--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I’ll tell you what makes me optimistic…" description: "\"“I’ll tell you what makes me optimistic, is that this country is still full of people who just didn’t get the word. And they are starting things and in..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51e/thomas-friedman-1784_america_i-ll-tell-you-what-makes-me-optimistic-i_2468708.jpg" --- # I’ll tell you what makes me optimistic, is that this… ![“I’ll tell you what makes me optimistic, is that this country is still full of people who just didn’t get the word. And they are starting things and inventing things and creating things and organizing things. If you want to be an optimist about America, stand on your head. You look at this country…” quote by Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51e/thomas-friedman-1784_america_i-ll-tell-you-what-makes-me-optimistic-i_2468708.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51e/thomas-friedman-1784_america_i-ll-tell-you-what-makes-me-optimistic-i_2468708.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51e/thomas-friedman-1784_america_i-ll-tell-you-what-makes-me-optimistic-i_2468708.jpg) > ““I’ll tell you what makes me optimistic, is that this country is still full of people who just didn’t get the word. And they are starting things and inventing things and creating things and organizing things. If you want to be an optimist about America, stand on your head. You look at this country from the bottom up. You see the potential. We’re like a space shuttle, all that thrust coming from below. But right now the booster rocket, Washington, D.C., is cracked and leaking energy. And the pilots in the cockpit are fighting over the flight plan. So we can’t achieve the escape velocity we need now to get to the next level. You fix those things, we take off.”” [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Optimism about America comes from grassroots innovators despite failing federal leadership, requiring systemic fixes to unleash potential. **In simple terms:** People’s creativity can lift the nation, but government problems hold it back. Key Takeaway Fix leadership, unleash grassroots energy. Themes optimism innovation politics leadership potential Mood hopeful critical inspirational Type political motivational analytical When to use this quote - Community projects - startup ecosystems - public policy reform - civic engagement - education initiatives Key Concepts Grassroots creativity systemic failure national potential Questions to Reflect On - What reforms could repair the "booster rocket"? - How can citizens amplify bottom‑up momentum? A Different Perspective Government inefficiency may limit progress even with strong grassroots. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Makes Optimistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/makes-optimistic-736456/) [Next level](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next-level/) [Optimist America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimist-america-736454/) [Optimistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimistic/) [Optimistic Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimistic-country-736452/) [Right now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-now/) [Space shuttle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space-shuttle/) [Want Optimist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-optimist-736458/) ## Related quotes > [Life doesn't always end up where you want it to go; you have to be an optimist and keep moving forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tinsley-mortimer/life-doesn-t-always-end-up-where-you-want-it-to-go-you-have-to-be-an/) [Tinsley Mortimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tinsley-mortimer/) > [I've always been very hopeful which I guess isn't strange coming from me. I don't want to call myself an optimist. I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-ve-always-been-very-hopeful-which-i-guess-isn-t-strange-coming-from/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [I am an optimist about America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-lewis/i-am-an-optimist-about-america/) [Anthony Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-lewis/) > [We've seen what can be accomplished when we use 50% of our human capacity. If you visualize what 100% can do, you'll join me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/we-ve-seen-what-can-be-accomplished-when-we-use-50-of-our-human/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [Let the message go out - a new generation has taken charge of Labour which is optimistic about our country, optimistic about our world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-miliband/let-the-message-go-out-a-new-generation-has-taken-charge-of-labour/) [Ed Miliband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-miliband/) > [I'm not optimistic for my country. I don't see how we're ever going to project our influence and our standing and our power outside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-soames/i-m-not-optimistic-for-my-country-i-don-t-see-how-we-re-ever-going-to/) [Nicholas Soames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-soames/) > [“I fell asleep smiling, fully at ease with the ludicrous prospect of spending the rest of my life with this one, single person. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-maum/i-fell-asleep-smiling-fully-at-ease-with-the-ludicrous-prospect-of/) [Courtney Maum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-maum/) > [I'm optimistic about the country; I'm optimistic about the American people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-schultz/i-m-optimistic-about-the-country-i-m-optimistic-about-the-american/) [Howard Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-schultz/) > [The thing that makes me most optimistic is China and India - both of them doing well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/the-thing-that-makes-me-most-optimistic-is-china-and-india-both-of-2/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [The thing that makes me most optimistic is China and India - both of them doing well. It's amazing how much progress there's been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/the-thing-that-makes-me-most-optimistic-is-china-and-india-both-of/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [“love doesn’t make you blind, it makes you optimistic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-maum/love-doesn-t-make-you-blind-it-makes-you-optimistic/) [Courtney