--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When was the last time someone told you…" description: "\"When was the last time someone told you 'Look at the bright side of things' when you were depressed, and you actually paid attention to them? Maybe som..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/360/lev-yilmaz-36244_attention_when-was-the-last-time-someone-told-you_2046637.jpg" --- # When was the last time someone told you 'Look at the… ![“When was the last time someone told you 'Look at the bright side of things' when you were depressed, and you actually paid attention to them? Maybe some people do, but I sure as hell don't.” quote by Lev Yilmaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/360/lev-yilmaz-36244_attention_when-was-the-last-time-someone-told-you_2046637.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/360/lev-yilmaz-36244_attention_when-was-the-last-time-someone-told-you_2046637.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/360/lev-yilmaz-36244_attention_when-was-the-last-time-someone-told-you_2046637.jpg) > “When was the last time someone told you 'Look at the bright side of things' when you were depressed, and you actually paid attention to them? Maybe some people do, but I sure as hell don't.” [Lev Yilmaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-yilmaz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote challenges the effectiveness of optimistic advice during depression, suggesting many ignore it. **In simple terms:** Optimistic advice often goes unheard when depressed. Key Takeaway Recognize when positivity feels dismissive. Themes mental health optimism communication Mood reflective empathetic Type advice personal When to use this quote - therapy sessions - friend conversations - support groups Key Concepts cognitive bias emotional validation Questions to Reflect On - How can you offer support without minimizing feelings? - When does optimism become counterproductive? A Different Perspective Optimism may feel invalidating if not paired with empathy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Bright side](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bright-side/) [Depressed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depressed/) [Depressed Actually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depressed-actually-3836856/) [Depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression/) [Hell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hell/) [Last time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/last-time/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Paid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paid/) [Paid Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paid-attention/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Right side](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-side/) [Sides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sides/) [Things Depressed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-depressed-997145/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Told Look](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/told-look-444903/) ## Related quotes > [To me, I don't write when I'm depressed. If I'm depressed, which is actually rare, I'm not doing anything, you know, and I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cave/to-me-i-don-t-write-when-i-m-depressed-if-i-m-depressed-which-is/) [Nick Cave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cave/) > [When you're in your 20s, your 30s, even, you have - at least, I had - vast ambitions, and you sit around mooning about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/when-you-re-in-your-20s-your-30s-even-you-have-at-least-i-had-vast/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [I really am planning on living to be 100. People ask, "Why are you so depressed?" I'm actually a very happy person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aoife-o-donovan/i-really-am-planning-on-living-to-be-100-people-ask-why-are-you-so/) [Aoife O'Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aoife-o-donovan/) > [The hysterical find too much significance in things. The depressed find too little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-hysterical-find-too-much-significance-in-things-the-depressed/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [I never really knew what they said when they told me to Forgive and Forget. They tell me it's easy. Maybe for them. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brie-cavalinni/i-never-really-knew-what-they-said-when-they-told-me-to-forgive-and/) [Brie Cavalinni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brie-cavalinni/) > [“In every dark cave there is always a bright side too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelleskii/in-every-dark-cave-there-is-always-a-bright-side-too/) [Nelleskii](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelleskii/) > [“Life's a piece of shit, when you look at it, life's a laugh and deat's a joke, it's true: You'll se it's all a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-idle/life-s-a-piece-of-shit-when-you-look-at-it-life-s-a-laugh-and-deat-s/) [Eric Idle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-idle/) > [I do not pretend that I have led a blameless life, or that one fault justifies another, but the public in judging a case…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-kelly/i-do-not-pretend-that-i-have-led-a-blameless-life-or-that-one-fault/) [Ned Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-kelly/) > [We all walk in the dark and each of us must learn to turn on his or her own light.