Richmond was buried at the end of July by his adoptive family at Thetford Priory. Surrey rode along on his friend's jennet, Richmond's favourite horse, which had been delivered to him from his stable. The King, who it seems, had wanted to keep Richmond's death quiet for as long as possible, had ordered that his son's body be wrapped in lead, covered with straw and 'conveyed secretly in a close cart unto Thetford', where he was to be buried without any pomp. After the event, though, he regretted the decision, and, blind to the first order, blamed Norfolk for not according Richmond due honour--this despite the fact that Norfolk had Richmond buried with more ceremony than Henry VIII's original instructions had originally allowed.

Henry VIII’s Last Victim: The Life and Times of Henry Howard (Childs, Jessie)

“And New! So Now What?”Henry Cejudo and The Most Important Answers To Flyweight Malaise

Joey

August 7th

The last time Demetrious Johnson stepped into a cage as something other than the UFC flyweight champion:

-Junior Dos Santos was the UFC's Heavyweight champion, Frankie Edgar was the UFC's lightweight champion and Conor McGregor was in Cage Warriors trying to win two belts.

-The WiiU hadn't been released yet.

-BOTH Klitschko brothers were active heavyweight champions.

-The iPhone 5 hadn't been released yet.

-The WSOF hadn't had their first show yet.

-WMMA was not even in the UFC at that point.

More fun with stats? On the same card Demetrious Johnson defeated Joseph Benavidez for the UFC flyweight title, preliminary fights took place on Facebook because Fight Pass hadn't been invented yet. The card's televised prelims aired on FX because Fox hadn't even launched Fox Sports 1 yet. 24 fighters were on that card and a grand spanking total of 6 of them remain in the UFC (Jon Jones, Cub Swanson, Charles Oliveira, Joseph Benavidez, Evan Dunham and Mighty Mouse). EVERY single division from September of 2012 to September of 2018 has seen at least THREE different champions be it in an interim or an official capacity except for one: Flyweight. "Mighty Mouse" finished more fighters during his title reign alone than the entire UFC welterweight championship era (Condit, Lawler, Woodley, GSP, Hendricks) from 2012 to 2018.

And now he's lost. So now what?

Demetrious Johnson has always been fairly or unfairly the guy that fight fans have placed all sorts of ails on. You don't have to go too far on an MMA forum or even on a space like this to get engulfed by the "WMMA/Manlet" bitchfest from a select group of fans who hate the progression MMA has taken. It'd almost be funny if it wasn't so sad how maligned Demetrious Johnson has been simply by virtue of being the greatest fighter of the lighter weight classes. He is the face for everything MMA fans complain about, be it too many events ("If the UFC wasn't holding all these shows then they wouldn't need to have Mighty Mouse headlining!") to injuries (Look at how Mighty Mouse headlining UFC 187 was received by fight fans) to this absurdist concept of MMA being less about fighters and more about athletes (”More Chuck Liddell’s and less Mighty Mouse’s!”). He was the poster child for angst and rage for a sect of the audience, the most readily apparent face to shout at or about. It didn't matter that he fought when other champions were on the sidelines or that he fought any challenger presented before him or that he went from the (somewhat justifiable) complaint of him not finishing fights to finishing 5 of his last 7 title fights. The thought process is that the UFC was saddled with a champion who was too dull to get interest, too unlikable to get marketed and to unbeatable to be stopped. MMA records meant something in theory until Mighty Mouse started to make them, am I right?

It is, I suppose, befitting of Mighty Mouse that he didn't even have the selflessness to get finished and sent away dramatically in his title defeat. In one final middle finger to his haters, his reign ends not with an Anderson Silva-esque KO or the Stipe Miocic unlikely flattening at the hands of a man who tucks his shirt into his sweatpants but with a split decision loss to an Olympic Gold Medalist who referred to beating Demetrious Johnson as his greatest life challenge. A man who was basically built from the ground up to beat Demetrious Johnson could ONLY do it in the fight of his life and ONLY do it by the narrowest of margins. Demetrious Johnson was/is that amazing. So is Henry Cejudo by the way; an unfortunately neglected piece of the equation in this writing. Henry Cejudo's UFC debut featured him justifying every single concern people had about him as he couldn't even make it to the scale due to bad weight issues. Cejudo had to publicly beg Dana White for the opportunity to go back down to 125 lbs because the UFC had forced him to fight at bantamweight or not at all. Cejudo slept walked his way through quality competent veterans before the Mighty Mouse fight, got styled on en route to a loss and then rediscovered himself, blazing his way back to Demetrious Johnson en route to what we saw on Saturday night. As great as Mighty Mouse's story is, Cejudo's story of personal growth and triumph might be equal to it.

And now it's Henry Cejudo's turn to be the face of scorn. There's always a Honeymoon period for fighters who win titles and some last longer than others (Conor McGregor didn't officially turn heel for most UFC fans until 2017 or so, Chris Weidman was already the most hated man on the planet about six months after the 2nd Silva fight) and Cejudo figures to have a pretty healthy one given how disliked Demetrious Johnson was. As I said on a pinch hit appearance on the Dojo Talk Podcast, you don't need to be Vince McMahon (or Jerry Jarrett or Paul Boetsch or Antonio Inoki or....) to market a Mexican American who represented his country in the Olympics. I could do that despite never promoting a single event ever. My Grandfather could do that and he's been dead for close to five years now. If the flyweight division was simply held back by one guy who just happened to be the best to ever do it then this should turn around pretty quickly. If Mighty Mouse was the obstruction to Flyweight acceptance then what's stopping it now? Henry Cejudo is a well spoken Mexican American who just beat the best fighter ever and has a hell of a story to tell. If there's no market for HIM then is there a market for any 125 lb fighter ever? What else do you need?

It would be a subtle cruelty if Demetrious Johnson had to sit through the flyweight division being accepted for public consumption after he did everything to make it so during his reign as champion. Let's not mince words here; no champion has had to endure the way he has. Demetrious Johnson endured the growing pains of 125 lbs. He was the champion who had people walk out of his title fights. He was the guy who got the groan treatment at UFC press conferences. He was the guy who when they'd get the spotlight cam going in between fights, fans almost seemed ashamed to acknowledge. He was the guy who fight fans rejected for reasons valid or unjustified. He was the guy who wore the scarlet letter for being too small or too boring or too nerdy or whatever whatever. There's no more Demetrious Johnson to blame now. The Flyweights are getting  a fresh even if potentially momentary break from the Mighty Mouse era. What happens next will tell us everything about who's to blame for the Flyweight division's long time struggles for public acceptance.

Chapter 3. Impression, Rising Sun, my GWTW fanfiction

Chapter 3 of The Robillard Boutique

Charleston, December 1873 Sitting back in a comfortable chair, Rhett nervously inhaled the smoke from his cigar, a sheaf of documents in one hand. The other was gripping the armrest firmly. Without taking any notice, his fingers were mechanically scratching the already worn leather of the good old Chesterfield.     He had waited so long for this divorce certificate. As soon as he returned from Atlanta and his altercation with Scarlett, he had gone straight to his notary's office after leaving the station to give him the form signed by Scarlett O'Hara. "Don't flinch! Break the bond now. » And then the wait for the official notification began. For the next three weeks, his nervousness put Eleonor and Rosemary to the test. They could not enter the library. The place reeked of alcohol and the ashes of burnt cigars. At the slightest signal from old butler Michael to open the front door, Rhett would appear, looking for a courier to deliver the envelope. He hoped for it, he dreaded it, he looked forward to it, he hoped it would never happen... How many times had he had to restrain himself from rushing to his solicitor's office and ordering him to cancel his divorce petition! His constant changes of mind had finally caused him stomach cramps. "Thank God I held out! Free at last! "Rhett Butler chuckled to himself. It's true, he had doubted. Scarlett had clouded his judgement with her incongruous declaration of love when Mrs Wilkes died. After twelve years of desperate waiting! But no, it was too late. The little pest had succeeded in drying up her capacity for emotion. In any case, Bonnie had taken all her love with her. "That Scarlett should cry in turn is only fair! » And besides, did she really love him? From the speed with which she had accepted the end of their marriage, he doubted it. When he arrived in Atlanta last November with the divorce form in his pocket, Rhett anticipated many months - even years - of struggle before Scarlett agreed to stop calling herself Mrs Butler. Dumbfounded, he had seen her stand up, take the pen with a determined air and sign "Scarlett O'Hara" at the bottom of the document. Without a fight. A twinge of guilt surprised him, but he quickly banished this emotional reflex. Ah, if it had been for Ashley... All those long years during which she had waited patiently for this vain puppet. But in the case of Rhett, her "great love" miraculously revealed according to her, two months had been enough for the distraught lover to annihilate her patience and to probably change her love target again. "Definitely, no, there is nothing to regret. No more Mrs Scarlett Butler. The rope with which you strangled me for twelve years is cut. It's over, Scarlett! A clean, sharp break. Brutality suits you so well! From now on, there will be no more ties between us. No more enduring your whims and cruelty, no more being in your presence, no more drowning in your emerald eyes, no more wrapping your long locks of hair around my neck, no more being able to touch you... Never again, Scarlett..." He celebrated his new status as a divorced man with his stash of whisky and shut himself up in his room for three days. A week later, judging it best to avoid the ire of a mother outraged by his "abandonment of wife and children", he had run away - "as usual", Scarlett could have said. "Of course not, it's not running away. I'm just going to enjoy my single life. » *************************

Paris, January 1874 He left for London where his English partner was waiting for him. It was while talking to industrialists that he got the idea of starting a new business. "We'll see when I get back to Charleston. I've got time to work on my project. » Then he crossed the Channel to spend a few weeks in Paris, his favourite European capital. There, too, the wealthy businessman planned to do some business and invest in successful ventures. As on his previous visits to the French capital, Rhett the art lover admired the architecture of the Eternal City and its museums. He made a few days' foray into the provinces to visit the châteaux of the Loire. Rhett the epicurean enjoyed the sophisticated gastronomy, the Parisian life and its nightly shows. Rhett the jouster found above all his refined places of priced pleasures. The seductive American with the enticing smile was welcomed with open arms, of course. Every evening he greedily chose his playmate for a few hours, never for the whole night. On Tuesday, this one was chosen because her blond hair contrasted with Scarlett's hair, which was as black as darkness; on Wednesday, this one accompanied him because her skin was the colour of gingerbread, contrasting with the pearly whiteness of Scarlett's body; on Thursday, he preferred the third one because her hips were wide, contrasting with Scarlett's slim waist. It was unconscious. He didn't even notice. At social functions with friends, he was often placed next to young girls to be married. In France, his situation as a divorced man did not seem to panic the families of good society. On the other hand, his bank account was certainly attractive. Jacqueline, a pretty young person with blonde curls, had been his date on trips to the theatre and the opera. She blushed. Rhett, who had been out of the habit of dating "maiden" since a certain barbecue, was flushed. Had the 16-year-old Scarlett blushed at Twelve Oaks in 1861? No, certainly not to him, but perhaps to Ashley... He admired the young Frenchwoman's literary and artistic knowledge. It was a change from his ex-wife, whom he had taken to slyly mocking because of her poor school education! After a few discreet caresses exchanged, kind words spoken, the prospect that the lady would probably become a perfect housewife, submissive to her husband, cultured, pleasant, loving and... so boring, he grew weary. "To my great regret," he confided to her apologetically, "my duties call me back to America. Rhett Butler, a great aesthete since his adolescence, took advantage of his stay in Paris to indulge in more cerebral pleasures. On 15 April 1874, following the advice of his friend Jean, he went to 35 Boulevard des Capucines in Paris, to the studios of the famous photographer Nadar. 30 artists had gathered for the first time to show their paintings, sculptures and engravings for a month. Most of the exhibitors were unknown to Rhett. Their common denominator was an innovative, provocative and revolutionary style, according to the art critics. One of the critics, in mockery, later called them "Impressionists". He did not linger long in front of Berthe Morisot's painting, "The Cradle": a young mother leaning tenderly over her sleeping baby. Scarlett had never taken the time to admire her precious Bonnie in her little bed. Rhett stood petrified before a painting entitled "Impression, Rising Sun". The author of the work, Claude Monet, observing this elegantly dressed American, took care to comment on his creation, the effect of the mist on the port of Le Havre. Rhett thanked him warmly. A disturbing emotion made his imagination wander. He was mysteriously caught up in the scene: an orange sky, symbol of fire, of burning passion; in the background, port buildings and boats reflected in the water, with blue pigments similar to the eyes of his dear little girl; finally the sea, a gradation of green hues: water green, like a tear-fogged eyelid; pale green surrounded by a thousand shining sequins, like eyes flooded with sweetness after love; emerald green, a hard, raging green, heralding flashes of anger, Scarlett's last look on that November day in 1873. He inquired about the price and immediately reserved the painting, making sure that it would be shipped to him in Charleston as soon as the exhibition was over. He cut his visit short. On the way back to the hotel, he stopped at his travel agent's and booked his place on the first boat to leave for America the next day. Rhett was looking forward to seeing "Impression, Rising Sun" in his armchair in Charleston. Perhaps he would install it in his room so that he could not take his eyes off it until he fell asleep. ********************** Charleston, May 1874 When she returned, Eleonor gave Rhett a big hug. As usual, her favourite son had spoiled her and Rosemary. Packages were piled up in the hallway, between Parisian-style trinkets and boxes of chocolate pralines. "I'm finally turning the page! "he thought with conviction. He immediately contacted his solicitor to check that he had not received any letters from Atlanta sent by Henry Hamilton, Scarlett's solicitor and uncle by marriage. "Not that I care in the least, by the way! "he convinced himself. It was high time to manage his business. These were difficult times and Rhett had to take a serious look at his investments. He couldn't help but chuckle as he recalled the ironic coincidence between the resounding financial crash on the New York Stock Exchange in September 1873, triggering a string of industrial bankruptcies, and the day Rhett left Scarlett and Atlanta. The Nothern Pacific Railway was ruined that day, followed by 89 other railways. Fortunately Rhett had divested himself of the company and sold all his shares earlier that year. One of his partners who had speculated on the rail frenzy had not had the same reflex. Overnight he was ruined. Yes, divorcing Scarlett seemed like an earthquake, even on the New York Stock Exchange, he quipped. "And I'm afraid I'll continue to feel the seismic tremors for some time to come," he said bitterly. The former war profiteer Rhett Butler had proved to be quite adept at managing the improperly earned Confederate money. Of course, large sums had been invested in hedge funds. So he too had suffered some losses. But nothing that would threaten his fortune. When Bonnie was born, in order to protect the future of his beloved daughter, he had embarked on a vast real estate project in New York, in Yankee country. In this bustling city, every piece of land was now prohibitively expensive. In 1869, Rhett had acquired a large area of wasteland in a fast-growing district. He had built buildings of about ten storeys. Rhett demanded that his high-end properties be equipped with all the comforts of new technology, lifts, good ventilation and sanitation. Central heating fed by a low pressure steam circuit ensured comfort for the lucky occupants. To make the most of every precious yard, the ground floors opened onto large glass galleries with shops. In short, Rhett Butler's property portfolio on that May day in 1874 was impressive. "Fortunately, I took the precaution a long time ago to convert my financial liquidity into gold bars! "The businessman congratulated himself once again. Unlike many of his acquaintances, who had to endure the catastrophe caused by the decision of the US Congress and its Coinage Act*. Overnight, their fortune in bundles of money was deflated. Thanks to his foresight, flair and experience, Charlestonian Rhett Butler had managed to weather the financial and economic crisis without much damage. Rhett was very rich. "Rich enough to continue paying Scarlett's expensive pension." Deep down he knew he would continue to protect her financially well beyond the five years agreed in the divorce. He laughed under his breath at his ex-wife's incomprehensible and in no way deserved show of generosity. Ex-wife... " It's been seven months, and I still can't get used to it..." Rhett shrugged. "Scarlett, you can continue to squander part of my fortune without fear of running out! "He hoped, with a childish reflex, that Clayton's former county belle would hear him in Atlanta.       ***************************** Endnotes to Chapter 5: *Coinage Act: On 12 February 1873, the US Congress voted to change the monetary standard from silver to gold.

