---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am a stubborn optimist: I was born an…"
description: "\"I am a stubborn optimist: I was born an optimist and will remain an optimist.\" — Kofi Annan"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02e/kofi-annan-799_born_i-am-a-stubborn-optimist-i-was-born-an-o_940605.png"
---

#  I am a stubborn optimist: I was born an optimist and will…

![“I am a stubborn optimist: I was born an optimist and will remain an optimist.” quote by Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02e/kofi-annan-799_born_i-am-a-stubborn-optimist-i-was-born-an-o_940605.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02e/kofi-annan-799_born_i-am-a-stubborn-optimist-i-was-born-an-o_940605.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02e/kofi-annan-799_born_i-am-a-stubborn-optimist-i-was-born-an-o_940605.png)

> “I am a stubborn optimist: I was born an optimist and will remain an optimist.”

[Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A declaration of steadfast optimism despite challenges, emphasizing personal identity as an optimist.

**In simple terms:** I stay optimistic no matter what.

Key Takeaway

Embrace optimism as a core trait.

Themes

optimism resilience identity

Mood

hopeful determined

Type

motivational philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal growth
- leadership
- crisis management
- team motivation

Key Concepts

self‑belief positive outlook psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- How does optimism affect decision‑making?
- When might optimism become a hindrance?

A Different Perspective

Optimism may ignore harsh realities if unbalanced.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Optimist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimist/)

## Related quotes

> [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/)

> [I remain the optimist: you just do your best and hope for the best. But it's an evolving state of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-remain-the-optimist-you-just-do-your-best-and-hope-for-the-best-but/)

[Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/)

> [I was born in the U.S. This is my country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-korematsu/i-was-born-in-the-u-s-this-is-my-country/)

[Fred Korematsu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-korematsu/)

> [I was born during the Depression in a little community just outside Waco, and I grew up listening to Franklin Roosevelt on the radio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-richards/i-was-born-during-the-depression-in-a-little-community-just-outside/)

[Ann Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-richards/)

> [I was born in Oslo, Norway, but now live in the suburbs of Southwest London, right near the River Thames. It's a lovely part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hanson/i-was-born-in-oslo-norway-but-now-live-in-the-suburbs-of-southwest/)

[Alexander Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hanson/)

> [I was born in Ambala Cantt., but my parents belong to Palwal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sushma-swaraj/i-was-born-in-ambala-cantt-but-my-parents-belong-to-palwal/)

[Sushma Swaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sushma-swaraj/)

> [I was born in New York City. But my family moved when I was still an infant. Except for a year and half when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-konigsburg/i-was-born-in-new-york-city-but-my-family-moved-when-i-was-still-an/)

[E. L. Konigsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-konigsburg/)

> [I was born with a mic in my hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sorrentino/i-was-born-with-a-mic-in-my-hand/)

[Michael Sorrentino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sorrentino/)

> [I was born in New York City in 1926, four years after my parents and my brother migrated to the United States from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fogel/i-was-born-in-new-york-city-in-1926-four-years-after-my-parents-and/)

[Robert Fogel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fogel/)

> [I was born to be a Buckeye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bosa/i-was-born-to-be-a-buckeye/)

[Nick Bosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bosa/)

> [I was born in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1969, in a time and place where no one was saying, 'Look how far we've come,' because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/i-was-born-in-jackson-mississippi-in-1969-in-a-time-and-place-where/)

[Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/)

> [I was born a comic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mooney/i-was-born-a-comic/)

[Paul Mooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mooney/)

> [I'm not gonna do the same, tired, standard 'I was born in a log cabin...' kind of book. There's so much more I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-taylor/i-m-not-gonna-do-the-same-tired-standard-i-was-born-in-a-log-cabin/)

[Corey Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-taylor/)

> [When I was born, my father was governor of Arkansas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-clinton/when-i-was-born-my-father-was-governor-of-arkansas/)

[Chelsea Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-clinton/)

> [I was born with a silver microphone in my mouth, and that was an advantage. My father wrote books and was also a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dimbleby/i-was-born-with-a-silver-microphone-in-my-mouth-and-that-was-an/)

[Jonathan Dimbleby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dimbleby/)

## More by Kofi Annan

> [All our efforts to defeat poverty and pursue sustainable development will be in vain if environmental degradation and natural resource depletion continue unabated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/all-our-efforts-to-defeat-poverty-and-pursue-sustainable-development/)

[Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/)

> [UN peacekeeping operations are now increasingly complex and multi-dimensional, going beyond monitoring a ceasefire to actually bringing failed States back to life, often after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/un-peacekeeping-operations-are-now-increasingly-complex-and-multi/)

[Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/)

> [We were all children once. And we all share the desire for the well-being of our children, which has always been and will continue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/we-were-all-children-once-and-we-all-share-the-desire-for-the-well/)

[Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/)

> [You will recall that for months after 9/11, there was incredible support and sympathy for the US. I really hoped and wished they had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/you-will-recall-that-for-months-after-9-11-there-was-incredible/)

[Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/)

