50 Optimism Quotes to Give You a Positive Outlook on Life

Allow these optimism quotes to help you become happier and more confident in whatever situation you are in.

Life isn’t always wonderful and perfect. Problems can appear seemingly out of nowhere, and you never know what the future holds.

But, being optimistic can help you find the courage and confidence you need to achieve the goals you set for yourself.

With that in mind, here are some of the best quotes about optimism that you can use as motivation in the future.

Best Optimism Quotes

Don’t forget to tell your friends and family about it so you can inspire and encourage them as well!

Start reading here.

And make sure to check out these happiness quotes and positive quotes.

Best Optimism Quotes

1. “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” – Helen Keller

2. “Optimism is a strategy for making a better future. Because unless you believe that the future can be better, you are unlikely to step up and take responsibility for making it so.” – Noam Chomsky

3. “Optimism is a kind of heart stimulant—the digitalis of failure.” – Elbert Hubbard

4. “Optimism is the essence of every fighter; the belief that no matter what, you’ll find a way to win.” – MMA

5. “Optimism is essential to achievement and it is also the foundation of courage and true progress.” – Nicholas M. Butler

6. “Whether your day was full of progress or crushing setbacks, optimism is the choice to value experiences and continue believing better will come.” – Zander Tsadwa

7. “You have to open up to the world and learn optimism—contentment with the past, happiness with the present, and hope for the future.” – Jennifer Crusie

8. “My optimism has helped me through some hard times. If you try to send out good things, good things come back to you.” – Jan Brett

9. “The essence of optimism is that it takes no account of the present, but it is a source of inspiration, of vitality and hope where others have resigned; it enables a man to hold his head high, to claim the future for himself and not to abandon it to his enemy.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

10. “Optimism is the madness of insisting that all is well when we are miserable.” – Voltaire

Famous Quotes About Optimism

11. “Optimism inspires, energizes, and brings out our best. It points the mind toward possibilities and helps us think creatively about past problems.” – Price Pritchett

12. “An optimist understands that life can be a bumpy road, but at least it is leading somewhere. They learn from mistakes and failures, and are not afraid to fail again.” – Harvey Mackay

13. “Optimism—the doctrine or belief that everything is beautiful, including what is ugly.” – Ambrose Bierce

14. “You have to look to the future with optimism instead of negative ideas. Take the good and the bad and face it head-on.” – Goldie Hawn

15. “I think I am going to have to supercharge my optimism to arm myself for the battle ahead.” – Rebecca Bloom

16. “True hopefulness and optimism are what leads one to dare. It is also what lifts one back up to dare again after a failed attempt.” – Bibi Bourelly

17. “You have to believe in something and have a certain optimism. Faith and optimism come from love.” – Maya Soetoro-Ng

18. “Optimism can be more powerful than a battery of artillery or squadron of tanks. It can be contagious and it’s necessary to be a leader.” – Gen. Rick Hillier

19. “Human spirit is the ability to face the uncertainty of the future with curiosity and optimism. It is the belief that problems can be solved, differences resolved. It is a type of confidence. And it is fragile. It can be blackened by fear and superstition.” – Bernard Beckett

20. “There are so many difficult things we’re living through in the world today, so many horrible events, but we cannot let them stop us. No matter what happens, I feel you must move forward with optimism and not get totally sideswiped.” – Gloria Estefan

Also read: Famous Quotes

Optimism Quotes for Those Who Want to Be Better People

21. “The way you look at life can determine your success. As they say, look on the bright side. Have an optimistic attitude.” – Catherine Pulsifer

22. “Happy and positive people have a stable sense of optimism, and they choose to maintain this no matter what situation lies ahead. Because of their choice to remain positive and optimistic, they interpret failures only as opportunities to grow and learn.” – Carla Loving

23. “Optimism is a happiness magnet. If you stay positive, good things and good people will be drawn to you.” – Mary Lou Retton

24. “Positive thinking is the notion that if you think good thoughts, things will work out well. Optimism is the feeling of thinking things will be well and be hopeful.” – Martin Seligman

25. “I am an optimist—I choose to be. There is a lot of darkness in our world, there is a lot of pain and you can choose to see that or you can choose to see the joy. If you try to respond positively to the world, you will spend your time better.” – Tom Hiddleston

26. “When you’re focused on finding a positive angle to challenges or looking for the bright side to life, you find yourself being more optimistic.” – Alex Uwajeh

27. “Be an optimist. Thinking positively will surely drive stress, pressure, and frustrations away.” – Melinda Bauer

28. “Positive thinking, simply put, can be defined as the process of taking on an optimistic lens in order to manage stress in a better manner.” – Jessica Minty

29. “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

30. “Be fanatically positive and militantly optimistic. If something is not to your liking, change your liking.” – Rick Steves

Also read: Inspirational Quotes, Encouraging Quotes

Short Optimism Quotes That Are Packed With Wisdom

31. “To find optimism, look for the good things in life.” – Catherine Pulsifer

32. “Optimism makes a life happier and meaningful.” – M.K. Soni

33. “Teaching is the greatest act of optimism.” – Colleen Wilcox

34. “Optimism is the opium of the people.” – Milan Kundera

35. “Optimism—is not just a mindset, it is behavior.” – Larry Elder

36. “Optimism is the source of havingness.” – Meir Ezra

37. “Optimism can be relearnt.” – Marian Keyes

38. “Optimism doesn’t wait on facts. It deals with prospects.” – Norman Cousins

39. “Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.” – Colin Powell

40. “Optimism is the foundation of courage.” – Nicholas M. Butler

Also read: Short Quotes, Respect Quotes, Dignity Quotes

More Optimism Quotes to Change Your Perspective

41. “Optimism can move big trains even when the engine pulling it is very small. I hope as you pull some of the big trains in your life, you’ll be like the little engine and persevere. Eventually, you’ll make it over the mountain and laugh, and smile, and cheer on the way down.” – Buffy Andrews

42. “We are a strong, robust, and prosperous nation. Optimism is the essence of our success. It drives our creativity and emboldens our entrepreneurial spirit. It is what makes us invest in the future and accomplish our highest aims.” – Bill Frist

43. “Cultivate an optimistic mind, use your imagination, always consider alternatives, and dare to believe that you can make possible what others think is impossible.” – Rodolfo Costa

44. “Urgent optimism is the desire to act immediately to tackle an obstacle, combined with the belief that we have a reasonable hope of success.” – Jane McGonigal

45. “So many people grew up with challenges, as I did. There weren’t always happy things happening to me or around me. But when you look at the core of goodness within yourself—at the optimism and hope—you realize it comes from the environment you grew up in.” – Sonia Sotomayor

46. “Start each day with a positive thought and a grateful heart.” – Roy T. Bennett

47. “Optimism is a powerful and pragmatic strategy for accomplishing goals and living a fulfilling life.” – Bert Jacobs

48. “The average pencil is seven inches long, with just a half-inch eraser—in case you thought optimism was dead.” – Robert Brault

49. “Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward.” – Nelson Mandela

50. “Optimists choose to look at life from a positive perspective with hope and the belief that they are capable of achieving whatever they desire.” – Deirdre A.McClarin

Also read: Success Quotes, Smile Quotes

How Do You Maintain Your Optimism in the Face of Adversity?

Optimism is more than just seeing the bright side of a situation or hoping for the best. When something good happens, optimists consider what they did to make the situation so favorable. They view their abilities as permanent and stable parts of themselves.

But, when something goes wrong, optimists attribute it to a specific situation or event rather than their own abilities. They do not regard setbacks as personal failings. Thus, they recover from disappointment quicker than pessimists.

So, if you are prone to pessimistic thinking, remember that there’s always something to look forward to in life. Let go of what you can’t control and allow God to do what you can’t.

Did we miss any more good quotes about optimism? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

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Karen Danao

Hi, I’m Karen, a content curator and writer for Quote Ambition; I’m also a marketing and advertising professional. Beyond the keyboard and the screen, I’m someone who’s out to enjoy every bit that life has to offer!

Poetry, philosophy, history, and movies are all topics I love writing about! However, my true passion is in traveling, photography, and finding common ground to which everyone from different cultures can relate.

With the many places I’ve been to, I found that love, inspiration, and happiness are some things that bring people together. No matter how different we are on the outside, I’m a true believer that our emotions don’t lie; if you dig deep into our psyche, we’re all the same inside.

This belief was further amplified when I joined Quote Ambition. Through the quotes I’ve read, collected, organized, and written about, I found that humans are resilient, creative, and compassionate.

We take from each others’ hearts and courage, and it’s through our individual experiences that we learn how to rise above our challenges and pain. In so many ways, Quote Ambition is a platform that allows people from all over the world to gain the inspiration they need anytime, anywhere!

You can find me on MuckRack and LinkedIn.