--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Pessimists are just as illogical as…" description: "\"Pessimists are just as illogical as optimists; insomuch as both envisage the aims of mankind as unified, and as having a direct relationship (either of..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/197/h-p-lovecraft-1408_aim_pessimists-are-just-as-illogical-as-opti_2717846.png" --- # Pessimists are just as illogical as optimists; insomuch as… ![“Pessimists are just as illogical as optimists; insomuch as both envisage the aims of mankind as unified, and as having a direct relationship (either of frustration or of fulfilment) to the inevitable flow of terrestrial motivation and events. That is - both schools retain in a vestigial way the…” quote by H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/197/h-p-lovecraft-1408_aim_pessimists-are-just-as-illogical-as-opti_2717846.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/197/h-p-lovecraft-1408_aim_pessimists-are-just-as-illogical-as-opti_2717846.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/197/h-p-lovecraft-1408_aim_pessimists-are-just-as-illogical-as-opti_2717846.png) > “Pessimists are just as illogical as optimists; insomuch as both envisage the aims of mankind as unified, and as having a direct relationship (either of frustration or of fulfilment) to the inevitable flow of terrestrial motivation and events. That is - both schools retain in a vestigial way the primitive concept of a conscious teleology - of a cosmos which gives a damn one way or the other about the especial wants and ultimate welfare of mosquitos, rats, lice, dogs, men, horses, pterodactyls, trees, fungi, dodos, or other forms of biological energy.” [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Both pessimists and optimists share a primitive belief in a purposeful cosmos, despite differing views on outcomes. **In simple terms:** Both see purpose in universe. Key Takeaway Question assumed teleology. Themes philosophy optimism pessimism Mood inquisitive analytical Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - academic debate - personal worldview - creative writing Key Concepts metaphysics existentialism Questions to Reflect On - Do you believe the universe has purpose? - How does this belief affect actions? A Different Perspective May ignore randomness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aim/) [Concepts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concepts/) [Conscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscious/) [Cosmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cosmos/) [Damn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/damn/) [Direct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/direct/) [Dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Flow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flow/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Frustration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frustration/) [Fulfilment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fulfilment/) [Fungi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fungi/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Horse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horse/) [Illogical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illogical/) [Illogical Optimists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illogical-optimists-2858225/) [Inevitable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inevitable/) [Lice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lice/) [Mankind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mankind/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [One way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-way/) [Optimist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimist/) [Optimists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimists/) [Optimists Insomuch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimists-insomuch-2858227/) [Pessimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimism/) [Pessimist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimist/) [Pessimists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimists/) [Pessimists Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimists-just-2858226/) [Primitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/primitive/) [Rats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rats/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) [Ultimate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ultimate/) [Unified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unified/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Welfare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/welfare/) ## Related quotes > [Contrary to what you may assume, I am not a pessimist but an indifferentist- that is, I don't make the mistake of thinking that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/contrary-to-what-you-may-assume-i-am-not-a-pessimist-but-an/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [Now when you cut a forest, an ancient forest in particular, you are not just removing a lot of big trees and a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/now-when-you-cut-a-forest-an-ancient-forest-in-particular-you-are-not/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [A sickly little smile grew and died on his mouth like a fungus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/a-sickly-little-smile-grew-and-died-on-his-mouth-like-a-fungus/) [China Mieville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/) > [The love for material things grows like a fungus in the soul and destroys the loveliness of the human heart utterly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caryll-houselander/the-love-for-material-things-grows-like-a-fungus-in-the-soul-and/) [Caryll Houselander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caryll-houselander/) > [At least that's what his note said, along with a scathing reminder that dishes didn't wash themselves and the fungus in the bathroom was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-thurman/at-least-that-s-what-his-note-said-along-with-a-scathing-reminder/) [Rob Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-thurman/) > [“If certain bacteria, fungi, or algae inch across something made of copper, they absorb copper atoms, which disrupt their metabolism (human cells are unaffected).