--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An optimist is a girl who mistakes a…" description: "\"An optimist is a girl who mistakes a bulge for a curve.\" — Ring Lardner" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c8/ring-lardner-27822_curve_an-optimist-is-a-girl-who-mistakes-a-bul_2635827.jpg" --- # An optimist is a girl who mistakes a bulge for a curve. ![“An optimist is a girl who mistakes a bulge for a curve.” quote by Ring Lardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c8/ring-lardner-27822_curve_an-optimist-is-a-girl-who-mistakes-a-bul_2635827.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c8/ring-lardner-27822_curve_an-optimist-is-a-girl-who-mistakes-a-bul_2635827.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c8/ring-lardner-27822_curve_an-optimist-is-a-girl-who-mistakes-a-bul_2635827.jpg) > “An optimist is a girl who mistakes a bulge for a curve.” [Ring Lardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ring-lardner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. An optimist misreads a bulge as a curve, showing optimism can be naive **In simple terms:** Optimism may mistake reality for hope Key Takeaway Recognize optimism’s limits and stay realistic Themes optimism naïveté perception Mood cautious reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - personal decisions - financial planning - health advice Key Concepts psychology cognitive bias Questions to Reflect On - When has optimism misled you? - How can you balance hope with realism? A Different Perspective Blind optimism can lead to poor judgments ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl/) [Mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistakes/) [Optimist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimist/) ## Related quotes > [One of my business partners would remind me that no fashion line lasts forever, that we would hit the down curve eventually, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daymond-john/one-of-my-business-partners-would-remind-me-that-no-fashion-line/) [Daymond John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daymond-john/) > [The world is a bell curve. Classroom test scores, employee performance in a company or how many people really, really like you. No matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sinek/the-world-is-a-bell-curve-classroom-test-scores-employee-performance/) [Simon Sinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sinek/) > [Certainly, I think Canada is many years ahead of the curve and still the great global pioneer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/certainly-i-think-canada-is-many-years-ahead-of-the-curve-and-still/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [“A smile is a curve that can set things straight.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anvita-ahuja/a-smile-is-a-curve-that-can-set-things-straight/) [Anvita Ahuja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anvita-ahuja/) > [“A smile is a curve that sets everything right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillis-diller/a-smile-is-a-curve-that-sets-everything-right/) Phillis Diller > [“There is no subtle way to mention you miss the curve of someone’s ass. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-comeau/there-is-no-subtle-way-to-mention-you-miss-the-curve-of-someone-s-ass/) [Joey Comeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-comeau/) > [Learning ballroom dancing is great for your brain. But it only works for three to six months. After that, you've got all the benefit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nolan-bushnell/learning-ballroom-dancing-is-great-for-your-brain-but-it-only-works/) [Nolan Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nolan-bushnell/) > [A smile is a curve that sets things straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azgraybebly-josland/a-smile-is-a-curve-that-sets-things-straight/) Azgraybebly Josland > [I studied one term of law and then came to realize I had a little better fastball and curve than I did a vocabulary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-lyons/i-studied-one-term-of-law-and-then-came-to-realize-i-had-a-little/) Ted Lyons > [Everywhere you go, mother nature's throwing some curve-ball at you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-teti/everywhere-you-go-mother-nature-s-throwing-some-curve-ball-at-you/) [Joe Teti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-teti/) > [You're gonna get thrown curve balls left and right, and that's just the way it goes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mcmahon/you-re-gonna-get-thrown-curve-balls-left-and-right-and-that-s-just/) [Andrew McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mcmahon/) > [I consciously memorized the speed at which every pitcher in the league threw his fastball, curve, and slider. Then, I'd pick up the speed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-musial/i-consciously-memorized-the-speed-at-which-every-pitcher-in-the/) [Stan Musial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-musial/) > [“A smile is a curve that sets things right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-diller/a-smile-is-a-curve-that-sets-things-right/) [Phyllis Diller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-diller/) > [When