.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

GBE 70: Optimism

I saw the subject this week and knew it was a time for me to take a walk in the Garden of Quotes. I never know what I'll find.

This weeks subject is Optimism, which Merriam-Webster's defines as:

Pronunciation: /ˈäp-tə-mi-zəm/
Function: noun
Etymology: French optimisme, from Latin optimum, noun, best, from neuter of optimus best; akin to Latin ops power — more at opulent
Date: 1759

1 : a doctrine that this world is the best possible world

2 : an inclination to put the most favorable construction upon actions and events or to anticipate the best possible outcome



Photobucket



“An optimist is the
human personification of spring.”
~ Susan J. Bissonette




Photobucket



“Smile when it hurts most.”



“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” ~ Maria Robinson



“May the love hidden deep inside your heart find the love waiting in your dreams. May the laughter that you find in your tomorrow wipe away the pain you find in your yesterdays.”



Photobucket



“Perhaps our eyes need to be washed by our tears once in a while, so that we can see Life with a clearer view again.” ~ Alex Tan



“If you will call your troubles experiences, and remember that every experience develops some latent force within you, you will grow vigorous and happy, however adverse your circumstances may seem to be.” ~ John Heywood (English Playwright and Poet, 1497-1580)



“If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought.” ~ Peace Pilgrim (American Teacher and Spiritual leader and Peace Prophet, 1908-1981)



Photobucket



“May the pain you have known and the conflict you have experienced give you the strength to walk through life facing each new situation with courage and optimism.”



“What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise” ~ Oscar Wilde (Irish Poet, Novelist, Dramatist and Critic, 1854-1900)



“Between the optimist and the pessimist, the difference is droll. The optimist sees the doughnut; the pessimist the hole!” ~ Oscar Wilde (Irish Poet, Novelist, Dramatist and Critic, 1854-1900)



Photobucket



“An optimist will tell you the glass is half-full; the pessimist, half-empty; and the engineer will tell you the glass is twice
the size it needs to be”


“A pessimist is a man who thinks all women are bad. An optimist is one who hopes they are.” ~ Chauncey Depew (American Industrialist and Politician, 1834-1928)



“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” ~ William Arthur Ward (American dedicated scholar, author, editor, pastor and teacher)



“Few things in the world are more powerful than a positive push. A smile. A word of optimism and hope. And you can do it when things are tough.” ~
Richard M. DeVos



Photobucket



“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” ~ Helen Keller (American Author and Educator who was blind and deaf. 1880-1968)



“Optimist: Day-dreamer more elegantly spelled” ~ Mark Twain (American Humorist, Writer and Lecturer. 1835-1910)



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



Photobucket



“Optimist: Person who travels on nothing from nowhere to happiness” ~ Mark Twain (American Humorist, Writer and Lecturer. 1835-1910)



“For myself I am an optimist - it does not seem to be much use being anything else” ~ Winston Churchill (British Orator, Author and Prime Minister during World War II. 1874-1965)



“The optimist sees the rose and not its thorns; the pessimist stares at the thorns, oblivious to the rose” ~ Kahlil Gibran (Lebanese born American philosophical Essayist, Novelist and Poet. 1883-1931)



Photobucket



“I'm a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of will” ~ Antonio Gramsci (Italian intellectual, Politician and Founder of the Italian Communist Party whose ideas still greatly influence Italian Communism. 1891-1937)



“In the long run the pessimist may be proved right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip.” ~ Daniel L. Reardon



Photobucket



“A pessimist only sees the dark side of the clouds, and mopes; a philosopher sees both sides and shrugs; an optimist doesn't see the clouds at all--he's walking on them.” ~ Leonard L. Levinson



“Pessimism leads to weakness, optimism to power” ~William James (American Philosopher and Psychologist, leader of the philosophical movement of Pragmatism, 1842-1910)


Photobucket



“A pessimist is an optimist with experience” “One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn't pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself.”


Photobucket



“An optimist is a person who sees a green light everywhere, while a pessimist sees only the red stoplight. . . The truly wise person is colorblind.” ~ Albert Schweitzer (German medical Missionary,Theologian, Musician and Philosopher. 1952 Nobel Peace Prize,1875-1965)


“Having a positive mental attitude is asking how something can be done rather than saying it can't be done.” ~
Bo Bennett




Photobucket



“Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream. Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success. Always be on the lookout for ways to turn a problem into an opportunity for success. Always be on the lookout for ways to nurture your dream.”~ Lao Tzu (Chinese taoist Philosopher, founder of Taoism, wrote "Tao Te Ching" (also "The Book of the Way"). 600 BC-531 BC)



“May the pain you have known and the conflict you have experienced give you the strength to walk through life facing each new situation with courage and optimism.”



“If I could turn the hands of time, I'll turn it forward to tomorrow. I want to move beyond with optimism and growth, taking the past which has gone by as my lessons in realizing the future with hope, courage and determination.”



Photobucket


“Great leaders are pragmatists who can deal with difficult realities but still have the optimism and courage to act.” ~ Nitin Nohria



"I have become my own version of an optimist. If I can't make it through one door, I'll go through another door - or I'll make a door. Something terrific will come no matter how dark the present." ~ Rabindranath Tagore



"I have had dreams and I have had nightmares, but I have conquered my nightmares because of my dreams." ~
Dr. Jonas Salk



"I have made it a rule of my life never to regret and never to look back. Regret is an appalling waste of energy... you can't build on it; it's only good for wallowing in." ~
Katherine Mansfield



Photobucket


Photobucket


“The man who is a pessimist before forty-eight knows too much; if he is an optimist after it he knows too little” ~ Mark Twain (American Humorist, Writer and Lecturer. 1835-1910)
“Teaching is the greatest act of optimism” ~ Colleen Wilcox


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do you have a favorite quote about optimism?
I'd love for you to tell me.
Please feel free to share any that I didn't list,
as I am always interested in quotes.
I guess you could call me a
Quote Collector.

~Peace~


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is my submission to the GBE. This week's topic is "Optimism"

The GBE, or Group Blogging Experience is great fun. Each week (usually on Tuesday) we are given a general topic by our fearless leader Alicia and we have until that Saturday to blog about it. Say whatever you want. Silly, serious, true, fiction, debate.... whatever. It's up to you.


If your interested just go to Alicia's Blog and and check it out. If you want to participate comment her blog saying "I'm in", that's it. No big sign up or anything. You blog and she'll link to your blog and everyone else's on Saturday.

Make sure you're not private, although it's not a necessity. It just makes it easier for
everyone to read your submission.

No comments: