--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have never met an intelligent optimist…" description: "\"I have never met an intelligent optimist. That is not to say I think pessimism makes you intelligent, but I have always felt like an Old Testament Jere..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/990/howard-jacobson-1484_ancient-greece_i-have-never-met-an-intelligent-optimist_2196018.jpg" --- # I have never met an intelligent optimist. That is not to… ![“I have never met an intelligent optimist. That is not to say I think pessimism makes you intelligent, but I have always felt like an Old Testament Jeremiah or Cassandra from ancient Greece. I want to run down the streets warning people.” quote by Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/990/howard-jacobson-1484_ancient-greece_i-have-never-met-an-intelligent-optimist_2196018.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/990/howard-jacobson-1484_ancient-greece_i-have-never-met-an-intelligent-optimist_2196018.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/990/howard-jacobson-1484_ancient-greece_i-have-never-met-an-intelligent-optimist_2196018.jpg) > “I have never met an intelligent optimist. That is not to say I think pessimism makes you intelligent, but I have always felt like an Old Testament Jeremiah or Cassandra from ancient Greece. I want to run down the streets warning people.” [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker sees intelligent optimism as rare, likening it to prophetic warning voices that are ignored. **In simple terms:** Intelligent optimism is uncommon and often unheard. Key Takeaway Recognize and value realistic optimism. Themes optimism intelligence prophetic warning Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - public discourse - personal relationships - leadership - media commentary Key Concepts cognitive bias social perception psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance optimism with realism? - What role do skeptics play in society? A Different Perspective Optimism may be dismissed as naive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancient greece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient-greece/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) [Old testament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-testament/) [Optimist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimist/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Pessimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimism/) ## Related quotes > [I still think sincere pessimism the unpardonable sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-still-think-sincere-pessimism-the-unpardonable-sin/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm a pessimist. But I think I'd describe my pessimism as broken-hearted optimism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-ullman/i-m-a-pessimist-but-i-think-i-d-describe-my-pessimism-as-broken/) [Ellen Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ullman/) > [I'm kind of perverse in that I think pessimism is helpful. My pessimism is my own kind of patriotism. My dissent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-letts/i-m-kind-of-perverse-in-that-i-think-pessimism-is-helpful-my/) [Tracy Letts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-letts/) > [I have to be an optimist and say that it might get better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-moore/i-have-to-be-an-optimist-and-say-that-it-might-get-better/) [Roger Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-moore/) > [I was born an optimist, as I always say. If I wake up in the morning with a pain in my chest, I'll always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-wogan/i-was-born-an-optimist-as-i-always-say-if-i-wake-up-in-the-morning/) [Terry Wogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-wogan/) > [People say 'Bill, are you an optimist?' And I say, 'I hope so.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/people-say-bill-are-you-an-optimist-and-i-say-i-hope-so/) [Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/) > [Director Jai Krishna is an optimist who has a never-say-die attitude. He has impressed me thoroughly with his faith in the industry. Not many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-sethupathi/director-jai-krishna-is-an-optimist-who-has-a-never-say-die-attitude/) [Vijay Sethupathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-sethupathi/) > [“When the travesties scattered throughout our modern art museums are set alongside the glories of ancient Greece, the Christian heart should swell with pride.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-wilson/when-the-travesties-scattered-throughout-our-modern-art-museums-are/) [Douglas Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-wilson/) > [“OEDIPUS: Upon the murderer I invoke this curse- whether he is one man and all unknown, or one of many- may he wear out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/oedipus-upon-the-murderer-i-invoke-this-curse-whether-he-is-one-man/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“In ancient Greece more than one royal house was guilty of crime which became the stuff of tragedy: now Rome was to follow the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/livy/in-ancient-greece-more-than-one-royal-house-was-guilty-of-crime-which/) [Livy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/livy/) > [“In ancient Greece, adolescence was a time when young men left their biological families to become the lovers of adult men. Sexuality was but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-d-adam/in-ancient-greece-adolescence-was-a-time-when-young-men-left-their/) Barry D. Adam > [“Some gay soldiers and officers, particularly those with a college education, carried with them a mythology, developed from reading the classics and in conversations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-b-rub/some-gay-soldiers-and-officers-particularly-those-with-a-college/) Allan Bérubé > [“When you fear nothing, you have nothing to fear”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-f-chandler/when-you-fear-nothing-you-have-nothing-to-fear/) S.F. Chandler > [“I tell you, because military training is not publicly recognised by the state, you must not make that an excuse for being a whit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xenophon-memorabilia-371bc-marchant-translation/i-tell-you-because-military-training-is-not-publicly-recognised-by/) Xenophon Memorabilia. 371BC Marchant translation > [“In ancient Greece, the word for “cook,” “butcher,” and “priest” was the same—mageiros—and the word shares an etymological root with “magic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/in-ancient-greece-the-word-for-cook-butcher-and-priest-was-the-same/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) ## More by Howard Jacobson > [Everything is allowable in literature, but what is not allowable in criticism is objection on the grounds of probability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/everything-is-allowable-in-literature-but-what-is-not-allowable-in/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [There's a simple arithmetical logic at work. Build more unaffordable and not always architecturally sympathetic apartments, watch the rents rise, the tarts leave, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/there-s-a-simple-arithmetical-logic-at-work-build-more-unaffordable/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [The novel is a thing of irony and ambiguity. That's at the heart of 'J', a world that has stopped arguing with itself. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/the-novel-is-a-thing-of-irony-and-ambiguity-that-s-at-the-heart-of-j/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [I was a 'reverence for life' man - 'see life steadily and see it whole' - in my days as a lecturer in English…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/i-was-a-reverence-for-life-man-see-life-steadily-and-see-it-whole-in/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [How Donald Trump has come so far with so few words - how he even managed to keep up conversationally with all those beauty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/how-donald-trump-has-come-so-far-with-so-few-words-how-he-even/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [It is a nonsense to me when people come along and tell me not to be pessimistic; or that culture has always been going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/it-is-a-nonsense-to-me-when-people-come-along-and-tell-me-not-to-be/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [For me a Writing Day was an occasion for self-reproach and panic, a time to lament the passing of the years, stare out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/for-me-a-writing-day-was-an-occasion-for-self-reproach-and-panic-a/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [Even the wordiest of men know there's a time to button it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/even-the-wordiest-of-men-know-there-s-a-time-to-button-it/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [That a nation's statuary will reflect beliefs and attitudes that are no longer current or congenial hardly needs arguing. In most instances, it doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/that-a-nation-s-statuary-will-reflect-beliefs-and-attitudes-that-are/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [“Was he a bad man or just a foolish one? He didn't feel bad to himself. As a husband he believed himself to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/was-he-a-bad-man-or-just-a-foolish-one-he-didn-t-feel-bad-to-himself/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [The young come in many guises: vigorous and passionate, vindictive and mean-spirited. And not every person over 65 is dozing in a retirement home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/the-young-come-in-many-guises-vigorous-and-passionate-vindictive-and/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [To a philosopher like Nietzsche, the Jew is culpable not for rejecting Christianity but for inventing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/to-a-philosopher-like-nietzsche-the-jew-is-culpable-not-for-rejecting/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [Shakespeare's always been sitting on my back, since I began reading. And, certainly, as a writer, he's who I hear all the time. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/shakespeare-s-always-been-sitting-on-my-back-since-i-began-reading/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [A novelist should make you realize nothing is stable. If you don't believe anything with robustness, you're doing something more radical than anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/a-novelist-should-make-you-realize-nothing-is-stable-if-you-don-t/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [The Stop The War Coalition is a sort of home to Jew-haters because its hate music about Israel is so catchy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/the-stop-the-war-coalition-is-a-sort-of-home-to-jew-haters-because/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) [Explore all 235 Howard Jacobson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) ## More Ancient greece quotes > [“In ancient Greece, the word for “cook,” “butcher,” and “priest” was the same—mageiros—and the word shares an etymological root with “magic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/in-ancient-greece-the-word-for-cook-butcher-and-priest-was-the-same/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“I tell you, because military training is not publicly recognised by the state, you must not make that an excuse for being a whit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xenophon-memorabilia-371bc-marchant-translation/i-tell-you-because-military-training-is-not-publicly-recognised-by/) Xenophon Memorabilia. 371BC Marchant translation > [“When you fear nothing, you have nothing to fear”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-f-chandler/when-you-fear-nothing-you-have-nothing-to-fear/) S.F. Chandler > [“Some gay soldiers and officers, particularly those with a college education, carried with them a mythology, developed from reading the classics and in conversations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-b-rub/some-gay-soldiers-and-officers-particularly-those-with-a-college/) Allan Bérubé > [“In ancient Greece, adolescence was a time when young men left their biological families to become the lovers of adult men. Sexuality was but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-d-adam/in-ancient-greece-adolescence-was-a-time-when-young-men-left-their/) Barry D. Adam > [“In ancient Greece more than one royal house was guilty of crime which became the stuff of tragedy: now Rome was to follow the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/livy/in-ancient-greece-more-than-one-royal-house-was-guilty-of-crime-which/) [Livy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/livy/) > [“OEDIPUS: Upon the murderer I invoke this curse- whether he is one man and all unknown, or one of many- may he wear out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/oedipus-upon-the-murderer-i-invoke-this-curse-whether-he-is-one-man/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“When the travesties scattered throughout our modern art museums are set alongside the glories of ancient Greece, the Christian heart should swell with pride.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-wilson/when-the-travesties-scattered-throughout-our-modern-art-museums-are/) [Douglas Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-wilson/) > [Philosophy is best practised by people in general and not by philosophers alone. Philosophy is too often a luxury now, but in ancient Greece,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-onfray/philosophy-is-best-practised-by-people-in-general-and-not-by/) [Michel Onfray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-onfray/) > [“For a long time the human instinct to understand was thwarted by facile religious explanations, as in ancient Greece in the time of Homer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/for-a-long-time-the-human-instinct-to-understand-was-thwarted-by/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“I do not admire the excess of a virtue like courage unless I see at the same time an excess of the opposite virtue,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/i-do-not-admire-the-excess-of-a-virtue-like-courage-unless-i-see-at/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [“OEDIPUS: O, O, O, they will all come, all come out clearly! Light of the sun, let me look upon you no more after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/oedipus-o-o-o-they-will-all-come-all-come-out-clearly-light-of-the/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [No civilisation, not even that of ancient Greece, has ever undergone such a continuous and profound process of change as Western Europe has done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dawson/no-civilisation-not-even-that-of-ancient-greece-has-ever-undergone/) [Christopher Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dawson/) > [Not since Ancient Greece have cities been thought of as the ideal living environment for humans. And that was so long ago it predates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-coren/not-since-ancient-greece-have-cities-been-thought-of-as-the-ideal/) [Giles Coren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-coren/) > [When a rapidly rising power rivals an established ruling power, trouble ensues. In 11 of 15 cases in which this has occurred in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-t-allison/when-a-rapidly-rising-power-rivals-an-established-ruling-power/) [Graham T. Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-t-allison/) [Browse all 110 Ancient greece quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient-greece/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have never met an intelligent optimist. That is not to say I think pessimism makes you intelligent, but I have always felt like an Old Testament Jeremiah or Cassandra from ancient Greece. 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