--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I tend to be a real optimist because I…" description: "\"“I tend to be a real optimist because I just find that pessimism is an indulgence and despair is kind of an insult to the imagination. And you know my ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/197/wade-davis-18196_optimist_i-tend-to-be-a-real-optimist-because-i-j_3117573.jpg" --- # I tend to be a real optimist because I just find that… ![“I tend to be a real optimist because I just find that pessimism is an indulgence and despair is kind of an insult to the imagination. And you know my father always said just do what you need to do and then ask whether it was possible or permissible.” quote by Wade Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/197/wade-davis-18196_optimist_i-tend-to-be-a-real-optimist-because-i-j_3117573.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/197/wade-davis-18196_optimist_i-tend-to-be-a-real-optimist-because-i-j_3117573.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/197/wade-davis-18196_optimist_i-tend-to-be-a-real-optimist-because-i-j_3117573.jpg) > ““I tend to be a real optimist because I just find that pessimism is an indulgence and despair is kind of an insult to the imagination. And you know my father always said just do what you need to do and then ask whether it was possible or permissible.”” [Wade Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-davis/) ## 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 a conscious choice over pessimism; it respects imagination and encourages action within moral limits. **In simple terms:** Optimism respects imagination, avoids despair. Key Takeaway Choose optimism, test possibilities responsibly. Themes optimism imagination ethics Mood inspirational thoughtful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - goal setting - creative brainstorming - risk assessment - personal growth plans Key Concepts psychology of hope moral decision making Questions to Reflect On - When does optimism become denial? - How do you balance hope with realistic planning? A Different Perspective Optimism may ignore real risks if unchecked. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Optimist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimist/) [Optimist Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimist-just-2689957/) [Pessimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimism/) [Pessimism Indulgence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimism-indulgence-5461942/) [Real Optimist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-optimist-1673693/) ## Related quotes > [I'm a real optimist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-sukowa/i-m-a-real-optimist/) [Barbara Sukowa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-sukowa/) > [I'm an optimist, so I think everything can be worked out and fixed. But from having cancer I learned that even if you're even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hoda-kotb/i-m-an-optimist-so-i-think-everything-can-be-worked-out-and-fixed-but/) [Hoda Kotb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hoda-kotb/) > [I remain the optimist: you just do your best and hope for the best. But it's an evolving state of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-remain-the-optimist-you-just-do-your-best-and-hope-for-the-best-but/) [Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/) > [I would say that Barack Obama has always been a real optimist about what can be accomplished. He believes that government can be used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-kantor/i-would-say-that-barack-obama-has-always-been-a-real-optimist-about/) [Jodi Kantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-kantor/) > [“I'm no optimist. I'm just a realist who smiles too much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-reisz/i-m-no-optimist-i-m-just-a-realist-who-smiles-too-much/) [Tiffany Reisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-reisz/) > [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/) > [People have always painted me like a pessimist, like somebody who sees the glass half-empty. But I think the fact that I keep showing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grant/people-have-always-painted-me-like-a-pessimist-like-somebody-who-sees/) [John Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grant/) > [Vision involves optimism and hope. The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty. The pessimist tends to hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-oswald-sanders/vision-involves-optimism-and-hope-the-pessimist-sees-difficulty-in/) [J. Oswald Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-oswald-sanders/) > [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/) > [I've never been an optimist, but that's fine because pessimists have the possibility of being agreeably surprised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/i-ve-never-been-an-optimist-but-that-s-fine-because-pessimists-have/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [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 Wade Davis > [“Even now I am haunted by the touching look of the young, bright, anxious eyes as we passed along the rows of sufferers. There,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-davis/even-now-i-am-haunted-by-the-touching-look-of-the-young-bright/) [Wade Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-davis/) > [Its haunting to realize that half of the languages of the world are teetering on the brink of extinction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-davis/its-haunting-to-realize-that-half-of-the-languages-of-the-world-are/) [Wade Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-davis/) > [We accept it as normal that people who have never been on the land, who have no history or connection to the country, may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-davis/we-accept-it-as-normal-that-people-who-have-never-been-on-the-land/) [Wade Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-davis/) > [Change is no threat to culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-davis/change-is-no-threat-to-culture/) [Wade Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-davis/) > [The measure of a society is not only what it does but the quality of its aspirations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-davis/the-measure-of-a-society-is-not-only-what-it-does-but-the-quality-of/) [Wade Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-davis/) > [Genocide, the physical extinction of a people, is universally condemned, but ethnocide, the destruction of people's way of life, is