--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One may as well be optimistic. The road…" description: "\"“One may as well be optimistic. The road to catastrophe will be rougher if it's paved with dread.”\" — John Perry Barlow" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21a/john-perry-barlow-9208_being-optimistic_one-may-as-well-be-optimistic-the-road-t_1723669.jpg" --- # One may as well be optimistic. The road to catastrophe… ![“One may as well be optimistic. The road to catastrophe will be rougher if it's paved with dread.” quote by John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21a/john-perry-barlow-9208_being-optimistic_one-may-as-well-be-optimistic-the-road-t_1723669.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21a/john-perry-barlow-9208_being-optimistic_one-may-as-well-be-optimistic-the-road-t_1723669.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21a/john-perry-barlow-9208_being-optimistic_one-may-as-well-be-optimistic-the-road-t_1723669.jpg) > ““One may as well be optimistic. The road to catastrophe will be rougher if it's paved with dread.”” [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Optimism may be futile when the future is paved with fear, as dread makes the path to disaster even more treacherous. **In simple terms:** Optimism can be dangerous if fear dominates the future. Key Takeaway Balance hope with realistic caution. Themes optimism risk future planning Mood cautious pragmatic Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - financial investing - climate policy - personal health decisions Key Concepts psychology philosophy risk assessment Questions to Reflect On - What risks are you overlooking? - How can you temper optimism with realism? A Different Perspective Blind optimism ignores warning signs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being optimistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-optimistic/) [Catastrophe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catastrophe/) [Catastrophe Rougher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catastrophe-rougher-1363010/) [Dread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dread/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Optimistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimistic/) [Optimistic Road](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimistic-road-1363009/) [Paved Dread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paved-dread-1363011/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [There was the natural human survival instinct to be optimistic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-demick/there-was-the-natural-human-survival-instinct-to-be-optimistic/) [Barbara Demick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-demick/) > [The biggest obstacle that you can have is all inside your head, so I try every day to be optimistic and keep dreaming about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-chaparro/the-biggest-obstacle-that-you-can-have-is-all-inside-your-head-so-i/) [Omar Chaparro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-chaparro/) > [We're America, and we have to stop worrying about what happens overseas, and to be optimistic, even though nobody should think we're not going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bloomberg/we-re-america-and-we-have-to-stop-worrying-about-what-happens/) [Michael Bloomberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bloomberg/) > [I think all Americans should be hopeful, and try to be optimistic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/i-think-all-americans-should-be-hopeful-and-try-to-be-optimistic/) [John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/) > [Hope is a state of mind independent of the state of the world. If your heart's full of hope, you can be persistent when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/hope-is-a-state-of-mind-independent-of-the-state-of-the-world-if-your/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [“The heart of man is vulnerable to negativity, but it could be easily fortified with positivity”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/the-heart-of-man-is-vulnerable-to-negativity-but-it-could-be-easily/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [I can't be optimistic. I can be hopeful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-vincent/i-can-t-be-optimistic-i-can-be-hopeful/) [Fay Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-vincent/) > [People prone to joyful anticipation, skilled at obtaining pleasure from looking forward and imagining future happy events, are especially likely to be optimistic and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonja-lyubomirsky/people-prone-to-joyful-anticipation-skilled-at-obtaining-pleasure/) [Sonja Lyubomirsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonja-lyubomirsky/) > [Man often becomes what he believes himself to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/man-often-becomes-what-he-believes-himself-to-be/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [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/) > [You can be fully satisfied with where you are, understanding that you're eternally evolving. When you get into that place of feeling appreciation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/you-can-be-fully-satisfied-with-where-you-are-understanding-that-you/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [Part of what makes America strong is our resilience, tenacity, innovation and our willingness to be optimistic about our future. I know that President…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-jarrett/part-of-what-makes-america-strong-is-our-resilience-tenacity/) [Valerie Jarrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-jarrett/) > [The voice of the intellect is soft one, but it does not rest until it has gained a hearing. Ultimately, after endless rebuffs, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/the-voice-of-the-intellect-is-soft-one-but-it-does-not-rest-until-it/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [You have got to get your power up and do something and not just sit around. Always be optimistic. Always be positive! And ignore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-have-got-to-get-your-power-up-and-do-something-and-not-just-sit/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I am inclined by nature to be optimistic about the capacity of a person to rise higher than he or she has thought possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/i-am-inclined-by-nature-to-be-optimistic-about-the-capacity-of-a/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) ## More by John Perry Barlow > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [“the first responsibility of a human being is to be a better ancestor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/the-first-responsibility-of-a-human-being-is-to-be-a-better-ancestor/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [Our universities are so determined to impose tolerance that they'll expel you for saying what you think and never notice the irony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/our-universities-are-so-determined-to-impose-tolerance-that-they-ll/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [You do not know our culture, our ethics, or the unwritten codes that already provide our society more order than could be obtained by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/you-do-not-know-our-culture-our-ethics-or-the-unwritten-codes-that/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [The real issue is control. The Internet is too widespread to be easily dominated by any single government. By creating a seamless global economic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/the-real-issue-is-control-the-internet-is-too-widespread-to-be-easily/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I don't know that I believe in the supernatural, but I do believe in miracles, and our time together was filled with the events…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/i-don-t-know-that-i-believe-in-the-supernatural-but-i-do-believe-in/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I'm a member of that half of the human race which is inclined to divide the human race into two kinds of people. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/i-m-a-member-of-that-half-of-the-human-race-which-is-inclined-to/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I ... believe that angels, or something like them, sometimes live among us, hidden within our fellow human beings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/i-believe-that-angels-or-something-like-them-sometimes-live-among-us/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I think that humor is part of what saves us from despair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/i-think-that-humor-is-part-of-what-saves-us-from-despair/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I personally think intellectual property is an oxymoron. Physical objects have a completely different natural economy than intellectual goods. It's a tricky thing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/i-personally-think-intellectual-property-is-an-oxymoron-physical/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [Any powerful technology has sauce for the goose and the gander... It's just an extension of humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/any-powerful-technology-has-sauce-for-the-goose-and-the-gander-it-s/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [Art is a service, not a product. Created beauty is a relationship, and a relationship with the Holy at that. Reducing such work to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/art-is-a-service-not-a-product-created-beauty-is-a-relationship-and-a/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [We will create a civilization of the Mind in Cyberspace. May it be more humane and fair than the world your governments have made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/we-will-create-a-civilization-of-the-mind-in-cyberspace-may-it-be/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [Incompetence is a double-edged banana.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/incompetence-is-a-double-edged-banana/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [The first serious infowar is now engaged. The field of battle is WikiLeaks. You are the troops.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/the-first-serious-infowar-is-now-engaged-the-field-of-battle-is/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) [Explore all 74 John Perry Barlow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) ## More Being optimistic quotes > [There was the natural human survival instinct to be optimistic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-demick/there-was-the-natural-human-survival-instinct-to-be-optimistic/) [Barbara Demick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-demick/) > [You have got to get your power up and do something and not just sit around. Always be optimistic. Always be positive! And ignore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-have-got-to-get-your-power-up-and-do-something-and-not-just-sit/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [The voice of the intellect is soft one, but it does not rest until it has gained a hearing. Ultimately, after endless rebuffs, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/the-voice-of-the-intellect-is-soft-one-but-it-does-not-rest-until-it/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [Part of what makes America strong is our resilience, tenacity, innovation and our willingness to be optimistic about our future. I know that President…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-jarrett/part-of-what-makes-america-strong-is-our-resilience-tenacity/) [Valerie Jarrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-jarrett/) > [You can be fully satisfied with where you are, understanding that you're eternally evolving. When you get into that place of feeling appreciation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/you-can-be-fully-satisfied-with-where-you-are-understanding-that-you/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [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/) > [Man often becomes what he believes himself to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/man-often-becomes-what-he-believes-himself-to-be/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [People prone to joyful anticipation, skilled at obtaining pleasure from looking forward and imagining future happy events, are especially likely to be optimistic and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonja-lyubomirsky/people-prone-to-joyful-anticipation-skilled-at-obtaining-pleasure/) [Sonja Lyubomirsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonja-lyubomirsky/) > [I can't be optimistic. I can be hopeful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-vincent/i-can-t-be-optimistic-i-can-be-hopeful/) [Fay Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-vincent/) > [“The heart of man is vulnerable to negativity, but it could be easily fortified with positivity”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/the-heart-of-man-is-vulnerable-to-negativity-but-it-could-be-easily/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [Hope is a state of mind independent of the state of the world. If your heart's full of hope, you can be persistent when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/hope-is-a-state-of-mind-independent-of-the-state-of-the-world-if-your/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [I think all Americans should be hopeful, and try to be optimistic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/i-think-all-americans-should-be-hopeful-and-try-to-be-optimistic/) [John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/) > [We're America, and we have to stop worrying about what happens overseas, and to be optimistic, even though nobody should think we're not going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bloomberg/we-re-america-and-we-have-to-stop-worrying-about-what-happens/) [Michael Bloomberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bloomberg/) > [The biggest obstacle that you can have is all inside your head, so I try every day to be optimistic and keep dreaming about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-chaparro/the-biggest-obstacle-that-you-can-have-is-all-inside-your-head-so-i/) [Omar Chaparro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-chaparro/) > [I am inclined by nature to be optimistic about the capacity of a person to rise higher than he or she has thought possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/i-am-inclined-by-nature-to-be-optimistic-about-the-capacity-of-a/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) [Browse all 86 Being optimistic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-optimistic/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“One may as well be optimistic. 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