--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Pessimists beat their heads against…" description: "\"Pessimists beat their heads against walls, while optimists open doors.\" — Wes Fesler" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f10/wes-fesler-2759_beats_pessimists-beat-their-heads-against-wall_2161770.png" --- # Pessimists beat their heads against walls, while optimists… ![“Pessimists beat their heads against walls, while optimists open doors.” quote by Wes Fesler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f10/wes-fesler-2759_beats_pessimists-beat-their-heads-against-wall_2161770.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f10/wes-fesler-2759_beats_pessimists-beat-their-heads-against-wall_2161770.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f10/wes-fesler-2759_beats_pessimists-beat-their-heads-against-wall_2161770.png) > “Pessimists beat their heads against walls, while optimists open doors.” [Wes Fesler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-fesler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Optimists create opportunities; pessimists waste effort on obstacles. **In simple terms:** Optimism opens doors, pessimism blocks them. Key Takeaway Adopt an optimistic approach. Themes optimism pessimism action opportunity Mood hopeful pragmatic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - goal setting - leadership - personal development Key Concepts Cognitive bias motivation problem solving Questions to Reflect On - When is caution preferable? - How balance optimism with realism? A Different Perspective Optimism may overlook real risks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Optimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimism/) [Optimist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimist/) [Optimists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimists/) [Pessimist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimist/) [Pessimists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimists/) [Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [Life is not meant more for the pessimists but for the optimists who see life in every moment and feel every moment in life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-not-meant-more-for-the-pessimists-but-for-the-optimists-who/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Human beings are designed to be local optimists and global pessimists.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-diamandis/human-beings-are-designed-to-be-local-optimists-and-global-pessimists/) [Peter H. Diamandis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-diamandis/) > [Pessimists see problems as stemming from stable and universal causes, thus making them less susceptible to corrective action. Optimists, in contrast, view problems as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosabeth-moss-kanter/pessimists-see-problems-as-stemming-from-stable-and-universal-causes/) [Rosabeth Moss Kanter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosabeth-moss-kanter/) > [As a bull market turns into a bear market, the new pros turn into optimists, hoping and praying the bear market will become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/as-a-bull-market-turns-into-a-bear-market-the-new-pros-turn-into/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [“Optimists see opportunities. Pessimists refuse to look.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-fritz/optimists-see-opportunities-pessimists-refuse-to-look/) [Roger Fritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-fritz/) > [The defining characteristic of pessimists is that they tend to believe that bad events will last a long time, will undermine everything they do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/the-defining-characteristic-of-pessimists-is-that-they-tend-to/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [“A handsome young lady of quality,' a parable in Mahaparinirvana-sutra tells us, 'who carries with her an immense treasure is ever accompanied by her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/a-handsome-young-lady-of-quality-a-parable-in-mahaparinirvana-sutra/) [Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) > [“the reason why pessimists are recruited among former optimists, since in order to have a black picture of the world it is necessary to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernesto-sabato/the-reason-why-pessimists-are-recruited-among-former-optimists-since/) [Ernesto Sabato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernesto-sabato/) > [Pessimists see a problem behind every opportunity. Optimists see an opportunity behind every problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/pessimists-see-a-problem-behind-every-opportunity-optimists-see-an/) [Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/) > [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/) > [“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 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/) > [“We are not optimists because we can predict a bright and beautiful future, but we're not pessimists either, because the future is unknown and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ayers/we-are-not-optimists-because-we-can-predict-a-bright-and-beautiful/) [William Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ayers/) ## More by Wes Fesler > [Sometimes the greatest victories we can make for mankind are the victories we make over ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-fesler/sometimes-the-greatest-victories-we-can-make-for-mankind-are-the/) [Wes Fesler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-fesler/) > [Commitment is taking the first step, even if it means falling the rest of the way down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-fesler/commitment-is-taking-the-first-step-even-if-it-means-falling-the-rest/) [Wes Fesler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-fesler/) > [Being assertive in the home does not produce any smiling faces, but it does bring out a few tongues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-fesler/being-assertive-in-the-home-does-not-produce-any-smiling-faces-but-it/) [Wes Fesler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-fesler/) > [More is required than a common last name to truly be called a family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-fesler/more-is-required-than-a-common-last-name-to-truly-be-called-a-family/) [Wes Fesler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-fesler/) > [Ignorance speaks loudly, so as to be heard; but its volume proves reason to doubt every word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-fesler/ignorance-speaks-loudly-so-as-to-be-heard-but-its-volume-proves/) [Wes Fesler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-fesler/) > [I am proactive in every duty, except that which requires action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-fesler/i-am-proactive-in-every-duty-except-that-which-requires-action/) [Wes Fesler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-fesler/) > [When the world grinds you down, bent to tear you apart, cling to what you hold dear, and stay true to your heart. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-fesler/when-the-world-grinds-you-down-bent-to-tear-you-apart-cling-to-what/) [Wes Fesler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-fesler/) > [Commitment hangs on when all else has fallen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-fesler/commitment-hangs-on-when-all-else-has-fallen/) [Wes Fesler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-fesler/) > [Children have an uncanny memory for what parents say, but don't do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-fesler/children-have-an-uncanny-memory-for-what-parents-say-but-don-t-do/) [Wes Fesler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-fesler/) > [By persistent hard work you will rise to success, but ultimately your accomplishments will be measured by how you treated your loved ones on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-fesler/by-persistent-hard-work-you-will-rise-to-success-but-ultimately-your/) [Wes Fesler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-fesler/) > [If there can be no love without hate, then I love to hate hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-fesler/if-there-can-be-no-love-without-hate-then-i-love-to-hate-hate/) [Wes Fesler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-fesler/) > [Hypocrisy is the audacity to preach integrity from a den of corruption.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-fesler/hypocrisy-is-the-audacity-to-preach-integrity-from-a-den-of-corruption/) [Wes Fesler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-fesler/) > [A father who denies a child of his attention is no better than a fully-equipped medic who watches idly as a soldier bleeds to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-fesler/a-father-who-denies-a-child-of-his-attention-is-no-better-than-a/) [Wes Fesler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-fesler/) > [The most dire of all of life's grueling deceptions wedge themselves in in our minds between truth and perceptions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-fesler/the-most-dire-of-all-of-life-s-grueling-deceptions-wedge-themselves/) [Wes Fesler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-fesler/) > [When you become who you wish to be, there is no need for envy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-fesler/when-you-become-who-you-wish-to-be-there-is-no-need-for-envy/) [Wes Fesler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-fesler/) [Explore all 151 Wes Fesler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-fesler/) ## More Beats quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [So many things beat upon us in a lifetime that simply enduring may seem almost beyond us… But the test a loving God has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/so-many-things-beat-upon-us-in-a-lifetime-that-simply-enduring-may/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) > [The Beat Generation, that was a vision that we had, John Clellon Holmes and I, and Allen Ginsberg in an even wilder way, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/the-beat-generation-that-was-a-vision-that-we-had-john-clellon-holmes/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [Certainly these are not easy times. But history does not contain very many easy times. Years from now, we will look back at this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingraham/certainly-these-are-not-easy-times-but-history-does-not-contain-very/) [Laura Ingraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingraham/) > [I usually write from the rhythm section...If a drummer got a funky beat on some things - like a half-shuffle or a shuffle or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-davis/i-usually-write-from-the-rhythm-section-if-a-drummer-got-a-funky-beat/) [Miles Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-davis/) > [If you don't like club beats take a HIT OF E and you will love the music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mccarty/if-you-don-t-like-club-beats-take-a-hit-of-e-and-you-will-love-the/) [Kevin McCarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mccarty/) > [Every pitcher can beat you, it doesn't matter how good you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-bonds/every-pitcher-can-beat-you-it-doesn-t-matter-how-good-you-are/) [Barry Bonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-bonds/) > [Only two to three per cent of an audience is interested in words and pays attention to lyrics; most of the rest of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stewart/only-two-to-three-per-cent-of-an-audience-is-interested-in-words-and/) [Al Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stewart/) > [Joel Lane documents a life we don’t quite live, in a city we can’t quite find: half glimpsed and half imagined, we know it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-brenchley/joel-lane-documents-a-life-we-don-t-quite-live-in-a-city-we-can-t/) Chaz Brenchley > [Practice to beat the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-bennett/practice-to-beat-the-best/) [Dick Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-bennett/) > [I don't know about the rest of the world, but I know in our region everyone is gunning to beat us. We have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/landon-donovan/i-don-t-know-about-the-rest-of-the-world-but-i-know-in-our-region/) [Landon Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/landon-donovan/) > [Grand business plans are all very well, but nothing beats dipping your toe in the water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-bilimoria-karan-bilimoria/grand-business-plans-are-all-very-well-but-nothing-beats-dipping-your/) Baron Bilimoria Karan Bilimoria > [Let a man who has to make his fortune in life remember this maxim: Attacking is the only secret. Dare and the world yields,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/let-a-man-who-has-to-make-his-fortune-in-life-remember-this-maxim/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [Imagine if you were a drummer, and you accidentally picked up two magic wands instead of sticks. There you are, keeping the beat, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/imagine-if-you-were-a-drummer-and-you-accidentally-picked-up-two/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I don't like small birds. They hop around so merrily outside my window, looking so innocent. but I know that secretly, they're watching my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-like-small-birds-they-hop-around-so-merrily-outside-my-window/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 3,311 Beats quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Pessimists beat their heads against walls, while optimists open doors.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Wes Fesler" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-fesler/pessimists-beat-their-heads-against-walls-while-optimists-open-doors/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beats" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-fesler/pessimists-beat-their-heads-against-walls-while-optimists-open-doors/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f10/wes-fesler-2759_beats_pessimists-beat-their-heads-against-wall_2161770.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f10/wes-fesler-2759_beats_pessimists-beat-their-heads-against-wall_2161770.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f10/wes-fesler-2759_beats_pessimists-beat-their-heads-against-wall_2161770.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Pessimists beat their heads against walls, while optimists open doors.” — Wes Fesler", "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": "Wes Fesler", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-fesler/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Pessimists beat their heads against walls,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-fesler/pessimists-beat-their-heads-against-walls-while-optimists-open-doors/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-fesler/pessimists-beat-their-heads-against-walls-while-optimists-open-doors/#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 } } ] } ```