not only not condemned,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-davis/genocide-the-physical-extinction-of-a-people-is-universally-condemned/) [Wade Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-davis/) > [“What is even more astonishing is that the entire science of wayfinding is based on dead reckoning. You only know where you are by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-davis/what-is-even-more-astonishing-is-that-the-entire-science-of/) [Wade Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-davis/) > [“Marsh had travelled on foot to the source of the Nile and once stood down a charging rhinoceros by intrepidly opening a pink umbrella…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-davis/marsh-had-travelled-on-foot-to-the-source-of-the-nile-and-once-stood/) [Wade Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-davis/) > [The world can only appear monochromatic to those who persist in interpreting what they experience through the lens of a single cultural paradigm, their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-davis/the-world-can-only-appear-monochromatic-to-those-who-persist-in/) [Wade Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-davis/) > [“Risk discomfort and solitude for understanding.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-davis/risk-discomfort-and-solitude-for-understanding/) [Wade Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-davis/) > [Sensitivity to nature is not an innate attribute of indigenous peoples. It is a consequence of adaptive choices that have resulted in the development…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-davis/sensitivity-to-nature-is-not-an-innate-attribute-of-indigenous/) [Wade Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-davis/) > [So be patient. Do not compromise. And give your destiny time to find you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-davis/so-be-patient-do-not-compromise-and-give-your-destiny-time-to-find-you/) [Wade Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-davis/) > [You know, once something freezes, it's solid. That's the key to the arctic - they didn't fear the cold, they made use of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-davis/you-know-once-something-freezes-it-s-solid-that-s-the-key-to-the/) [Wade Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-davis/) > [“These other cultures are not failed attempts to be us; they are unique manifestations of the spirit—other options, other visions of life itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-davis/these-other-cultures-are-not-failed-attempts-to-be-us-they-are-unique/) [Wade Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-davis/) > [The problem is that those of us sympathetic with the plight of indigenous people view them as quaint and colorful, but somehow reduced to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-davis/the-problem-is-that-those-of-us-sympathetic-with-the-plight-of/) [Wade Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-davis/) [Explore all 35 Wade Davis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-davis/) ## More Optimist quotes > [I remain an eternal optimist about love. I believe in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lopez/i-remain-an-eternal-optimist-about-love-i-believe-in-love/) [Jennifer Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lopez/) > [“Oh, it was wicked of me to make him the troublesome thing I was. He should stay always what he was, the happy-go-lucky cheerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-c-andrews/oh-it-was-wicked-of-me-to-make-him-the-troublesome-thing-i-was-he/) [V.C. Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-c-andrews/) > [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/) > [I am an optimist, and I believe that people are inherently good and that if you give everyone a voice and freedom of expression,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-mullenweg/i-am-an-optimist-and-i-believe-that-people-are-inherently-good-and/) [Matt Mullenweg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-mullenweg/) > [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/) > [I am optimistic. But I also know that, with time, I'm beginning to fight issues of aging as well as long-term paralysis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/i-am-optimistic-but-i-also-know-that-with-time-i-m-beginning-to-fight/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [“Tried be cheerful, tried be upbeat, tried not to let my feelings show, not to blame him, not to mind when day after day,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristan-higgins/tried-be-cheerful-tried-be-upbeat-tried-not-to-let-my-feelings-show/) [Kristan Higgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristan-higgins/) > [I am to positive to be doubtful too optimistic too be fearful and too determined too be defeated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-to-positive-to-be-doubtful-too-optimistic-too-be-fearful-and-too/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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/) > [“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/) > [I'm quite an optimist, quite happy in life, quite smiley.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-hawkins/i-m-quite-an-optimist-quite-happy-in-life-quite-smiley/) [Sally Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-hawkins/) > [Nothing that's ever happened has taken away the optimist in me. It's always, "Whatever-let's go to Disneyland." Yes, I have my bleak, tortured-artist moments,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariah-carey/nothing-that-s-ever-happened-has-taken-away-the-optimist-in-me-it-s/) [Mariah Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariah-carey/) > [An optimist is a man who plants two acorns and buys a hammock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-lattre-de-tassigny/an-optimist-is-a-man-who-plants-two-acorns-and-buys-a-hammock/) [Jean de Lattre de Tassigny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-lattre-de-tassigny/) > [If you weren’t an optimist, it would be impossible to be an architect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/if-you-weren-t-an-optimist-it-would-be-impossible-to-be-an-architect/) [Norman Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-foster/) > [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/) [Browse all 951 Optimist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I tend to be a real optimist because I just find that pessimism is an indulgence and despair is kind of an insult to the imagination. 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