--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm not a pessimist at all, but I'm not…" description: "\"I'm not a pessimist at all, but I'm not an optimist, either.\" — Nate Lowman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/nate-lowman-23779_either_i-m-not-a-pessimist-at-all-but-i-m-not-a_2930728.jpg" --- # I'm not a pessimist at all, but I'm not an optimist, either. ![“I'm not a pessimist at all, but I'm not an optimist, either.” quote by Nate Lowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/nate-lowman-23779_either_i-m-not-a-pessimist-at-all-but-i-m-not-a_2930728.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/nate-lowman-23779_either_i-m-not-a-pessimist-at-all-but-i-m-not-a_2930728.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/nate-lowman-23779_either_i-m-not-a-pessimist-at-all-but-i-m-not-a_2930728.jpg) > “I'm not a pessimist at all, but I'm not an optimist, either.” [Nate Lowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-lowman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Neither fully pessimistic nor optimistic; a neutral, realistic stance. **In simple terms:** A balanced view avoids extremes. Key Takeaway Adopt a realistic, hopeful perspective. Themes mindset balance optimism pessimism Mood calm steady Type psychological motivational When to use this quote - decision making - mental health - coaching - philosophy Key Concepts neutralism pragmatism Questions to Reflect On - When do you lean toward optimism? - How can you avoid slipping into pessimism? A Different Perspective Too much neutrality may lead to indecision. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Optimist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimist/) [Pessimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimism/) [Pessimist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimist/) ## Related quotes > [The merchant must be no more pessimist than optimist, since pessimism induces him to hold back his capital but optimism induces him to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/the-merchant-must-be-no-more-pessimist-than-optimist-since-pessimism/) [W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/) > [I always call myself either an optimistic pessimist or a pessimistic optimist - I'm not sure which way it goes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-englander/i-always-call-myself-either-an-optimistic-pessimist-or-a-pessimistic/) [Nathan Englander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-englander/) > [The the question whether I am a pessimist or an optimist, I answer that my knowledge is pessimistic, but my willing and hope are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/the-the-question-whether-i-am-a-pessimist-or-an-optimist-i-answer/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [There's a difference between being a realist and a pessimist and an optimist. I think I'm way more of a realist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quinta-brunson/there-s-a-difference-between-being-a-realist-and-a-pessimist-and-an/) [Quinta Brunson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quinta-brunson/) > [But I am an optimist about Britain; and the difference between an optimist and a pessimist is not that the optimist believes the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/but-i-am-an-optimist-about-britain-and-the-difference-between-an/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [A pessimist is an optimist with experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-wilcox/a-pessimist-is-an-optimist-with-experience/) Colleen Wilcox > [Sometimes a pessimist is only an optimist with extra information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/sometimes-a-pessimist-is-only-an-optimist-with-extra-information/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [The difference between an optimist and a pessimist? An optimist laughs to forget, but a pessimist forgets to laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/the-difference-between-an-optimist-and-a-pessimist-an-optimist-laughs/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [Pessimist: The optimist who didn't arrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/pessimist-the-optimist-who-didn-t-arrive/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I'd rather be an optimist and a fool than a pessimist and right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-d-rather-be-an-optimist-and-a-fool-than-a-pessimist-and-right/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The intelligent investor is a realist who sells to optimists and buys from pessimists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-intelligent-investor-is-a-realist-who-sells-to-optimists-and-buys/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [I'm such a pessimist. I find it impossible to enjoy anything, especially while it's happening. I'm thinking about how to get the next thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-anderson/i-m-such-a-pessimist-i-find-it-impossible-to-enjoy-anything/) [Jacob Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-anderson/) > [“The optimist and the pessimist both die in the end, but each lives is life in a completely different way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-optimist-and-the-pessimist-both-die-in-the-end-but-each-lives-is/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The bottom line on attitude is that a good one helps to increase your possibilities. Pessimists usually get what they expect. So do optimists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/the-bottom-line-on-attitude-is-that-a-good-one-helps-to-increase-your/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [I'm a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-gramsci/i-m-a-pessimist-because-of-intelligence-but-an-optimist-because-of/) [Antonio Gramsci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-gramsci/) ## More by Nate Lowman > [It's nice that I can go down the road of obsessing over this smiley-face bullshit so maybe I can get free from it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-lowman/it-s-nice-that-i-can-go-down-the-road-of-obsessing-over-this-smiley/) [Nate Lowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-lowman/) > [To me, a drop of oil paint or a xerographic dot are the same thing - they're all just language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-lowman/to-me-a-drop-of-oil-paint-or-a-xerographic-dot-are-the-same-thing/) [Nate Lowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-lowman/) > [Language is the most beautiful and destructive thing because it allows you to express yourself, but it totally confuses everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-lowman/language-is-the-most-beautiful-and-destructive-thing-because-it/) [Nate Lowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-lowman/) > [I do believe that I will see the apocalypse in my lifetime. And when it comes, I'm not repenting for anything I've done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-lowman/i-do-believe-that-i-will-see-the-apocalypse-in-my-lifetime-and-when/) [Nate Lowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-lowman/) > [I don't have a great imagination to share something with you that you don't know, so it's about interpreting things - a dialogue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-lowman/i-don-t-have-a-great-imagination-to-share-something-with-you-that-you/) [Nate Lowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-lowman/) > [I think of other artists as generous when I get inspired by their work. That's why I like curating. You don't want to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-lowman/i-think-of-other-artists-as-generous-when-i-get-inspired-by-their/) [Nate Lowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-lowman/) > [There are so many different desires that make you execute an artwork.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-lowman/there-are-so-many-different-desires-that-make-you-execute-an-artwork/) [Nate Lowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-lowman/) > [The night schedule is a crazy pit I fall into most of the time, but I do like it because the buzz of normal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-lowman/the-night-schedule-is-a-crazy-pit-i-fall-into-most-of-the-time-but-i/) [Nate Lowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-lowman/) > [Dead people don't really die. They live on within you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-lowman/dead-people-don-t-really-die-they-live-on-within-you/) [Nate Lowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-lowman/) > [A lot of people use a smiley face when they write letters. But it's this huge insane compulsion, like "I'm happy! I swear!" I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-lowman/a-lot-of-people-use-a-smiley-face-when-they-write-letters-but-it-s/) [Nate Lowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-lowman/) > [For me, Corsica is a place that I visited with my friends, maybe five or six times over the years, and I'm so happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-lowman/for-me-corsica-is-a-place-that-i-visited-with-my-friends-maybe-five/) [Nate Lowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-lowman/) > [I'm really interested in the difference between selfishness and generosity. It confuses me to no end because sometimes it all just feels like pure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-lowman/i-m-really-interested-in-the-difference-between-selfishness-and/) [Nate Lowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-lowman/) > [People have these weird ideas about artists being romantic, generous people, and sometimes I feel like an asshole, a selfish kid, a brat, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-lowman/people-have-these-weird-ideas-about-artists-being-romantic-generous/) [Nate Lowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-lowman/) > [It's a shame when other people's gambling habits change the meaning of paintings or when fluctuations of value start to dictate how people perceive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-lowman/it-s-a-shame-when-other-people-s-gambling-habits-change-the-meaning/) [Nate Lowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-lowman/) > [A lot of the images I use are already out there in the public or in the news. I just steal them or photograph…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-lowman/a-lot-of-the-images-i-use-are-already-out-there-in-the-public-or-in/) [Nate Lowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-lowman/) [Explore all 25 Nate Lowman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-lowman/) ## More Either quotes > [If the polymer chain assumes a helicoidal conformation in the crystalline state, and if it does not contain asymmetric carbon atoms, it can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giulio-natta/if-the-polymer-chain-assumes-a-helicoidal-conformation-in-the/) Giulio Natta > [You can't cheat comedy. You know, it either is going to be there on the day you capture or it's