Maum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-maum/) > [I think one of the laughable things about poor old Brexit is that they're so cross - they're furious with everyone. But this isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-soames/i-think-one-of-the-laughable-things-about-poor-old-brexit-is-that/) [Nicholas Soames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-soames/) > [“The Congresswoman was depressed by the fact that a woman of her standing could no longer count on making it to the rest room…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-giffords/the-congresswoman-was-depressed-by-the-fact-that-a-woman-of-her/) [Gabrielle Giffords](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-giffords/) > [My first mission was six and a half months. We weren't exactly sure how long it was going to be because I went up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunita-williams/my-first-mission-was-six-and-a-half-months-we-weren-t-exactly-sure/) [Sunita Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunita-williams/) > [No, I think most astronauts recognize that the space shuttle program is very high-risk, and are prepared for accidents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-ride/no-i-think-most-astronauts-recognize-that-the-space-shuttle-program/) [Sally Ride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-ride/) ## More by Thomas Friedman > [I'm pretty much an open book. I am a fanatic golfer and golf nut. If I have three free hours any day, my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/i-m-pretty-much-an-open-book-i-am-a-fanatic-golfer-and-golf-nut-if-i/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [The financial crisis just made the hole deeper, which is why our stimulus needs to be both big and smart, both financially and educationally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/the-financial-crisis-just-made-the-hole-deeper-which-is-why-our/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Many jobs at Google require math, computing, and coding skills, so if your good grades truly reflect skills in those areas that you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/many-jobs-at-google-require-math-computing-and-coding-skills-so-if/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Never before in the history of the planet have so many people, on their own, had the ability to find so much information about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/never-before-in-the-history-of-the-planet-have-so-many-people-on/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [When I was growing up, my parents told me, 'Finish your dinner. People in China and India are starving.' I tell my daughters, 'Finish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/when-i-was-growing-up-my-parents-told-me-finish-your-dinner-people-in/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Hillary Clinton has decided to line up with John McCain in pushing to suspend the federal excise tax on gasoline, 18.4 cents a gallon,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/hillary-clinton-has-decided-to-line-up-with-john-mccain-in-pushing-to/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Two things are going on at the same time with the flattening of the world: The relentless quest for efficiency is squeezing some of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/two-things-are-going-on-at-the-same-time-with-the-flattening-of-the/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Our president's latest energy initiative was to go to Saudi Arabia and beg King Abdullah to give us a little relief on gasoline prices.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/our-president-s-latest-energy-initiative-was-to-go-to-saudi-arabia/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [I don't think the Arab Spring had much to do with energy. I think it was just the opposite, in fact. I think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/i-don-t-think-the-arab-spring-had-much-to-do-with-energy-i-think-it/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Until we fully understand what turned two brothers who allegedly perpetrated the Boston Marathon bombings into murderers, it is hard to make any policy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/until-we-fully-understand-what-turned-two-brothers-who-allegedly/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Geopolitics is all about leverage. We cannot make ourselves safer abroad unless we change our behavior at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/geopolitics-is-all-about-leverage-we-cannot-make-ourselves-safer/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Big breakthroughs happen when what is suddenly possible meets what is desperately needed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/big-breakthroughs-happen-when-what-is-suddenly-possible-meets-what-is/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [That's right-the striking thing about greenhouse gases is the diversity of sources that emit them. A herd of cattle belching can be worse than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/that-s-right-the-striking-thing-about-greenhouse-gases-is-the/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [There is something more severe than the problem with Thomas Friedman, which can be generalized to represent someone causing action while being completely unaccountable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/there-is-something-more-severe-than-the-problem-with-thomas-friedman/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [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/) [Explore all 208 Thomas Friedman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) [Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I’ll tell you what makes me optimistic, is that this country is still full of people who just didn’t get the word. And they are starting things and inventing things and creating things and organizing things. If you want to be an optimist about America, stand on your head. You look at this country from the bottom up. You see the potential. We’re like a space shuttle, all that thrust coming from below. But right now the booster rocket, Washington, D.C., is cracked and leaking energy. And the pilots in the cockpit are fighting over the flight plan. So we can’t achieve the escape velocity we need now to get to the next level. 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