Optimism is the commitment to an attitude of hopefulness and a belief in the potential of positive outcomes, whether brought about naturally or through effort and determination. We’ve all been encouraged to be optimistic and to “look on the bright side” during hard times — and for good reason.
Research shows that people with an optimistic outlook on life are more resilient to stress and are able to develop better coping strategies compared to those with a more negative perspective. However, in a world that can often feel uncertain, scary, and overwhelming, it can be difficult to focus on (or even find) the bright side.
Maintaining an optimistic outlook doesn’t mean fixating on the positive while turning a blind eye to the realities of life or forcefully suppressing our negative feelings. In fact, that kind of toxic positivity can harm our emotional well-being. True, healthy optimism entails acknowledging our more unpleasant and uncomfortable feelings while believing in and working toward better days ahead.
Life doesn’t always unfold smoothly, and the future, no matter how thoroughly we plan it, is always unpredictable. On those days when mustering our optimism is especially challenging, these 12 quotes can provide hope and encouragement to help guide us toward a brighter mental space.
We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.Martin Luther King Jr.
Optimism isn’t a belief that things will automatically get better; it’s a conviction that we can make things better.Melinda French Gates
I always like to look on the optimistic side of life, but I am realistic enough to know that life is a complex matter.Walt Disney
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.Lucille Ball
In times of great stress and adversity, it’s always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive.Lee Iacocca
My optimism … does not rest on the absence of evil, but on a glad belief in the preponderance of good and a willing effort always to cooperate with the good, that it may prevail.Helen Keller
I am very optimistic, and I always think positive, but within reason and never getting too far ahead of the game.Luis Fonsi
Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.Herbert Kretzmer
Toxic positivity is pressuring people to look on the bright side … Healthy support is shielding people from the dark side. You invite them to express their pain, and show them they’re not alone and won’t feel it forever.Adam Grant
I don’t believe in ageing. I believe in forever altering one’s aspect to the sun. Hence my optimism.Virginia Woolf
When you’ve exhausted all possibilities, remember this: You haven’t!Robert Harold Schuller
Hope confronts. It does not ignore pain, agony, or injustice … You can’t have hope without despair, because hope is a response. Hope is the active conviction that despair will never have the last word.Cory Booker
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