thoughts on optimism.

"lasting optimism has one essential ally; reason. any optimism that is unreasonable is bound to be dashed by reality, leading to even more unhappiness. optimism, therefore, must be always be illuminated by the gentle, purging light of reason and be unshakeably grounded in sanity of mind, so that pessimism becomes a foolish, short-sighted attitude. what this means-resonableness being the tepid, inglorious thing it is-is that optimism can only arise only from small but undeniable achievements."

- Yann Martel, The Facts behind the Helsinki Roccamatios