--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What's Optimism?' asked Cacambo. 'I'm…" description: "\"“What's Optimism?' asked Cacambo. 'I'm afraid to say,' said Candide, 'that it's a mania for insisting that all is well when things are going badly.”\" —..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13d/voltaire-173_optimism_what-s-optimism-asked-cacambo-i-m-afraid_451043.png" --- # What's Optimism?' asked Cacambo. 'I'm afraid to say,' said… ![“What's Optimism?' asked Cacambo. 'I'm afraid to say,' said Candide, 'that it's a mania for insisting that all is well when things are going badly.” quote by Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13d/voltaire-173_optimism_what-s-optimism-asked-cacambo-i-m-afraid_451043.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13d/voltaire-173_optimism_what-s-optimism-asked-cacambo-i-m-afraid_451043.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13d/voltaire-173_optimism_what-s-optimism-asked-cacambo-i-m-afraid_451043.png) > ““What's Optimism?' asked Cacambo. 'I'm afraid to say,' said Candide, 'that it's a mania for insisting that all is well when things are going badly.”” [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Optimism is critiqued as a naive mania that insists everything is fine despite evidence to the contrary. **In simple terms:** Blind optimism ignores reality. Key Takeaway Question optimism, seek balance. Themes philosophy skepticism human nature Mood reflective critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal setbacks - political discourse - health crises - financial markets Key Concepts optimism cognitive bias resilience Questions to Reflect On - What evidence supports your optimism? - When does optimism become denial? A Different Perspective Optimism can be protective, not just delusional. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Candide Mania](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/candide-mania-3936754/) [Mania Insisting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mania-insisting-3936755/) [Optimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimism/) [Optimism Asked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimism-asked-3936753/) [Said Candide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-candide-3173809/) ## Related quotes > [“Is it true that they always laugh in Paris?” said Candide. “Yes,” said the Abbé, “but it means nothing, for they complain of everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/is-it-true-that-they-always-laugh-in-paris-said-candide-yes-said-the/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [“Do you think,” said Candide, “that mankind always massacred one another as they do now? Were they always guilty of lies, fraud, treachery, ingratitude,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/do-you-think-said-candide-that-mankind-always-massacred-one-another/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [“My dear miss," said Candide, "when one is in love, jealous, and has been whipped by the Inquisition, one becomes a stranger to oneself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/my-dear-miss-said-candide-when-one-is-in-love-jealous-and-has-been/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [“Said Candide to Cacambo: My friend, you see how perishable are the riches of this world; there is nothing solid but virtue, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/said-candide-to-cacambo-my-friend-you-see-how-perishable-are-the/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [“Do you believe,' said Candide, 'that men have always massacred each other as they do to-day, that they have always been liars, cheats, traitors,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/do-you-believe-said-candide-that-men-have-always-massacred-each-other/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [“Were you ever in France, Mr. Martin?" said Candide. "Yes," said Martin, "I have been in several provinces. In some one-half of the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/were-you-ever-in-france-mr-martin-said-candide-yes-said-martin-i-have/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [“How many plays have been written in France?' Candide asked the abbe. 'Five or six thousand.' 'That's a lot,' said Candide. 'How many of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/how-many-plays-have-been-written-in-france-candide-asked-the-abbe/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [“Sir, you think doubtless that all is for the best in the moral and physical world, and that nothing could be otherwise than it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/sir-you-think-doubtless-that-all-is-for-the-best-in-the-moral-and/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [You're a bitter man," said Candide. That's because I've lived," said Martin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/you-re-a-bitter-man-said-candide-that-s-because-i-ve-lived-said-martin/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [One day everything will be well, that is our hope. Everything's fine today, that is our illusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/one-day-everything-will-be-well-that-is-our-hope-everything-s-fine/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Oh, dear Hazel.” Aphrodite folded her fan. “Such optimism, yet you have heartrending days ahead of you. Of course war is coming. Love and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/oh-dear-hazel-aphrodite-folded-her-fan-such-optimism-yet-you-have/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [If you can find as much happiness at the bottom of the ladder of success as you can at the top, then you understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-krause/if-you-can-find-as-much-happiness-at-the-bottom-of-the-ladder-of/) [Tom Krause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-krause/) > [Wherever I go I'm always wearing my smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewshy/wherever-i-go-i-m-always-wearing-my-smile/) [Ewshy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewshy/) > [The late 1990s were really a moment of still tremendous hope and optimism about the relationship between Russia and the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-blinken/the-late-1990s-were-really-a-moment-of-still-tremendous-hope-and/) [Antony Blinken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-blinken/) > [Spring training means flowers, people coming outdoors, sunshine, optimism and baseball. Spring training is a time to think about being young again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-banks/spring-training-means-flowers-people-coming-outdoors-sunshine/) [Ernie Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-banks/) ## More by Voltaire > [In every province, the chief occupations, in order of importance, are lovemaking, malicious gossip, and talking nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/in-every-province-the-chief-occupations-in-order-of-importance-are/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Fanaticism, to which men are so much inclined, has always served not only to render them more brutalized but more wicked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/fanaticism-to-which-men-are-so-much-inclined-has-always-served-not/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [History is the study of the world's crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/history-is-the-study-of-the-world-s-crime/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [We’re neither pure, nor wise, nor good; we do the best we know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/we-re-neither-pure-nor-wise-nor-good-we-do-the-best-we-know/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [It is with books as with men: a very small number play a great part, the rest are lost in the multitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/it-is-with-books-as-with-men-a-very-small-number-play-a-great-part/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Meslier was the most singular phenomenon ever seen among all the meteors fatal to the Christian religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/meslier-was-the-most-singular-phenomenon-ever-seen-among-all-the/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Every sensible man, every honorable man, must hold the Christian sect in horror." "Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/every-sensible-man-every-honorable-man-must-hold-the-christian-sect/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Being unable to make people more reasonable, I preferred to be happy away from them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/being-unable-to-make-people-more-reasonable-i-preferred-to-be-happy/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [When his highness sends a ship to Egypt, does he trouble his head whether the mice on board are at their ease or not?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/when-his-highness-sends-a-ship-to-egypt-does-he-trouble-his-head/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Madness is to think of too many things in succession too fast, or of one thing too exclusively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/madness-is-to-think-of-too-many-things-in-succession-too-fast-or-of/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/god-gave-us-the-gift-of-life-it-is-up-to-us-to-give-ourselves-the/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [It is not inequality which is the real misfortune, it is dependence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/it-is-not-inequality-which-is-the-real-misfortune-it-is-dependence/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Providence has given us hope and sleep as a compensation for the many cares of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/providence-has-given-us-hope-and-sleep-as-a-compensation-for-the-many/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Men use thought only to justify their wrong doings, and employ speech only to conceal their thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/men-use-thought-only-to-justify-their-wrong-doings-and-employ-speech/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Work spares us from three evils: boredom, vice, and need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/work-spares-us-from-three-evils-boredom-vice-and-need/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) [Explore all 934 Voltaire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) ## More Optimism quotes > [Spring training means flowers, people coming outdoors, sunshine, optimism and baseball. Spring training is a time to think about being young again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-banks/spring-training-means-flowers-people-coming-outdoors-sunshine/) [Ernie Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-banks/) > [The late 1990s were really a moment of still tremendous hope and optimism about the relationship between Russia and the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-blinken/the-late-1990s-were-really-a-moment-of-still-tremendous-hope-and/) [Antony Blinken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-blinken/) > [Wherever I go I'm always wearing my smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewshy/wherever-i-go-i-m-always-wearing-my-smile/) [Ewshy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewshy/) > [If you can find as much happiness at the bottom of the ladder of success as you can at the top, then you understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-krause/if-you-can-find-as-much-happiness-at-the-bottom-of-the-ladder-of/) [Tom Krause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-krause/) > [Oh, dear Hazel.” Aphrodite folded her fan. “Such optimism, yet you have heartrending days ahead of you. Of course war is coming. Love and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/oh-dear-hazel-aphrodite-folded-her-fan-such-optimism-yet-you-have/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [When everything feels like an uphill struggle, just think of the view from the top.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-everything-feels-like-an-uphill-struggle-just-think-of-the-view/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Hope is not mere optimism; rather, it is moving forward in anticipation of redemption in spite of the improbability of rescue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-b-allender/hope-is-not-mere-optimism-rather-it-is-moving-forward-in-anticipation/) [Dan B. Allender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-b-allender/) > [The still youthful energies of the globe have only to be directed in their proper channel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-still-youthful-energies-of-the-globe-have-only-to-be-directed-in/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [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/) > [Be of good cheer. Do not think of today's failures, but of the success that may come tomorrow. You have set yourselves a difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/be-of-good-cheer-do-not-think-of-today-s-failures-but-of-the-success/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [“Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, focus your energy on what you can create.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-bennett/instead-of-worrying-about-what-you-cannot-control-focus-your-energy/) [Roy Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-bennett/) > [“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/) > [Optimism. It's not just a mind-set, it is behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-elder/optimism-it-s-not-just-a-mind-set-it-is-behavior/) [Larry Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-elder/) > [“There are five important things for living a successful and fulfilling life: never stop dreaming, never stop believing, never give up, never stop trying,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-bennett/there-are-five-important-things-for-living-a-successful-and/) [Roy Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-bennett/) > [Lifes difficulties can seem overwhelming, and you may face times when problems seem encompassing. Dont look back at what youve lost, for the road…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/lifes-difficulties-can-seem-overwhelming-and-you-may-face-times-when/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 2,625 Optimism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What's Optimism?' asked Cacambo. 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