…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/if-certain-bacteria-fungi-or-algae-inch-across-something-made-of/) [Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/) > [Sometimes I worry I'm not going to be the best parent because if my baby gets a skin fungus I might sell him at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-quin/sometimes-i-worry-i-m-not-going-to-be-the-best-parent-because-if-my/) [Sara Quin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-quin/) > [Right-thinking people are not supposed to discuss any meteorological or geophysical event - a hurricane, a wildfire, a heat wave, a drought, a flood,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-achenbach/right-thinking-people-are-not-supposed-to-discuss-any-meteorological/) [Joel Achenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-achenbach/) > [It's also hard for people to contend with the difficult possibility that we are simply overadvanced fungi and bacteria hurtling through a galaxy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/it-s-also-hard-for-people-to-contend-with-the-difficult-possibility/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [...no matter how complex or affluent, human societies are nothing but subsystems of the biosphere, the Earth's thin veneer of life, which is ultimately…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-smil/no-matter-how-complex-or-affluent-human-societies-are-nothing-but/) [Vaclav Smil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-smil/) > [I had always believed government was not a fungus: It could survive in sunshine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-schroeder/i-had-always-believed-government-was-not-a-fungus-it-could-survive-in/) [Patricia Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-schroeder/) > [It is a thorough process, this war with the wilderness - breaking nature, taming the soil. feeding it on oats. The civilized man regards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/it-is-a-thorough-process-this-war-with-the-wilderness-breaking-nature/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“Fungi have as much right to life as I do. they know what they want, Bill. Damned if I do anymore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/fungi-have-as-much-right-to-life-as-i-do-they-know-what-they-want/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [So there you have it: Nature is a rotten mess. But that's only the beginning. If you take your eyes off it for one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-goldberg/so-there-you-have-it-nature-is-a-rotten-mess-but-that-s-only-the/) [Lee Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-goldberg/) > [Why did the mushroom go to the party? Because he's a fungi!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-did-the-mushroom-go-to-the-party-because-he-s-a-fungi/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by H. P. Lovecraft > [It is the night-black Massachusetts legendry which packs the really macabre "kick". Here is material for a really profound study in group-neuroticism; for certainly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/it-is-the-night-black-massachusetts-legendry-which-packs-the-really/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [“Sounds—possibly musical—heard in the night from other worlds or realms of being.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/sounds-possibly-musical-heard-in-the-night-from-other-worlds-or/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [Very few minds are strictly normal, and all religious fanatics are marked with abnormalities of various sorts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/very-few-minds-are-strictly-normal-and-all-religious-fanatics-are/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [It's not a bad idea to call this Cthulhuism & Yog-Sothothery of mine "The Mythology of Hastur" - although it was really from Machen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/it-s-not-a-bad-idea-to-call-this-cthulhuism-yog-sothothery-of-mine/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [The appeal of the spectrally macabre is generally narrow because it demands from the reader a certain degree of imagination and a capacity for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/the-appeal-of-the-spectrally-macabre-is-generally-narrow-because-it/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [There are probably seven persons, in all, who really like my work; and they are enough. I should write even if I were the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/there-are-probably-seven-persons-in-all-who-really-like-my-work-and/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [Nothing is really typical of my efforts... I'm simply casting about for better ways to crystallise and capture certain strong impressions (involving the elements…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/nothing-is-really-typical-of-my-efforts-i-m-simply-casting-about-for/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [Thus I began my systematic though half-bewildered tour of Innsmouth's narrow, shadow-blighted ways. Crossing the bridge and turning toward the roar of the lower…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/thus-i-began-my-systematic-though-half-bewildered-tour-of-innsmouth-s/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [Of what use is it to please the herd? They are simply coarse animals - for all that is admirable in man is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/of-what-use-is-it-to-please-the-herd-they-are-simply-coarse-animals/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [“How little does the earth self know life and its extent! How little, indeed, ought it to know for its own tranquility!