\[so we can see the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/we-all-walk-in-the-dark-and-each-of-us-must-learn-to-turn-on-his-or/) [Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/) > [When you are on the bright side of life, do not forget the people who are on the dark side and remember that man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/when-you-are-on-the-bright-side-of-life-do-not-forget-the-people-who/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Look for positive people and situations. Call a friend who sees the good in others. Spend time with a colleague who affirms the bright…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate/look-for-positive-people-and-situations-call-a-friend-who-sees-the/) [Nate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate/) > [If you can't see the bright side, why ya just need to polish the dull one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-shepard-gray/if-you-can-t-see-the-bright-side-why-ya-just-need-to-polish-the-dull/) [Shelley Shepard Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-shepard-gray/) > [Always look on the bright side...unless you're holding a laser pointing device.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/always-look-on-the-bright-side-unless-you-re-holding-a-laser-pointing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Always look on the bright side..it's worth trying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/always-look-on-the-bright-side-it-s-worth-trying/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We can so educate the will power that it will focus the thoughts upon the bright side of things, and upon objects which elevate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/we-can-so-educate-the-will-power-that-it-will-focus-the-thoughts-upon/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) ## More by Lev Yilmaz > [I don't personally try to balance my work because I operate under the assumption that anyone reading or watching my stuff isn't having a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-yilmaz/i-don-t-personally-try-to-balance-my-work-because-i-operate-under-the/) [Lev Yilmaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-yilmaz/) > [My mom had gotten a Super 8 camera to make home movies with, and my brother and me got our hands on it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-yilmaz/my-mom-had-gotten-a-super-8-camera-to-make-home-movies-with-and-my/) [Lev Yilmaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-yilmaz/) > [Whenever I get the sort of fancy pants idea that I'm doing anything other than pure expression things start to go wrong. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-yilmaz/whenever-i-get-the-sort-of-fancy-pants-idea-that-i-m-doing-anything/) [Lev Yilmaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-yilmaz/) > [One of the primary motivations for the series is that I never really felt that I was a person who could explain verbally what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-yilmaz/one-of-the-primary-motivations-for-the-series-is-that-i-never-really/) [Lev Yilmaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-yilmaz/) > [Even in a gleefully negative comic, there is optimism, although it's slightly hidden: It comes out through a comic character's sheer tenacity. He keeps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-yilmaz/even-in-a-gleefully-negative-comic-there-is-optimism-although-it-s/) [Lev Yilmaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-yilmaz/) > [When you get down to it, at it's root, Comedy is truth, absurdity, and pain. One of my little mottos is: 'Do you remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-yilmaz/when-you-get-down-to-it-at-it-s-root-comedy-is-truth-absurdity-and/) [Lev Yilmaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-yilmaz/) > [I always thought that cemeteries gave me some sense of perspective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-yilmaz/i-always-thought-that-cemeteries-gave-me-some-sense-of-perspective/) [Lev Yilmaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-yilmaz/) > [I came home in the afternoon to sleep, and there was this e-mail from Comedy Central saying they were interested in having me be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-yilmaz/i-came-home-in-the-afternoon-to-sleep-and-there-was-this-e-mail-from/) [Lev Yilmaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-yilmaz/) > [The same sort of thing was supposed to happen when performance animation was invented: Everybody thought it would save so much time. But it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-yilmaz/the-same-sort-of-thing-was-supposed-to-happen-when-performance/) [Lev Yilmaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-yilmaz/) > [People always say you can't win if you don't play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-yilmaz/people-always-say-you-can-t-win-if-you-don-t-play/) [Lev Yilmaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-yilmaz/) > [A lot of people feel that there is less artistry involved in cartoon making unless they have painstaking control of each frame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-yilmaz/a-lot-of-people-feel-that-there-is-less-artistry-involved-in-cartoon/) [Lev Yilmaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-yilmaz/) > [We made satires of everything - news broadcasts and TV shows that we watched. When I look at them now, they are totally amateurish,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-yilmaz/we-made-satires-of-everything-news-broadcasts-and-tv-shows-that-we/) [Lev Yilmaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-yilmaz/) [Explore all 13 Lev Yilmaz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-yilmaz/) ## More Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When was the last time someone told you 'Look at the bright side of things' when you were depressed, and you actually paid attention to them? 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