---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As idiotic as optimism can sometimes…"
description: "\"As idiotic as optimism can sometimes seem, it has a weird habit of paying off.\" — Michael Lewis"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f90/michael-lewis-705_habit_as-idiotic-as-optimism-can-sometimes-see_2150094.png"
---

#  As idiotic as optimism can sometimes seem, it has a weird…

![“As idiotic as optimism can sometimes seem, it has a weird habit of paying off.” quote by Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f90/michael-lewis-705_habit_as-idiotic-as-optimism-can-sometimes-see_2150094.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f90/michael-lewis-705_habit_as-idiotic-as-optimism-can-sometimes-see_2150094.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f90/michael-lewis-705_habit_as-idiotic-as-optimism-can-sometimes-see_2150094.png)

> “As idiotic as optimism can sometimes seem, it has a weird habit of paying off.”

[Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/)

## 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 appear foolish, yet it often leads to unexpected success through persistence and positive outlook.

**In simple terms:** Optimism can surprisingly bring results.

Key Takeaway

Maintain optimism for hidden benefits.

Themes

optimism success risk

Mood

hopeful analytical

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- entrepreneurship
- personal goals
- investment decisions

Key Concepts

psychology behavioral economics

Questions to Reflect On

- When does optimism become denial?
- How to balance optimism with realism?

A Different Perspective

Optimism can blind to real risks.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habit/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Idiotic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idiotic/) [Idiotic Optimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idiotic-optimism-4515946/) [Optimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimism/) [Optimism Weird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimism-weird-4515945/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Weird Habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weird-habit-4515947/)

## Related quotes

> [I guess I have a weird habit of writing body part metaphors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-mayberry/i-guess-i-have-a-weird-habit-of-writing-body-part-metaphors/)

[Lauren Mayberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-mayberry/)

> [Cultivate the habit of thinking ahead, and of anticipating the necessary and immediate consequences of all your actions… Likewise in your pleasures, ask yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/cultivate-the-habit-of-thinking-ahead-and-of-anticipating-the/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [HYPOTHESES: Evil is boring. Cynicism is idiotic. Fear is a bad habit. Despair is lazy. Joy is fascinating. Love is an act of heroic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-brezsny/hypotheses-evil-is-boring-cynicism-is-idiotic-fear-is-a-bad-habit/)

[Rob Brezsny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-brezsny/)

> [“When Dr. James Young Simpson sought to apply anesthesia to a woman in childbirth, the clergymen of his day foamed at the mouth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/when-dr-james-young-simpson-sought-to-apply-anesthesia-to-a-woman-in/)

[Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lewis/)

> [Nothing could be more idiotic and absurd than the doctrine of the trinity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/nothing-could-be-more-idiotic-and-absurd-than-the-doctrine-of-the/)

[Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/)

> [Most of the people I know who smoke marijuana are not very bright and what they talk about when they're stoned, they think they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andie-macdowell/most-of-the-people-i-know-who-smoke-marijuana-are-not-very-bright-and/)

[Andie MacDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andie-macdowell/)

> [Nothing is more intimidating than an idiotic grin worn by a manifest non-idiot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-frank-russell/nothing-is-more-intimidating-than-an-idiotic-grin-worn-by-a-manifest/)

[Eric Frank Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-frank-russell/)

> [The Contessa was surely way ahead of her time, too, in believing that men were not only usless and idiotic, but downright dangerous. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-contessa-was-surely-way-ahead-of-her-time-too-in-believing-that/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [The object of life is not happiness, but to serve God or the Grail. All of the Grail quests are to serve God. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-johnson/the-object-of-life-is-not-happiness-but-to-serve-god-or-the-grail-all/)

[Robert A. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-johnson/)

> [The dominant propaganda systems have appropriated the term "globalization" to refer to the specific version of international economic integration that they favor, which privileges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-dominant-propaganda-systems-have-appropriated-the-term/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Sniper is a movie whose politics are so ludicrous and idiotic that under normal circumstances it would be beneath criticism. The only thing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-taibbi/sniper-is-a-movie-whose-politics-are-so-ludicrous-and-idiotic-that/)

[Matt Taibbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-taibbi/)

> [“To make a mistake is only human; to persist in a mistake is idiotic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cicero/to-make-a-mistake-is-only-human-to-persist-in-a-mistake-is-idiotic/)

[Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cicero/)

> [People look at the same passage, and one person will say this is the best thing he's ever read, and another person will say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/people-look-at-the-same-passage-and-one-person-will-say-this-is-the/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [People will say you cannot get a job in a down economy. People will say you cannot get a job that you love that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soledad-o-brien/people-will-say-you-cannot-get-a-job-in-a-down-economy-people-will/)

[Soledad O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soledad-o-brien/)

> [“and man, though idiotic, and knowing not what he does, yet full of the sweet things of love and gratitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/and-man-though-idiotic-and-knowing-not-what-he-does-yet-full-of-the/)

[Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/)

## More by Michael Lewis

> [“Crucial decisions are made, today as thousands of years ago, in terms of the intuitive guesses and preferences of a few men in positions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/crucial-decisions-are-made-today-as-thousands-of-years-ago-in-terms/)

[Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/)

> [“You saw someone who reminded you of you, and then you looked for the reasons why you liked him. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/you-saw-someone-who-reminded-you-of-you-and-then-you-looked-for-the/)

[Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/)

> [“At other places management says, ‘Well, gee, fellas, do we really want to bet the ranch on this deal?’ Lewie was not only willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/at-other-places-management-says-well-gee-fellas-do-we-really-want-to/)

[Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/)

> [“BILLY WOULD SAY later that his wife left him because she was unnerved by his intensity—that she could even see it in his hands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/billy-would-say-later-that-his-wife-left-him-because-she-was-unnerved/)

[Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/)

> [“The great thing about baseball players, from the point of view of personal hygiene, is how seldom they break a sweat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/the-great-thing-about-baseball-players-from-the-point-of-view-of/)

[Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/)

> [There was but one question he left unasked, and it vibrated between his lines: if gross miscalculations of a person's value could occur on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/there-was-but-one-question-he-left-unasked-and-it-vibrated-between/)

[Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/)

> [“The author refers to a player's affected nonchalance and comments he is, "too young to realize you are what you pretend to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/the-author-refers-to-a-player-s-affected-nonchalance-and-comments-he/)

[Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/)

> [A banking system is an act of faith: it survives only for as long as people believe it will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/a-banking-system-is-an-act-of-faith-it-survives-only-for-as-long-as/)

[Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/)

> [Some coaches believed they could judge a player's performance simply by watching it. In this they were deeply mistaken. The naked eye was an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/some-coaches-believed-they-could-judge-a-player-s-performance-simply/)

[Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/)

> [“No longer were the prices of ordinary mortgage bonds allowed to roam inefficiently, for they were now linked to the CMO market, in much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/no-longer-were-the-prices-of-ordinary-mortgage-bonds-allowed-to-roam/)

[Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/)

> [“The difference between Strauss and Ranieri?” says one trader still at Salomon. “That’s easy. Strauss wouldn’t stoop to use the men’s room on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/the-difference-between-strauss-and-ranieri-says-one-trader-still-at/)

[Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/)

> [“The only inexplicable aspect of the process was that economic theory (which is, after all, what economics students were supposed to know) served almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/the-only-inexplicable-aspect-of-the-process-was-that-economic-theory/)

[Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/)

> [“It's not easy to stand apart from mass hysteria - to believe that most of what's in the financial news is wrong, to believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/it-s-not-easy-to-stand-apart-from-mass-hysteria-to-believe-that-most/)

[Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/)

> [“Dont worry about where i am , i'll let you know when i get there .”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/dont-worry-about-where-i-am-i-ll-let-you-know-when-i-get-there/)

[Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/)

> [“Someone out there was using the fact that stock market orders arrived at different times at different exchanges to front-run orders from one market…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/someone-out-there-was-using-the-fact-that-stock-market-orders-arrived/)

[Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/)

[Explore all 398 Michael Lewis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/)

## More Habit quotes

> [I would drink gallons of coffee a day. Even now, off caffeine, I talk faster than anyone you've ever met. I finally recognized that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-englander/i-would-drink-gallons-of-coffee-a-day-even-now-off-caffeine-i-talk/)

[Nathan Englander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-englander/)

> [We need to discover all over again that worship is natural to the Christian, as it was to the godly Israelites who wrote the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer/we-need-to-discover-all-over-again-that-worship-is-natural-to-the/)

[J. I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/)

> [Chaos often breeds life, when order breeds habit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/chaos-often-breeds-life-when-order-breeds-habit/)

[Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/)

> [“A lot of habitually creative people have preparation rituals linked to the setting in which they choose to start their day. By putting themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/a-lot-of-habitually-creative-people-have-preparation-rituals-linked/)

[Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/)

> [One of the noblest words in our language is "grace," defined as "unearned blessing." We live by grace far more than by anything else.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-elton-trueblood/one-of-the-noblest-words-in-our-language-is-grace-defined-as-unearned/)

[D. Elton Trueblood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-elton-trueblood/)

> [Cultivate the habit of thinking ahead, and of anticipating the necessary and immediate consequences of all your actions… Likewise in your pleasures, ask yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/cultivate-the-habit-of-thinking-ahead-and-of-anticipating-the/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [“Habits form and habits grow, Then some time later, habits go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tito-rajarshi-mukhopadhyay/habits-form-and-habits-grow-then-some-time-later-habits-go/)

[Tito Rajarshi Mukhopadhyay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tito-rajarshi-mukhopadhyay/)

> [It is a good practice to write at least on page of mantra daily. Many people get better concentration by writing than by chanting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/it-is-a-good-practice-to-write-at-least-on-page-of-mantra-daily-many/)

[Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/)

> [I feel that between my experience and my mother's, breast cancer is a little bit like someone who lives next door. I know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-nixon/i-feel-that-between-my-experience-and-my-mother-s-breast-cancer-is-a/)

[Cynthia Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-nixon/)

> [Thirty days is just about the right amount of time to add a new habit or subtract a habit - like watching the news…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-cutts/thirty-days-is-just-about-the-right-amount-of-time-to-add-a-new-habit/)

[Matt Cutts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-cutts/)

> [Working at home is hard. It tends to give you bad habits. It feels more like you're going to work when you get up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beaton/working-at-home-is-hard-it-tends-to-give-you-bad-habits-it-feels-more/)

[Kate Beaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beaton/)

> [There are two sorts of content; one is connected with exertion, the other with habits of indolence. The first is a virtue; the other,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-edgeworth/there-are-two-sorts-of-content-one-is-connected-with-exertion-the/)

[Maria Edgeworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-edgeworth/)

> [The DMK and the Communists may have the habit of lying, but I don't come from a family that lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamilisai-soundararajan/the-dmk-and-the-communists-may-have-the-habit-of-lying-but-i-don-t/)

[Tamilisai Soundararajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamilisai-soundararajan/)

> [Lust indulged became habit, and habit unresisted became necessity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/lust-indulged-became-habit-and-habit-unresisted-became-necessity/)

[Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/)

> [I don't analyze what I'm doing. I've read convincing interpretations of my work, and sometimes I've noticed something that I wasn't aware of, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-sherman/i-don-t-analyze-what-i-m-doing-i-ve-read-convincing-interpretations/)

[Cindy Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-sherman/)

[Browse all 4,726 Habit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habit/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "As idiotic as optimism can sometimes seem, it has a weird habit of paying off.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michael Lewis"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/as-idiotic-as-optimism-can-sometimes-seem-it-has-a-weird-habit-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Habit"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/as-idiotic-as-optimism-can-sometimes-seem-it-has-a-weird-habit-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f90/michael-lewis-705_habit_as-idiotic-as-optimism-can-sometimes-see_2150094.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f90/michael-lewis-705_habit_as-idiotic-as-optimism-can-sometimes-see_2150094.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f90/michael-lewis-705_habit_as-idiotic-as-optimism-can-sometimes-see_2150094.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“As idiotic as optimism can sometimes seem, it has a weird habit of paying off.” — Michael Lewis",
                "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": "Michael Lewis",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "As idiotic as optimism can sometimes...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/as-idiotic-as-optimism-can-sometimes-seem-it-has-a-weird-habit-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/as-idiotic-as-optimism-can-sometimes-seem-it-has-a-weird-habit-of/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
