Quotes About Pessimism

An event of great agony is bearable only in the belief that it will bring about a better world. When it does not, as in the aftermath of another vast calamity in 1914–18, disillusion is deep and moves on to self-doubt and self-disgust. In creating a climate for pessimism, the Black Death was the equivalent of the First World War, although it took fifty years for the psychological effects to develop.

Evaluation of enemy strength is not an absolute, but a matter of piecing together scraps of reconnaissance and intelligence to form a picture, if possible a picture to fit preconceived theories or to suit the demands of a particular strategy. What a staff makes out of the available evidence depends upon the degree of optimism or pessimism prevailing among them, on what they want to believe or fear to believe, and sometimes upon the sensitivity or intuition of an individual.

If I have to err, it's on the side of assuming the worst. This way, if I'm wrong, I can always apologize. Or send flowers. You err on the other side, the flowers will be coming to you.

I know 150 percent how deeply cynical and negative I can be. I can be very dark and harsh.

Only old Benjamin professed to remember every detail of his long life and to know that things never had been, nor ever could be much better or much worse--hunger, hardship, and disappointment being, so he said, the unalterable law of life.

únicamente el viejo Benjamín manifestaba recordar cada detalle de su larga vida y saber que las cosas nunca fueron, ni podrían ser, mucho mejor o mucho peor; el hambre, la opresión y el desengaño eran, así dijo él,la ley inalterable de la vida

Raras vezes falava, e em geral quando o fazia era para emitir uma observação cínica — para dizer, por exemplo, que Deus lhe dera uma cauda para espantar as moscas, e no entanto seria mais do seu agrado não ter nem a cauda nem as moscas.

Man has been growing more stupid for several thousand years; I myself shall waste no tears at his demise.

On the upswing of an economic cycle, workers, consumers, savers, investors, and entrepreneurs imagine a future that is brighter than the past. On the downswing, they imagine a future dimmer than the past.

I think people in Europe are generally pessimistic about the future. They have low expectations; they're not working hard to change things. When you're a slacker with a pessimistic view of the future, you're likely to meet those expectations.

When I look at the world I'm pessimistic, but when I look at people I am optimistic.

As individuals, people are inherently good. I have a somewhat more pessimistic view of people in groups. And I remain extremely concerned when I see what's happening in our country, which is in many ways the luckiest place in the world. We don't seem to be excited about making our country a better place for our kids.

I'd never allow myself to imagine winning the World Cup. Cynical me!

Some of us shorten our names or our noses or both... We Jews can be extremely neurotic and are inclined to become easily depressed. Most Jews seldom say, 'Have a nice day' or even have one. To be honest, I've never heard a Jew say that. We're just not that optimistic. Life is neither a bed of roses nor a bowl of cherries.

I think a certain degree of pessimism is actually helpful to love.

Sometimes I have a terrible suspicion that the whole tragedy, from first to last, has no meaning.

After nearly two years of traveling India's spiritual supermarket I'm still a self-occupied, selfish, pathetic, pessimistic bitch who's dropped any faith at first sign that things aren't going well.

I talk about going to [George W. Bush's] Inauguration and crying when he took the oath, 'cause I was so afraid he was going to wreck the economy and muck up the drinking water'... the failure of my pessimistic imagination at that moment boggles my mind now.

I've given up reading the papers. Since the world's so obviously bent on killing itself, I decided months ago to sit back and let it.

(although anyone with half a brain must surely be mired in existential gloom all the time)

I had to watch the Republican stuff which makes me feel even older than I am. By the time I get through the Democrats, I may be dead. I don't know how much older I can get.

There is no sadder sight than a young pessimist, except an old optimist.

It's better to be an optimist who is sometimes wrong than a pessimist who is almost always right

It is easy to find fault, if one has that disposition. There was once a man who, not being able to find any other fault with his coal, complained that there were too many prehistoric toads in it. —Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar