impulses are optimistic; an attitude that seems to me as spiritually necessary and proper as it is intellectually suspect.” quote by Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee6/ellen-willis-14968_attitude_my-deepest-impulses-are-optimistic-an-at_2872229.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee6/ellen-willis-14968_attitude_my-deepest-impulses-are-optimistic-an-at_2872229.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee6/ellen-willis-14968_attitude_my-deepest-impulses-are-optimistic-an-at_2872229.png) > “My deepest impulses are optimistic; an attitude that seems to me as spiritually necessary and proper as it is intellectually suspect.” [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Optimism can feel spiritually necessary even when intellectually doubtful, reflecting tension between hope and skepticism. **In simple terms:** Hope feels essential despite rational doubts. Key Takeaway Balance hopeful belief with critical thinking. Themes optimism skepticism spirituality Mood hopeful analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal growth - creative work - spiritual practice - relationship dynamics Key Concepts cognitive dissonance faith intellectual humility Questions to Reflect On - When does optimism become denial? - How can you honor both hope and reason? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on optimism may ignore real risks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attitude/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Optimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimism/) [Optimist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimist/) [Optimistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimistic/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [In Christian work our initiative and motivation are too often simply the result of realizing that there is work to be done and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/in-christian-work-our-initiative-and-motivation-are-too-often-simply/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [“If you have an optimistic attitude, the world will get better”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanishq-abraham-10-year-old-prodigy/if-you-have-an-optimistic-attitude-the-world-will-get-better/) Tanishq Abraham 10 year old prodigy > [“While an optimistic attitude broadens your horizons to bring positivity and hope, pessimism limits possibilities and fills you with doubt and negativity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindy-tsang/while-an-optimistic-attitude-broadens-your-horizons-to-bring/) Lindy Tsang > [“Optimism is normal, but some fortunate people are more optimistic than the rest of us. If you are genetically endowed with an optimistic bias,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/optimism-is-normal-but-some-fortunate-people-are-more-optimistic-than-2/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [I've always had a tremendously optimistic attitude about life, and the setbacks are never really setbacks for me, because I see it as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-hefner/i-ve-always-had-a-tremendously-optimistic-attitude-about-life-and-the/) [Hugh Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hefner/) > [Determination, with an optimistic attitude is the key to success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/determination-with-an-optimistic-attitude-is-the-key-to-success/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [When you have an optimistic attitude and you believe that God is guiding you, that you will find the good things in your life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-osteen/when-you-have-an-optimistic-attitude-and-you-believe-that-god-is/) [Victoria Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-osteen/) > [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/) > [It may be the antidepressants talking, but I'm feeling somewhat optimistic about 2014.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-may-be-the-antidepressants-talking-but-i-m-feeling-somewhat/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I know I sound overly optimistic, but you know me, I've always been an optimistic guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rivera/i-know-i-sound-overly-optimistic-but-you-know-me-i-ve-always-been-an/) [Ron Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rivera/) > [I've been blessed with an optimistic disposition, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-evison/i-ve-been-blessed-with-an-optimistic-disposition-i-think/) [Jonathan Evison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-evison/) > [In this world, the optimists have it, not because they are always right, but because they are positive. Even when they are wrong they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-landes/in-this-world-the-optimists-have-it-not-because-they-are-always-right/) [David Landes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-landes/) > [I'm a very positive person in my life. I'm very optimistic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cody-fern/i-m-a-very-positive-person-in-my-life-i-m-very-optimistic/) [Cody Fern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cody-fern/) > [I am to positive to be doubtful too optimistic too be fearful and too determined too be defeated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-to-positive-to-be-doubtful-too-optimistic-too-be-fearful-and-too/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am optimistic. But I also know that, with time, I'm beginning to fight issues of aging as well as long-term paralysis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/i-am-optimistic-but-i-also-know-that-with-time-i-m-beginning-to-fight/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) ## More by Ellen Willis > [You don't have to be Sigmund Freud to surmise that war has a perverse appeal for the human race, nor is the attraction limited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/you-don-t-have-to-be-sigmund-freud-to-surmise-that-war-has-a-perverse/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [For democrats, it's as crucial to defend secular culture as to preserve secular law. And in fact the two projects are inseparable: When religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/for-democrats-it-s-as-crucial-to-defend-secular-culture-as-to/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [What turns me on is erotica; what turns you on is pornographic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/what-turns-me-on-is-erotica-what-turns-you-on-is-pornographic/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [Some conservatives have expressed outrage that the views of professors are at odds with the views of students, as if ideas were entitled to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/some-conservatives-have-expressed-outrage-that-the-views-of/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [For the most part, Americans speak of culture and politics as if they were two separate realms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/for-the-most-part-americans-speak-of-culture-and-politics-as-if-they/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [Mass consumption, advertising, and mass art are a corporate Frankenstein; while they reinforce the system, they also undermine it. By continually pushing the message…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/mass-consumption-advertising-and-mass-art-are-a-corporate/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [My education was dominated by modernist thinkers and artists who taught me that the supreme imperative was courage to face the awful truth, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/my-education-was-dominated-by-modernist-thinkers-and-artists-who/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [The public's continuing ambivalence about cultural matters is all the more striking given that the political conversation on these issues has for 30 years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/the-public-s-continuing-ambivalence-about-cultural-matters-is-all-the/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [Music that boldly and aggressively laid out what the singer wanted, loved, hated — as good rock ’n’ roll did — challenged me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/music-that-boldly-and-aggressively-laid-out-what-the-singer-wanted/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [Individuals bearing witness do not change history; only movements that understand their social world can do that. Movements encourage solidarity; the moral individual is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/individuals-bearing-witness-do-not-change-history-only-movements-that/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [Whatever their limitations, Freud and Marx developed complex and subtle theories of human nature grounded in their observation of individual and social behavior. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/whatever-their-limitations-freud-and-marx-developed-complex-and/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [The drug war has nothing to do with making communities livable or creating a decent future for black kids. On the contrary, prohibition is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/the-drug-war-has-nothing-to-do-with-making-communities-livable-or/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [I was a 'Big Brother' fan. I thought they were better musicians than their detractors claimed, but more to the point, technical accomplishment was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/i-was-a-big-brother-fan-i-thought-they-were-better-musicians-than/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [The Democratic power elite on some level feels delegitimized by its working-class, black and female constituencies. What it wants are the "legitimate" votes of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/the-democratic-power-elite-on-some-level-feels-delegitimized-by-its/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [On one level the sixties revolt was an impressive illustration of Lenin's remark that the capitalist will sell you the rope to hang him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/on-one-level-the-sixties-revolt-was-an-impressive-illustration-of/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) [Explore all 44 Ellen Willis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) ## More Attitude quotes > [“WE CAN'T ALWAYS CONTROL OUR CIRCUMSTANCES BUT WE CAN CONTROL OUR ATTITUDE. WE MUST BE MORE CONCERNED WITH WHAT WE DO WITH WHAT HAPPENS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/we-can-t-always-control-our-circumstances-but-we-can-control-our/) [MARVIN J. ASHTON](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-j-ashton/) > [It's not the method, it's the mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gilbert/it-s-not-the-method-it-s-the-mindset/) [Andy Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gilbert/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Changes before your eyes, things you can do and things you can't. My attitude is always let it keep rolling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrence-malick/changes-before-your-eyes-things-you-can-do-and-things-you-can-t-my/) [Terrence Malick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrence-malick/) > [Vow to be valiant. Resolve to be radiant. Determine to be dynamic. Strive to be sincere. Aspire to be attuned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/vow-to-be-valiant-resolve-to-be-radiant-determine-to-be-dynamic/) [William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/) > [Don't judge me because I'm stupid. Don't judge me because I'm, mean. Don't judge me because I'm weird. Don't judge me for mistakes. Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-harden-me/don-t-judge-me-because-i-m-stupid-don-t-judge-me-because-i-m-mean-don/) Isaiah Harden (Me > [Your feelings (mood) dictate your thought, your thought determines your attitude (reactions) and your attitude describes your lifestyle, so: be careful how you feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheye-hassan/your-feelings-mood-dictate-your-thought-your-thought-determines-your/) Sheye Hassan > [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [“Good Seeds! Gratitude is the Greatest Attitude that has no Substitute.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-kelvin-clive/good-seeds-gratitude-is-the-greatest-attitude-that-has-no-substitute/) [Bernard Kelvin Clive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-kelvin-clive/) > [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) > [One genuine reason to feel jealous of my parents:-) I will never ever have a kid as awesome as their's...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-genuine-reason-to-feel-jealous-of-my-parents-i-will-never-ever/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm optimistic Hong Kong will achieve universal suffrage - no matter the attitude of Beijing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wong/i-m-optimistic-hong-kong-will-achieve-universal-suffrage-no-matter/) [Joshua Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wong/) > [My attitude it that you don't give in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-taylor/my-attitude-it-that-you-don-t-give-in/) [Phil Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-taylor/) > [Transparency pertains to impartial behavior, implies openness, communication, and accountability. Inculcate transparency in attitude and experience a life free of controversy and blame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-anil-kr-sinha/transparency-pertains-to-impartial-behavior-implies-openness/) [Dr Anil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-anil-kr-sinha/) > [And if the mind thinks with a believing attitude one can do amazing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/and-if-the-mind-thinks-with-a-believing-attitude-one-can-do-amazing/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) [Browse all 9,543 Attitude quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attitude/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My deepest impulses are optimistic; an attitude that seems to me as spiritually necessary and proper as it is intellectually suspect.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ellen Willis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/my-deepest-impulses-are-optimistic-an-attitude-that-seems-to-me-as/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attitude" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/my-deepest-impulses-are-optimistic-an-attitude-that-seems-to-me-as/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee6/ellen-willis-14968_attitude_my-deepest-impulses-are-optimistic-an-at_2872229.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee6/ellen-willis-14968_attitude_my-deepest-impulses-are-optimistic-an-at_2872229.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee6/ellen-willis-14968_attitude_my-deepest-impulses-are-optimistic-an-at_2872229.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My deepest impulses are optimistic; an attitude that seems to me as spiritually necessary and proper as it…” — Ellen Willis", "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": "Ellen Willis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My deepest impulses are optimistic; an...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/my-deepest-impulses-are-optimistic-an-attitude-that-seems-to-me-as/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/my-deepest-impulses-are-optimistic-an-attitude-that-seems-to-me-as/#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 } } ] } ```