> [A nation has the right to defend itself, but when it comes to the broader issue of peace and security, the legitimacy rests only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/a-nation-has-the-right-to-defend-itself-but-when-it-comes-to-the/)

[Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/)

> [Sometimes when you take a tough action against one side in the conflict, they see you as part of the conflict and they attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/sometimes-when-you-take-a-tough-action-against-one-side-in-the/)

[Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/)

> [Some have suggested that ideally there must be some international body that would treat areas like the Arctic as a global commerce, a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/some-have-suggested-that-ideally-there-must-be-some-international/)

[Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/)

> [In an age of interdependence, global citizenship - based on trust and sense of shared responsibility - is a crucial pillar of progress. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/in-an-age-of-interdependence-global-citizenship-based-on-trust-and/)

[Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/)

> [We knew the Syrian situation was complex and there were lots of divisions, particularly on the side of the opposition... This is a tough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/we-knew-the-syrian-situation-was-complex-and-there-were-lots-of/)

[Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/)

> [The question is the morning after. What sort of Iraq do we wake up to after the bombing? What happens in the region? What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/the-question-is-the-morning-after-what-sort-of-iraq-do-we-wake-up-to/)

[Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/)

> [I laugh a lot inside and outside, and at myself sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/i-laugh-a-lot-inside-and-outside-and-at-myself-sometimes/)

[Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/)

> [Can the state, which represents the whole of society and has the duty of protecting society, fulfill that duty by lowering itself to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/can-the-state-which-represents-the-whole-of-society-and-has-the-duty/)

[Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/)

> [As long as inequality and other social problems plague us, populists will try to exploit them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/as-long-as-inequality-and-other-social-problems-plague-us-populists/)

[Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/)

> [Developing and newer democracies are much more susceptible to the tactics of populists and demagogues - they often do not have strong institutions, free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/developing-and-newer-democracies-are-much-more-susceptible-to-the/)

[Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/)

> [The young and dynamic and idealistic people in the square do not have the chance to organise themselves politically, to be able to follow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/the-young-and-dynamic-and-idealistic-people-in-the-square-do-not-have/)

[Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/)

[Explore all 366 Kofi Annan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/)

## More Born quotes

> [My mother says I didn't open my eyes for eight days after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-taylor/my-mother-says-i-didn-t-open-my-eyes-for-eight-days-after-i-was-born/)

[Elizabeth Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-taylor/)

> [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/)

[Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/)

> [The real world out there isn't nearly as nice as some people prefer it to be, so don't swallow everything your high-born teachers tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-real-world-out-there-isn-t-nearly-as-nice-as-some-people-prefer/)

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

> [Anybody looking for a quiet life has picked the wrong century to born in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anybody-looking-for-a-quiet-life-has-picked-the-wrong-century-to-born/)

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

> [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [I know that in the rap game you've got a lot of people, that come from poverty, was born in poverty and if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-connor/i-know-that-in-the-rap-game-you-ve-got-a-lot-of-people-that-come-from/)

[Jon Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-connor/)

> [Nothing old is ever reborn but neither does it totally disappear. And that which has once been born, will always reappear in a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/nothing-old-is-ever-reborn-but-neither-does-it-totally-disappear-and/)

[Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/)

> [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/)

[Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Must I go bound while you go free Must I love a manwho doesn't love me Must I be born with so little art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/must-i-go-bound-while-you-go-free-must-i-love-a-manwho-doesn-t-love/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [I'm not against gay people. I have a relative who is also gay. We can't help it if they were born that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-pacquiao/i-m-not-against-gay-people-i-have-a-relative-who-is-also-gay-we-can-t/)

[Manny Pacquiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manny-pacquiao/)

> [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [For the glory born of Goodness Never dies, And its flag is not half-masted In the skies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-harte/for-the-glory-born-of-goodness-never-dies-and-its-flag-is-not-half/)

[Bret Harte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-harte/)

> [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/)

[Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/)

> [If you can believe it, Hollywood wanted to change my birthdate. I was born after Valentine's Day, so they wanted to change it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-romero/if-you-can-believe-it-hollywood-wanted-to-change-my-birthdate-i-was/)

[Cesar Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-romero/)

Browse all 11,606 Born quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I am a stubborn optimist: I was born an optimist and will remain an optimist.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Kofi Annan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/i-am-a-stubborn-optimist-i-was-born-an-optimist-and-will-remain-an/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Born"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/i-am-a-stubborn-optimist-i-was-born-an-optimist-and-will-remain-an/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02e/kofi-annan-799_born_i-am-a-stubborn-optimist-i-was-born-an-o_940605.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02e/kofi-annan-799_born_i-am-a-stubborn-optimist-i-was-born-an-o_940605.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02e/kofi-annan-799_born_i-am-a-stubborn-optimist-i-was-born-an-o_940605.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I am a stubborn optimist: I was born an optimist and will remain an optimist.” — Kofi Annan",
                "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": "Kofi Annan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I am a stubborn optimist: I...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/i-am-a-stubborn-optimist-i-was-born-an-optimist-and-will-remain-an/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/i-am-a-stubborn-optimist-i-was-born-an-optimist-and-will-remain-an/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
