Pessimists (who lack courage) are more in touch with reality than optimists (who have courage). Optimists have a healthy defense against reality, which enables them to create new possibilities that don’t already exist.
—Martin Seligman
Optimism is an attitude… July 6, 2007
Optimism, how people explain to themselves their successes and failures. People who are optimistic see a failure as due to something that can be changed so that they can succeed next time around, while pessimists take the blame for failure, ascribing it to some lasting characteristic they are helpless to change. These differing explanations have profound implications for how people respond to life. Optimism, like hope, means having a strong expectation that, in general, thing will turn out all right in life, despite setbacks and frustrations. From the standpoint of emotional intelligence, optimism is an attitude that buffers people against falling into apathy, hopelessness, or depression in the face of tough going.
- Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence