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/how-little-does-the-earth-self-know-life-and-its-extent-how-little/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [The trees grew too thickly, and their trunks were too big for any healthy New England wood. There was too much silence in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/the-trees-grew-too-thickly-and-their-trunks-were-too-big-for-any/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [Plots may be simple or complex, but suspense, and climactic progress from one incident to another, are essential. Every incident in a fictional work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/plots-may-be-simple-or-complex-but-suspense-and-climactic-progress/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [Searchers after horror haunt strange, far places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/searchers-after-horror-haunt-strange-far-places/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [Cosmic terror appears as an ingredient of the earliest folklore of all races and is crystallised in the most archaic ballads, chronicles, and sacred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/cosmic-terror-appears-as-an-ingredient-of-the-earliest-folklore-of/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [Truth is of no practical value to mankind save as it affects terrestrial phenomena, hence the discoveries of science should be concealed or glossed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/truth-is-of-no-practical-value-to-mankind-save-as-it-affects/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) [Explore all 244 H. P. Lovecraft quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) ## More Aim quotes > [If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/if-you-aim-at-nothing-you-will-hit-it-every-time/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [A good aim surveys the present state of experience of pupils, and forming a tentative plan of treatment, keeps the plan constantly in view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/a-good-aim-surveys-the-present-state-of-experience-of-pupils-and/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [The Christian man must aim at that complete obedience to God in which life finds its highest happiness, its greatest good, its perfect consummation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barclay/the-christian-man-must-aim-at-that-complete-obedience-to-god-in-which/) [William Barclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barclay/) > [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [In Bosnia, little children shot in the head by a guy who thinks it's okay to aim his gun at a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/in-bosnia-little-children-shot-in-the-head-by-a-guy-who-thinks-it-s/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) > [Design certainly has a cosmetic, aesthetic aim. It always aims at making things beautiful. But relevance is just as important. I often say, 'If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yves-behar/design-certainly-has-a-cosmetic-aesthetic-aim-it-always-aims-at/) [Yves Behar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yves-behar/) > [My aim was to make money for the bank. You lose track of the amounts involved when you are engaged in this kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-kerviel/my-aim-was-to-make-money-for-the-bank-you-lose-track-of-the-amounts/) [Jerome Kerviel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-kerviel/) > [My only aim is to clock a time that everyone remembers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hima-das/my-only-aim-is-to-clock-a-time-that-everyone-remembers/) [Hima Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hima-das/) > [My main aim has always been to do good quality films with roles that have some substance. With Power and Beauty there were loads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-henstridge/my-main-aim-has-always-been-to-do-good-quality-films-with-roles-that/) [Natasha Henstridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-henstridge/) > [ I really enjoyed it - being involved in watching rushes and playback \[in "The Invisible Woman"\]. Ralph \[Fiennes\] was very open to my input,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-really-enjoyed-it-being-involved-in-watching-rushes-and-playback-in/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [My aim is to be counted among the top players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babar-azam/my-aim-is-to-be-counted-among-the-top-players/) [Babar Azam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babar-azam/) > [The single aim of my life is that every child is: free to be a child, free to grow and develop, free to eat,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailash-satyarthi/the-single-aim-of-my-life-is-that-every-child-is-free-to-be-a-child/) [Kailash Satyarthi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailash-satyarthi/) > [The aim of good prose words is to mean what they say. The aim of good poetical words is to mean what they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-aim-of-good-prose-words-is-to-mean-what-they-say-the-aim-of-good/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Prescribing hard work for the soft, or easy work for the hardy, is generally nonsense. What is always needed in any aim is right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/prescribing-hard-work-for-the-soft-or-easy-work-for-the-hardy-is/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [To be normal is the ultimate aim of the unsuccessful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/to-be-normal-is-the-ultimate-aim-of-the-unsuccessful/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 3,047 Aim quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aim/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Pessimists are just as illogical as optimists; insomuch as both envisage the aims of mankind as unified, and as having a direct relationship (either of frustration or of fulfilment) to the inevitable flow of terrestrial motivation and events. 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