not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-lin/you-can-t-cheat-comedy-you-know-it-either-is-going-to-be-there-on-the/) [Justin Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-lin/) > [In a lot of movies, African-Americans are either maids or slaves, but that's not all they were. We need to show that. And we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/in-a-lot-of-movies-african-americans-are-either-maids-or-slaves-but/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [I've always made it clear that I do not believe that global government is either necessary or feasible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-strong/i-ve-always-made-it-clear-that-i-do-not-believe-that-global/) [Maurice Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-strong/) > [Having children truly ends adolescence. We are all either parents or children: responsibility-takers or those who demand from others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-shapiro/having-children-truly-ends-adolescence-we-are-all-either-parents-or/) [Ben Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-shapiro/) > [My first job paid well for a young attorney. I was making over $50,000, which was more than either of my parents had ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/my-first-job-paid-well-for-a-young-attorney-i-was-making-over-50-000/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [If I weren't an actor, I'd either be a teacher or a critic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-haysbert/if-i-weren-t-an-actor-i-d-either-be-a-teacher-or-a-critic/) [Dennis Haysbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-haysbert/) > [When you make a film, you will either make money or won't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parineeti-chopra/when-you-make-a-film-you-will-either-make-money-or-won-t/) [Parineeti Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parineeti-chopra/) > [Spiritual beings, either from the beginning or soon thereafter, become what they are to be for ever and ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giovanni-pico-della-mirandola/spiritual-beings-either-from-the-beginning-or-soon-thereafter-become/) [Giovanni Pico della Mirandola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giovanni-pico-della-mirandola/) > [I'm a role model now. I didn't know I was gonna have 13-year-old fans, so I've tried to change a few things here and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicki-minaj/i-m-a-role-model-now-i-didn-t-know-i-was-gonna-have-13-year-old-fans/) [Nicki Minaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicki-minaj/) > [Lots of people think it was Jimmy Page who had the first fuzzbox. It wasn't, No! it wasn't me either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-sullivan/lots-of-people-think-it-was-jimmy-page-who-had-the-first-fuzzbox-it/) [Jim Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-sullivan/) > [I just like guys who have an edge to them. But it could go either way. Like, I have been into the surfer blond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-tisdale/i-just-like-guys-who-have-an-edge-to-them-but-it-could-go-either-way/) [Ashley Tisdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-tisdale/) > [If you asked my kids to describe me, they'd go through a whole list of words before even thinking about Parkinson's. And honestly, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/if-you-asked-my-kids-to-describe-me-they-d-go-through-a-whole-list-of/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [The three of us just try put our heads down and stay creative. The awards truly are just cake. It's one of those things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-scott/the-three-of-us-just-try-put-our-heads-down-and-stay-creative-the/) [Hillary Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-scott/) > [On a date night, I always wear a pump with either a baggy jean or a tight pair of black leather pants. I'll wear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camila-morrone/on-a-date-night-i-always-wear-a-pump-with-either-a-baggy-jean-or-a/) [Camila Morrone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camila-morrone/) Browse all 1,860 Either quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm not a pessimist at all, but I'm not an optimist, either.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nate Lowman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-lowman/i-m-not-a-pessimist-at-all-but-i-m-not-an-optimist-either/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Either" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-lowman/i-m-not-a-pessimist-at-all-but-i-m-not-an-optimist-either/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/nate-lowman-23779_either_i-m-not-a-pessimist-at-all-but-i-m-not-a_2930728.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/nate-lowman-23779_either_i-m-not-a-pessimist-at-all-but-i-m-not-a_2930728.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/nate-lowman-23779_either_i-m-not-a-pessimist-at-all-but-i-m-not-a_2930728.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm not a pessimist at all, but I'm not an optimist, either.” — Nate Lowman", "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": "Nate Lowman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-lowman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm not a pessimist at all,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-lowman/i-m-not-a-pessimist-at-all-but-i-m-not-an-optimist-either/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-lowman/i-m-not-a-pessimist-at-all-but-i-m-not-an-optimist-either/#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 } } ] } ```