we are young, we spend much time and pains in filling our note-books with all definitions of Religion, Love, Poetry, Politics, Art, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/when-we-are-young-we-spend-much-time-and-pains-in-filling-our-note/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I want to throw a faster fastball. I want a sharper curve. I want to improve all my pitches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yu-darvish/i-want-to-throw-a-faster-fastball-i-want-a-sharper-curve-i-want-to/) [Yu Darvish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yu-darvish/) ## More by Ring Lardner > [Shut up,' he explained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ring-lardner/shut-up-he-explained/) [Ring Lardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ring-lardner/) > [Walter Mayer was a hero at a Salvation Army home fire in Cincinnati.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ring-lardner/walter-mayer-was-a-hero-at-a-salvation-army-home-fire-in-cincinnati/) [Ring Lardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ring-lardner/) > [The only real happiness a ballplayer has is when he is playing a ball game and accomplishes something he didn't think he could do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ring-lardner/the-only-real-happiness-a-ballplayer-has-is-when-he-is-playing-a-ball/) [Ring Lardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ring-lardner/) > [“Are you lost, Daddy?" I asked tenderly. "Shut up," he explained.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ring-lardner/are-you-lost-daddy-i-asked-tenderly-shut-up-he-explained/) [Ring Lardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ring-lardner/) > [This story is slightly immoral, but so, I guess, are stories based on truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ring-lardner/this-story-is-slightly-immoral-but-so-i-guess-are-stories-based-on/) [Ring Lardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ring-lardner/) > [I've known what it is to be hungry, but I always went right to a restaurant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ring-lardner/i-ve-known-what-it-is-to-be-hungry-but-i-always-went-right-to-a/) [Ring Lardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ring-lardner/) > [“Although he is a very poor fielder, he is a very poor hitter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ring-lardner/although-he-is-a-very-poor-fielder-he-is-a-very-poor-hitter/) [Ring Lardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ring-lardner/) > [They gave each other a smile with a future in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ring-lardner/they-gave-each-other-a-smile-with-a-future-in-it/) [Ring Lardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ring-lardner/) > [No one, ever, wrote anything as well even after one drink as he would have done without it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ring-lardner/no-one-ever-wrote-anything-as-well-even-after-one-drink-as-he-would/) [Ring Lardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ring-lardner/) > [A good many young writers make the mistake of enclosing a stamped, self-addressed envelope, big enough for the manuscript to come back in. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ring-lardner/a-good-many-young-writers-make-the-mistake-of-enclosing-a-stamped/) [Ring Lardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ring-lardner/) > [Some like them hot,some like them cold. Some like them when they're not to darn old Some like them fat,some like them lean. Some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ring-lardner/some-like-them-hot-some-like-them-cold-some-like-them-when-they-re/) [Ring Lardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ring-lardner/) > [He looked at me as if I were a side dish he hadn't ordered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ring-lardner/he-looked-at-me-as-if-i-were-a-side-dish-he-hadn-t-ordered/) [Ring Lardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ring-lardner/) > [“Then we quit jokeing and he says You have improved a hole lot”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ring-lardner/then-we-quit-jokeing-and-he-says-you-have-improved-a-hole-lot/) [Ring Lardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ring-lardner/) > [“Mr. Fitzgerald is a novelist and Mrs. Fitzgerald is a novelty”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ring-lardner/mr-fitzgerald-is-a-novelist-and-mrs-fitzgerald-is-a-novelty/) [Ring Lardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ring-lardner/) > [“He looked at me as if I was a side dish he hadn't ordered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ring-lardner/he-looked-at-me-as-if-i-was-a-side-dish-he-hadn-t-ordered/) [Ring Lardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ring-lardner/) [Explore all 20 Ring Lardner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ring-lardner/) ## More Curve quotes > [One of my business partners would remind me that no fashion line lasts forever, that we would hit the down curve eventually, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daymond-john/one-of-my-business-partners-would-remind-me-that-no-fashion-line/) [Daymond John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daymond-john/) > [When