--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Either they were stupid, or they were…" description: "\"“Either they were stupid, or they were optimists. Most likely both. \"I will outlive you all,\" I muttered under my breath.”\" — Susin Nielsen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72a/susin-nielsen-68715_optimists_either-they-were-stupid-or-they-were-opt_2319811.jpg" --- # Either they were stupid, or they were optimists. Most… ![“Either they were stupid, or they were optimists. Most likely both. "I will outlive you all," I muttered under my breath.” quote by Susin Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72a/susin-nielsen-68715_optimists_either-they-were-stupid-or-they-were-opt_2319811.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72a/susin-nielsen-68715_optimists_either-they-were-stupid-or-they-were-opt_2319811.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72a/susin-nielsen-68715_optimists_either-they-were-stupid-or-they-were-opt_2319811.jpg) > ““Either they were stupid, or they were optimists. Most likely both. "I will outlive you all," I muttered under my breath.”” [Susin Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susin-nielsen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often mistake optimism for foolishness, yet both can coexist; confidence about outliving others reflects hubris. **In simple terms:** Optimism can seem foolish; confidence may be hubris. Key Takeaway Recognize the line between optimism and overconfidence. Themes optimism hubris confidence Mood reflective critical Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - personal reflection - leadership decisions - public speaking Key Concepts psychology self-awareness Questions to Reflect On - Do you balance optimism with realism? - How does hubris affect decision making? A Different Perspective Overconfidence can blind one to realistic risks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Muttered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/muttered/) [Optimists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimists/) [Optimists Likely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimists-likely-5542115/) [Outlive Muttered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outlive-muttered-5542114/) [Stupid Optimists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupid-optimists-5542113/) ## Related quotes > [“...studies show that in general, optimists die ten years earlier than pessimists." "I find that hard to believe" "Of course you do, you're an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susin-nielsen/studies-show-that-in-general-optimists-die-ten-years-earlier-than/) [Susin Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susin-nielsen/) > [Optimists and pessimists die the exact same death, but they live very different lives!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/optimists-and-pessimists-die-the-exact-same-death-but-they-live-very/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [“And truthfully, when microbiologists talk amongst ourselves, off the record after a few glasses of wine, the optimists admit their optimism is more wishful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-chercover/and-truthfully-when-microbiologists-talk-amongst-ourselves-off-the/) [Sean Chercover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-chercover/) > [Pessimists are usually right and optimists are usually wrong but all the great changes have been accomplished by optimists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/pessimists-are-usually-right-and-optimists-are-usually-wrong-but-all/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [“Optimists see the glass as half full. Pessimists see the glass as half empty. Experiential trainers see the whole glass and its context.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bogdan-vaida/optimists-see-the-glass-as-half-full-pessimists-see-the-glass-as-half/) [Bogdan Vaida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bogdan-vaida/) > [...the incontestable truth is that America has been built up by optimists, not by pessimists, but by men possessing courage, confidence in the nation's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/the-incontestable-truth-is-that-america-has-been-built-up-by/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Pessimists fear becoming the dupes of Hope. Optimists enjoy Hope's company, and consider being duped no great matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/pessimists-fear-becoming-the-dupes-of-hope-optimists-enjoy-hope-s/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [But black folks have never really been optimists. We've been prisoners of hope, and hope is qualitatively different from optimism in the way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/but-black-folks-have-never-really-been-optimists-we-ve-been-prisoners/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [In this world, the optimists have it, not because they are always right, but because they are positive. Even when they are wrong they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-landes/in-this-world-the-optimists-have-it-not-because-they-are-always-right/) [David Landes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-landes/) > [There would be a lot more optimists if it weren't for the rise-and-shine requierement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/there-would-be-a-lot-more-optimists-if-it-weren-t-for-the-rise-and/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [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/) > [“There are a good many people always buoyant in spirit and mirthful in appearance as if born optimists. There are also no fewer persons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/there-are-a-good-many-people-always-buoyant-in-spirit-and-mirthful-in/) [Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) > [Both my wife and I are optimists and we look at the positives in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fogle/both-my-wife-and-i-are-optimists-and-we-look-at-the-positives-in-life/) [Ben Fogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fogle/) > [“How little one is justified in speaking in this connection of "optimism" and "pessimism" and how much the characterization of liberalism as "optimistic" aims…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/how-little-one-is-justified-in-speaking-in-this-connection-of/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [“History has a cruel way of disappointing optimists.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-thompson/history-has-a-cruel-way-of-disappointing-optimists/) [Keith Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-thompson/) ## More by Susin Nielsen > [“Okay, even if we disagree on that point, we still need to keep living our lives, don't we?...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susin-nielsen/okay-even-if-we-disagree-on-that-point-we-still-need-to-keep-living/) [Susin Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susin-nielsen/) > [“I don't think it's gross. I think it's kind of beautiful. Everything, and everyone, is interconnected.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susin-nielsen/i-don-t-think-it-s-gross-i-think-it-s-kind-of-beautiful-everything/) [Susin Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susin-nielsen/) > [“...studies show that in general, optimists die ten years earlier than pessimists." "I find that hard to believe" "Of course you do, you're an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susin-nielsen/studies-show-that-in-general-optimists-die-ten-years-earlier-than/) [Susin Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susin-nielsen/) [Explore all 4 Susin Nielsen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susin-nielsen/) ## More Optimists quotes > [“History has a cruel way of disappointing optimists.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-thompson/history-has-a-cruel-way-of-disappointing-optimists/) [Keith Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-thompson/) > [“How little one is justified in speaking in this connection of "optimism" and "pessimism" and how much the characterization of liberalism as "optimistic" aims…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/how-little-one-is-justified-in-speaking-in-this-connection-of/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [Both my wife and I are optimists and we look at the positives in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fogle/both-my-wife-and-i-are-optimists-and-we-look-at-the-positives-in-life/) [Ben Fogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fogle/) > [“There are a good many people always buoyant in spirit and mirthful in appearance as if born optimists. There are also no fewer persons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/there-are-a-good-many-people-always-buoyant-in-spirit-and-mirthful-in/) [Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) > [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/) > [There would be a lot more optimists if it weren't for the rise-and-shine requierement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/there-would-be-a-lot-more-optimists-if-it-weren-t-for-the-rise-and/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [In this world, the optimists have it, not because they are always right, but because they are positive. Even when they are wrong they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-landes/in-this-world-the-optimists-have-it-not-because-they-are-always-right/) [David Landes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-landes/) > [But black folks have never really been optimists. We've been prisoners of hope, and hope is qualitatively different from optimism in the way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/but-black-folks-have-never-really-been-optimists-we-ve-been-prisoners/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Pessimists fear becoming the dupes of Hope. Optimists enjoy Hope's company, and consider being duped no great matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/pessimists-fear-becoming-the-dupes-of-hope-optimists-enjoy-hope-s/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [...the incontestable truth is that America has been built up by optimists, not by pessimists, but by men possessing courage, confidence in the nation's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/the-incontestable-truth-is-that-america-has-been-built-up-by/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [“Optimists see the glass as half full. Pessimists see the glass as half empty. Experiential trainers see the whole glass and its context.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bogdan-vaida/optimists-see-the-glass-as-half-full-pessimists-see-the-glass-as-half/) [Bogdan Vaida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bogdan-vaida/) > [Pessimists are usually right and optimists are usually wrong but all the great changes have been accomplished by optimists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/pessimists-are-usually-right-and-optimists-are-usually-wrong-but-all/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [“And truthfully, when microbiologists talk amongst ourselves, off the record after a few glasses of wine, the optimists admit their optimism is more wishful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-chercover/and-truthfully-when-microbiologists-talk-amongst-ourselves-off-the/) [Sean Chercover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-chercover/) > [Optimists and pessimists die the exact same death, but they live very different lives!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/optimists-and-pessimists-die-the-exact-same-death-but-they-live-very/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [Some people would say comedy draws from some dark places, from your dark stuff. Life's great optimists aren't necessarily the funniest people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-firth/some-people-would-say-comedy-draws-from-some-dark-places-from-your/) [Colin Firth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-firth/) [Browse all 104 Optimists quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimists/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Either they were stupid, or they were optimists. 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