we are young, we spend much time and pains in filling our note-books with all definitions of Religion, Love, Poetry, Politics, Art, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/when-we-are-young-we-spend-much-time-and-pains-in-filling-our-note/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“A smile is a curve that sets things right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-diller/a-smile-is-a-curve-that-sets-things-right/) [Phyllis Diller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-diller/) > [I consciously memorized the speed at which every pitcher in the league threw his fastball, curve, and slider. Then, I'd pick up the speed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-musial/i-consciously-memorized-the-speed-at-which-every-pitcher-in-the/) [Stan Musial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-musial/) > [You're gonna get thrown curve balls left and right, and that's just the way it goes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mcmahon/you-re-gonna-get-thrown-curve-balls-left-and-right-and-that-s-just/) [Andrew McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mcmahon/) > [Everywhere you go, mother nature's throwing some curve-ball at you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-teti/everywhere-you-go-mother-nature-s-throwing-some-curve-ball-at-you/) [Joe Teti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-teti/) > [I studied one term of law and then came to realize I had a little better fastball and curve than I did a vocabulary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-lyons/i-studied-one-term-of-law-and-then-came-to-realize-i-had-a-little/) Ted Lyons > [A smile is a curve that sets things straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azgraybebly-josland/a-smile-is-a-curve-that-sets-things-straight/) Azgraybebly Josland > [Learning ballroom dancing is great for your brain. But it only works for three to six months. After that, you've got all the benefit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nolan-bushnell/learning-ballroom-dancing-is-great-for-your-brain-but-it-only-works/) [Nolan Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nolan-bushnell/) > [“There is no subtle way to mention you miss the curve of someone’s ass. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-comeau/there-is-no-subtle-way-to-mention-you-miss-the-curve-of-someone-s-ass/) [Joey Comeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-comeau/) > [“A smile is a curve that sets everything right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillis-diller/a-smile-is-a-curve-that-sets-everything-right/) Phillis Diller > [“A smile is a curve that can set things straight.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anvita-ahuja/a-smile-is-a-curve-that-can-set-things-straight/) [Anvita Ahuja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anvita-ahuja/) > [Certainly, I think Canada is many years ahead of the curve and still the great global pioneer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/certainly-i-think-canada-is-many-years-ahead-of-the-curve-and-still/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [The world is a bell curve. Classroom test scores, employee performance in a company or how many people really, really like you. No matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sinek/the-world-is-a-bell-curve-classroom-test-scores-employee-performance/) [Simon Sinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sinek/) > [I want to throw a faster fastball. I want a sharper curve. I want to improve all my pitches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yu-darvish/i-want-to-throw-a-faster-fastball-i-want-a-sharper-curve-i-want-to/) [Yu Darvish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yu-darvish/) Browse all 143 Curve quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "An optimist is a girl who mistakes a bulge for a curve.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ring Lardner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ring-lardner/an-optimist-is-a-girl-who-mistakes-a-bulge-for-a-curve/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Curve" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ring-lardner/an-optimist-is-a-girl-who-mistakes-a-bulge-for-a-curve/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c8/ring-lardner-27822_curve_an-optimist-is-a-girl-who-mistakes-a-bul_2635827.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c8/ring-lardner-27822_curve_an-optimist-is-a-girl-who-mistakes-a-bul_2635827.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c8/ring-lardner-27822_curve_an-optimist-is-a-girl-who-mistakes-a-bul_2635827.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“An optimist is a girl who mistakes a bulge for a curve.” — Ring Lardner", "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": "Ring Lardner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ring-lardner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "An optimist is a girl who...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ring-lardner/an-optimist-is-a-girl-who-mistakes-a-bulge-for-a-curve/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ring-lardner/an-optimist-is-a-girl-who-mistakes-a-bulge-for-a-curve/#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 } } ] } ```