Disclaimers : I do not own the history and the characters of the book and movie of Gone with the Wind, which beloong to Margaret Mitchell.

#novel, #writer, #fanfiction, #GWTW, #Gone with the Wind, #historic novel, #french painters, #Impressionnists, #1875's krak

Madness and Morality

Moral and mental decline are often closely linked in literature, particularly Gothic literature. These functions may not appear dependent upon one another, yet they are far from separate: one reflects the state of an individual’s mind, the other, the state of their soul, yet neither one of these may function at full capacity while the other is on the decline. This paper will examine said link between morality and mental health, as well as the preternatural implications, in both The Queen of Spades by Alexandr Pushkin and The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Both protagonists exemplify madness as the outcome of allowing a single, shallow idea to dominate their thoughts.

Hermann’s first act of depravity in The Queen of Spades is his pretended courtship with Lizaveta. His line of thought is essentially that she will prove the easiest route into the Countess’s good graces (or, at the very least, will provide him an easy entrance into her home). “Germann's cynical manipulation of Lizaveta is of course plain from the moment he lays eyes on her. But his depravity becomes fully manifest only in the climactic bedroom scene and the double desecration which it enacts” (Gregg 616). Until his armed entry into the Countess’s chambers, the full extent of his obsession is not fully revealed. Through his confrontation with the Countess, he causes her death, whether directly or indirectly. This is one point that remains a matter of uncertainty throughout the story, for both Hermann and the reader: is Hermann responsible for the Countess’s death? He certainly attempts to justify why he does not believe so throughout the story: “Although feeling no remorse, he could not altogether stifle the voice of conscience, which said to him: ‘You are the murderer of the old woman!’” (Pushkin 106). Yet, when the ghost of the Countess confronts him, she says that she will forgive him for her death on the condition that he marry Lizaveta. This could be interpreted in more ways than one, however: if the ghost is truly the spirit of the Countess returned from the dead, then whatever Hermann believes about his own innocence is irrelevant. Yet if the ghost is a manifestation of Hermann’s own imagination, as some critics believe, then it represents a manifestation of his guilt, so strong it appears to him in an apparently physical form. If this is indeed the case, then the Countess’s avowal to him--“I forgive you my death, on condition that you marry my companion, Lizaveta Ivanovna” (Pushkin 107)--may be a way for Hermann to subconsciously acknowledge his own guilt and find a way to relieve himself of it through some other deed that he considers ‘good’ (this will be discussed further later on). 

However, Hermann may feel more guilt over the Countess’s death then his apparent calm betrays: his actions immediately following the scene in the bedroom suggest this, in particular. Upon witnessing the Countess’s death, he has two options that relieve him of any complicity: he can leave the premise by the same route through which he entered, or he can go to Lizaveta’s room and make his advances, pretending that he’s only just arrived. “Astonishingly, Germann does neither. Instead he chooses a plan of action which is not just foolhardy; it is senseless. He goes to Lizaveta's room, blurts out the news of the Countess's death and his own culpability and then goes on to describe the cynical motives for his courtship of Lizaveta herself” (Gregg 617). While other instances in the story allude to Hermann’s guilt over his scheme to manipulate Lizaveta for his own gain, this event reveals his inner turmoil the most. Only after learning the secret of the cards does Hermann forget his guilt, at least temporarily: “‘Three, seven, ace,’ soon drove out of Hermann’s mind the thought of the dead Countess” (Pushkin 108). Hermann’s subconscious need for retribution may, some have argued, manifest itself through his mistake in choosing the queen of spades rather than the ace-- “Herman willing his own fate out of remorse and the need for self-punishment” (Rosen 259). Yet, the Countess’s accidental murder is not his greatest fault in the story, but rather all the indecency stemming from his greed, and it is for this that he is ultimately punished.

Dorian’s depravity in The Picture of Dorian Gray is more general and more long-term than Hermann’s; he gradually gives himself to increasing levels of vice, until his life is nothing more than a string of debaucheries. Dorian’s decline begins with his cruel rejection of Sibyl. His initial reaction upon learning of her death appears much more animated than Hermann’s reaction to the Countess’s death, yet as the initial shock wears off, Dorian begs of Henry, “Why is it that I cannot feel this tragedy as much as I want to? I don’t think I am heartless. Do you?” (Wilde 518). His guilt fades almost instantly as he turns the fault around onto Sibyl, fate, and almost anything else at the almost sociopathic prompting of Henry. One must consider that Dorian’s downward spiral throughout the story relies somewhat upon the condition of Henry’s apparent sociopathy: seeing how impressionable the youth is, he plays upon Dorian’s naivety and his narcissism to steer him away from traditional ethics, seemingly without much consideration as to the long-term effects it may have on the boy’s life. That being said, Dorian’s willpower proves very weak--Henry has little trouble getting him to set his conscience aside, and with the introduction of the yellow book, he succeeds in bringing Dorian completely under his control. Once he has read the book, Dorian sets aside all standards of decency, giving himself to whatever revelry towards which he feels so inclined. Indeed, Dorian becomes fascinated--delighted, even--with observing the gradual decay of his own soul through the painting, and by degrees grows more deeply enamoured of his own reflection. It’s not until he murders Basil that Dorian begins to consistently feel any real remorse once again. 

Yet, neither is Dorian without his qualms of conscience--indeed, his contrasting natures seem to war within him throughout most of the novel. When Dorian speaks aloud the wish that he may change places with the figure in Basil’s painting, his wish is granted. However, this inversion furthers the apparent bifurcation of his conscience and his desires--the painting comes to reflect not only his physical aging, but the sullied state of his soul, beginning with his cruelty to Sibyl. Indeed, this instance is among the most telling in the novel: Dorian berates Sibyl with his harsh speech, then reacts callously when she implores him forgive her. It is not until later, after a bit of reflection, that he recognises his own bad behaviour and determines to right it. It appears that Dorian possesses strong sensibilities for both indifference and guilt, yet the two only manifest themselves simultaneously during a crisis of conscience. When the first lines of cruelty appear around the mouth of the painted figure, Dorian determines that he will sin no more, and allow the painting to be a conscience to him. However, then Henry arrives, and by the end of his visit, Dorian’s intentions are quite the opposite: “Eternal youth, infinite passion, pleasures subtle and secret, wild joys and wilder sins--he was to have all these things. The portrait was to bear the burden of his shame: that was all” (Wilde 520-521). “Of course, if Dorian had single-mindedly pursued these mental and physical pleasures, he would have become just another cynic, aloof from personal relationships [...] and sublimely indifferent to the consequences of his own ideas and actions. As a divided man, however [...] Dorian cannot entirely repress the other side of his nature” (Liebman 308-309). As much is revealed, following Dorian’s murder of Basil. At first, he appears unperturbed, yet before long, a terror starts to set in, then gradually, a guilt. If nothing else, the painting holds Dorian accountable for his actions throughout the story, serving as a visual culmination of all his many sins. 

In both stories, there is a definite cause marking the beginning of each protagonist’s decline; in Queen of Spades, it is the secret of the cards, and in The Picture of Dorian Gray, it is the fanciful words of Lord Henry. The former of these is introduced to Hermann at a card party by one of the other guests. Now, Hermann is described as “reserved and ambitious… Thus, though a gamester at heart, he never touched a card, for he considered his position did not allow him--as he said-- ‘to risk the necessary in hope of winning the superfluous,’ yet he would sit for nights together at the card table and follow with feverish anxiety the different turns of the game” (Pushkin 100). This image that Pushkin gives of Hermann indicates that he should be little inclined to believe such a tale as the ‘secret of the cards,’ yet he goes almost mad with the idea of such a trick. Hearing the story awakens within him a fanciful side--while he has always been reserved, he likes the idea that there exists a trick that would allow him to gain much while risking little, as his only reason for not gambling is the risk. Thus, it would follow that, once he has discovered the secret of the cards, his demeanor changes to one of total ease. “Armed, as it were, with the infallibility conferred by a revelation-turned-obsession, he nightly approaches the gambling tables with brazen assurance” (Gregg 623). Hermann, always having been austere with his funds, allows his frugality to become greed, then obsession. “Almost every time Germann meets story and art, he attempts to appropriate them as means of satisfying his desire for great wealth… Because of his materialism, Germann's imagination cannot lead him to a higher truth; he can only obsessively transform life into images grotesquely reflecting his desire” (Rosenshield 998). It is not the secret of the cards, but the extent to which he allows it to consume him, that determines Hermann’s fate. 

Dorian’s decline, on the other hand, begins when he meets Lord Henry, who fills his head with poisonous rhetoric about living for himself. Dorian enters the story an innocent young man, but his innocence is quickly revealed to be mere naivety. However, even before Dorian meets Henry, Basil says of him, “Now and then, however, he is horribly thoughtless, and seems to take a real delight in giving me pain. Then I feel, Henry, that I have given away my whole soul to some one who treats it as if it were a flower to put in his coat, a bit of decoration to charm his vanity, an ornament for a summer’s day” (Wilde 475). It seems that, even then, Dorian possesses a vicious streak and a predisposition to using others. Henry perceives all this and, playing cleverly upon the lad’s egotism, manipulates him easily into living out his ‘new hedonism,’ a lifestyle that Henry himself does not practice to the same extremes that Dorian reaches. While Henry’s words have a great impact upon Dorian, “[his] fate… is a result of his inability to reconcile these two aspects of his personality:[...] ‘conscience and instinct’” (Liebman 297). Yet Henry’s greatest influence upon Dorian is in giving him the yellow book. The title of the book is not mentioned--it does not matter, for more importantly, it represents the tenets of Henry’s philosophy in its purest form. Dorian becomes obsessed with the book--”For years, Dorian Gray could not free himself from the influence of this book. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he never sought to free himself from it. He procured from Paris no less than nine large-paper copies of the first edition, and had them bound in different colours, so that they might suit his various moods…” (Wilde 531). Suffice to say, plainly, that “Dorian Gray [has] been poisoned by a book” (Wilde 540). 

In neither story, however, is the character without some form of conscience, or at any rate, some form of moral compass. The Countess acts, for Hermann, as a sort of judge. When she appears to Hermann as an apparition, she absolves him of her death (albeit conditionally), and tells him the secret of the cards. Yet, later on, Hermann seems to attribute his choosing the wrong card to the deceased Countess. What’s more, immediately preceding Hermann’s exit from the Countess’s estate, when he passes once more through her chambers, “The dead old lady [sits] as if petrified; her face [expresses] profound tranquility” (Pushkin 106). “...the seated position has long been associated with the act of judging. And to judge the hero, sternly and remorselessly, is what the dead Countess does in the remaining chapters of the story” (Gregg 619). The apparition may, indeed, be only a manifestation of Hermann’s troubled subconscious; his mind, unable to directly confront his guilt, produces an image through which he may absolve himself of it in the form of the Countess. This hallucination serves as the purveyor of justice for the remainder of the story--while it grants him the forgiveness he cannot grant himself, it also exacts the punishment he cannot consciously admit he has earned; namely, causing him to choose the wrong card. 

As Hermann’s guilt physically manifests itself as a possible hallucination, Dorian’s guilt manifests itself in a very real physical manner: as his deeds grow increasingly wicked, his portrait grows increasingly hideous. Yet, there are three stages to Dorian that one must examine with account to conscience: first, upon Dorian’s initial appearance in the story, he is terribly naive, and as a consequence, is very easily influenced. At this point, Basil and Henry act almost as external consciences to the boy; opposing moral forces warring for influence over him. Then, once Dorian realises the full extent of his beauty, his own conscience must come into play. Finally, after Dorian murders Basil, his own conscience becomes inadequate for moral discernment, and the portrait’s existence becomes his only restraint. Dorian wars against his ‘conscience’ throughout the entire story--in the first part, Henry’s and Basil’s influences over the boy can be compared to the Freudian model of the id and the superego. However, the situation is a bit more complex, for “...the conflict between Henry and Basil is not simply a matter of good vs. evil…” (Liebman 297). Rather than finding his ‘ego,’ Dorian submits entirely to his ‘id,’ and all that follows is a direct result of that imbalance. As Dorian spends increasingly less time with Basil and increasingly more time with Henry, his conscience (his ‘superego’) grows increasingly impotent, until at long last, he grows to hate the mere idea of a conscience. This hatred manifests itself first when he kills Basil; “Loss of patience issuing into murder is what Hallward ultimately receives. Dorian becomes his nemesis, because Hallward directed what [is] beautiful--both in his life and art--upon a corrupted object” (Alley 6). Dorian grows to hate Basil because Basil insistently sees the good in Dorian and refuses to acknowledge the monster he has become. His hatred is further exemplified at the end of the novel, as he looks upon the portrait and considers how it no longer brings him joy: “It had been like conscience to him. Yes, it had been conscience. He would destroy it” (Wilde 579). Dorian takes the same knife he used to kill Basil; as he killed his first acting form of ‘conscience’ with it, so he intends to eradicate what remaining moral constraint he has. Yet, when he attempts to destroy his remaining humanity, he destroys himself. 

Although both stories have morals and themes applicable to real life, both also contain elements of the preternatural. In The Queen of Spades, the most obvious preternatural element is the ghost of the Countess. However, when interpreting this story through a preternatural lens, the reader must consider the ghost in terms of the story’s climax-- namely, Hermann’s mistake in choosing the queen of spades instead of the ace. There has been much speculation on this subject; some have suggested that the Countess herself causes Hermann to choose the wrong card from beyond the grave as an act of revenge. Yet such an interpretation leaves room for little further meaning; ���Herman becomes simply a puppet of fate, manipulated by the power of the other world” (Rosen 259). Another interpretation--one with slightly more weight to it--is that Hermann’s own repressed guilt over the Countess’s death causes him to choose the wrong card. In four instances in the story, Pushkin describes images of the Countess framed in a rectangle; these cause Hermann’s subconscious, still preoccupied with guilt over the Countess, to project her onto the queen of spades, which he then picks up in a moment of thoughtless distraction. This theory finds further affirmation in the image of the queen of spades apparently ‘winking’ at Hermann, just as the Countess appears to ‘wink’ at her funeral earlier. Yet, all this draws into question the nature of the ghost’s appearance; did she truly appear to Hermann, or was she a mere hallucination? One must consider that “The psychological code [...] can never prove that Germann did not see a ghost” (Rosenshield 996). Indeed, many have conducted studies into this very matter, but it seems likely that Pushkin hoped for readers to question that very thing. 

However, the story contains a more important (though less obvious) preternatural element: the trick of the cards. For one thing, the order in which the cards are to be played-- 3, 7, A--holds some significance, for “...the sequence 3-7-A embodies numbers of increasing power in divination” (Rosen 257). Moreover, the numbers of each card--1, 3, and 7--have strong magical and superstitious implications: “1 is the number of God, identified with power, dominance, creativity, and independence. Three is the number of creation, generation, perfection (the Trinity), and completion (beginning-middle-end). Seven is ‘the most mysterious and uncanny of numbers and one of the most important in magic’” (Rosen 256). Pushkin must have chosen these numbers exactly for these implications, as in faro, cards are not ranked in any particular way. Moreover, each number crops up subtly at various times throughout the story, and while many have speculated that perhaps the origin of the numbers exists in Hermann’s own mind, many have likewise wondered whether such repetition points towards supernatural signification. 

The main preternatural element in The Picture of Dorian Gray is, of course, more obvious: the painting that becomes the mirror to Dorian’s soul. At the novel’s beginning, when Dorian says, “If only it were the other way! If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old! For that--for that--I would give everything! Yes, there is nothing in the whole world I would not give! I would give my soul for that!” (Wilde 482), he evidently triggers that very change. When he views the painting for the first time, he sees within it the full extent of his own beauty, and all at once develops an almost Narcissan obsession with his own appearance. Yet, Dorian’s fixation on both his external beauty and internal ugliness is not caused by the painting, but rather reflected in the painting--this is an important distinction. “As Dorian’s career of obscure sinning unfolds, so does this difference advance. The portrait grows uglier by degrees, the mirror more beautiful by contrast, and Dorian more obsessional in his petition of both” (Craft 115). Indeed, this inversion of images, wherein none can distinguish between reality and art any longer, affects the character quite as much as the reader; when Henry questions whether the painting is the ‘real’ Dorian, he brings an uncertainty into the story which becomes more notably present as it progresses. By the end of the novel, when Dorian stabs his painting and, conversely, himself, the reader no longer has any certainty that the painting was not the ‘real’ Dorian all along. Dorian himself seems to believe the portrait to be a reflection of his soul, or a manifestation of his conscience. In either case, “Upon penetration (of the portrait by the knife; of the knifer by the portrait) the magical transposition of Dorians is terminally reversed, but never adequately explained” (Craft 123). Yet, Wilde need offer no explanation; his employment of the Gothic provides adequate enough justification for his unresolved use of the preternatural. 

Yet, in both The Queen of Spades and The Picture of Dorian Gray, the preternatural cannot be separated--at least not entirely--from the psychological. As previously mentioned, much evidence exists linking the Countess’s apparition directly to Hermann’s subliminal guilt over her death. This explanation makes even more sense in light of his fate at the story’s end; “Hermann went out of his mind, and is now confined in room Number 17 of the Obukhov Hospital. He never answers any questions, but he constantly mutters with unusual rapidity: ‘Three, seven, ace!’ ‘Three, seven, queen!’” (Pushkin 110). To fully examine Hermann’s madness, one must consider his thoughts and actions throughout the story. When Hermann first hears the tale of the cards, he cannot believe it, however it soon becomes all he can think of. He begins lurking outside the Countess’s house, and soon implicates Lizaveta in his plot to wrangle the secret from her aged benefactor. While his behaviour takes on an obsessive nature long before, his first encounter with the Countess solidifies what the reader likely already suspects, for his venture into the Countess’s quarters is “both a criminal trespass and a shocking breach of decorum” (Gregg 616). Stepping completely and unquestionably outside the bounds of socially acceptable behaviour, Hermann enters what could be interpreted as a period of psychosis. His speech to the Countess imploring her to give up her secret supports this: “Aside from triteness, this speech is characterized by ridiculous nonsequiturs regarding the satanic, the sacred, sin, and happiness” (Rosenshield 1000). Similarly, Hermann’s actions immediately following the Countess’s death make very little sense from a rational perspective; while the moral implications of these actions have already been discussed, it is necessary to also consider their psychological implications. Hermann, already not quite in his right mind, becomes overly excited, even hysterical, over the Countess dying before his very eyes, hence his immediate confession to Lizaveta. 

Pushkin asserts that Hermann is highly superstitious--“...believing that the dead Countess might exercise an evil influence on his life, he resolved to be present at her obsequies in order to implore her pardon” (Pushkin 106). The extent of his superstition is not itself terribly out of the ordinary, but in consolidation with his other thoughts and behaviour, it may suggest a sort of paranoia. Furthermore, he feels neither (conscious) guilt nor sorrow over the old woman’s demise--indeed, Hermann’s emotional response throughout the ordeal, from the Countess’s death to her funeral, is entirely inappropriate. Now, it is possible that seeing the Countess’s corpse once more unsettles Hermann more than he realises; hence the perceived wink and the overdrinking. The apparition appears to him that night: “...each act of the ghostly Countess--even as she seems to retain a degree of autonomy--can also, and perhaps best, be understood as a manifestation of Germann's troubled mental state” (Gregg 621). The ghost would not be a byproduct of too much hard drink, for liquor does not cause hallucinations on that level. Ergo, either the Countess’s ghost truly visits Hermann, or it is a hallucination. Yet, once he learns the secret of the cards, Hermann approaches the gambling tables with supreme confidence. As Freud taught, subconscious material manifests itself through dreams, and just prior to this point in the story Pushkin mentions Hermann’s dream about three, seven, ace. “Herman's dream is concerned with transformations: human beings remind him of playing cards and playing cards turn into other objects” (Rosen 260). This could possibly explain (at least in part) his mistake in choosing the queen instead of the ace. Yet Hermann cannot reckon with that explanation, and “Believing that the countess (in the form of the queen) has wreaked revenge on him, Germann goes insane” (Rosenshield 996). 

Dorian’s insanity is of a different sort than Hermann’s; “He is unduly self-involved and beyond reach; he pictures a world with him acting as the center of it” (Jeihouni & Taghizadeh 1447). Before Dorian enters the story, Basil describes him as simple, pure, and innocent, but simultaneously vain and thoughtless. Even before the character appears, Wilde hints that Dorian is at odds with himself, being pulled in opposing directions by opposing forces. “An individual’s mind is influenced by the orthodoxies of his society, for to the health of the person’s mentality, these orthodoxies are either helpful prescriptions or fatal resolutions” (Jeihouni & Taghizadeh 1447); “Dorian’s failure to integrate his opposing ‘selves’ is not a consequence of his own psychological inadequacy, but a condition of modern life” (Liebman 297). Yet, just as the struggle between Basil and Henry is more complex than a mere matter of ‘good versus evil,’ so, too, is the matter of society pulling Dorian in all directions more complex. For if Dorian remains constantly swaying back and forth between two extremes of character before the story, clearly Henry’s lavish words are all it takes to topple him to one side. Yet, Henry’s words seem but the catalyst in a chain reaction; spared of the sweet nothings Henry whispers into Dorian’s ear, would the boy still react as he does upon discovering his own beauty? Dorian’s reaction upon viewing the portrait suggests a preexisting narcissism: “When he [sees] it he [draws] back, and his cheeks [flush] for a moment with pleasure. A look of joy [comes] into his eyes, as if he [recognizes] himself for the first time. He [stands] there motionless and in wonder… The sense of his own beauty [comes] on him like a revelation” (Wilde 481). Dorian falls for an eroticised image of himself, as is marked by his repeated return to his attic to gaze upon picture and mirror, so excited is he by the ever-increasing difference between the two. 

Yet, one must ask, firstly, why Dorian throws himself so suddenly and so completely into a life of hedonism. If one makes the conscious decision to treat Dorian’s mental state as abnormal, answering this question becomes much simpler: Dorian is isolated enough to turn to two distorted images of himself as his greatest source of pleasure, yet commits himself entirely to a life of hedonism and debauchery at the mere suggestion of someone after their first meeting--such inconsistencies are the markings of a narcissist. Mayo Clinic describes narcissism as “a mental condition in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for excessive attention and admiration, troubled relationships, and a lack of empathy for others. But behind this mask of extreme confidence lies a fragile self-esteem that's vulnerable to the slightest criticism” (MayoClinic). In this light, it follows that “...he seeks to define his hollow identity in relation to the outside world, which does not supply him with what he lacks” (Jeihouni & Taghizadeh 1448). Dorian only views the world in extremes, so instead of integrating Henry’s hedonistic approach to the lifestyle he already knows, he conforms to it entirely. Furthermore, one must consider that Henry, as observant as he is manipulative, plays specifically upon Dorian’s egotism and unstable sense of self to point the boy in the direction he so chooses. Even after Henry has ‘enlightened’ him, Dorian remains terribly naive in that his view of the world is still incredibly two-dimensional. In fact, his view of the world grows increasingly narrow throughout the story, for as he becomes more focused on fulfillment of personal pleasure and the growing contrast between the two images of himself, so he also grows more isolated and more focused upon himself. Simultaneously, as Dorian grows more lonely and starved for attention, he throws himself with increased vigor into his vices, thus begetting and continuing a vicious cycle. His world shrinks to encompass fewer and fewer people, as is shown by his increased apathy to the bodies piling around him as he uses people and casts them aside. By the end of the story, Dorian has become detached from the world around him--he is his own world and the pinnacle of his own existence. 

Pushkin wrote, “Two fixed ideas can no more exist together in the moral world than two bodies can occupy one and the same place in the physical world” (108). While that may or may not ring true in all cases, it certainly fits the cases of Hermann and Dorian. The former dedicates himself fully to gaining wealth, the latter, to living entirely for pleasure, yet both fail to consider any potential consequences. Each character dedicates himself so completely to his respective cause that it drives out all compassion, all love for life, and at last, all other thoughts entirely, leaving each a hollow, isolated caricature of a man. As demonstrated in the two characters’ mental declines--and, in Dorian’s case, his death-- to devote oneself entirely to such shallow and imaginative pursuits as material gain or instantaneous gratification is a very dangerous business, indeed. 

Works Cited

Alley, Henry M. "The Gay Artist as Tragic Hero in the Picture of Dorian Gray." Clcweb: Comparative Literature and Culture, no. 2, 2009. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.nyack.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsglr&AN=edsgcl.204861634&site=eds-live. 

Craft, Christopher. "Come See about Me: Enchantment of the Double in the Picture of Dorian Gray." Representations, no. 1, 2005, pp. 109-136. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1525/rep.2005.91.1.109. 

Gregg, Richard. "Germann the Confessor and the Stony, Seated Countess: The Moral Subtext of Pushkin's 'The Queen of Spades'." The Slavonic and East European Review, no. 4, 2000, pp. 612-624. EBSCOhost, https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy.nyack.edu/stable/4213111. 

Liebman, Sheldon W. "Character Design in the Picture of Dorian Gray." Studies in the Novel, vol. 31, no. 3, 1999, pp. 296-316. EBSCOhost, http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.nyack.edu/stable/29533343. 

Pushkin, Alexandr. “The Queen of Spades.” 19th Century Fantastic Fiction: An Anthology, edited by Charles Beach, Six Driftwood Press, 2018, pp. 95-110. Print.

Rosen, Nathan. "The Magic Cards in the Queen of Spades." The Slavic and East European Journal, no. 3, 1975, pp. 255-275. EBSCOhost, doi:10.2307/306284. 

Rosenshield, Gary. "Choosing the Right Card: Madness, Gambling, and the Imagination in Pushkin's 'The Queen of Spades'." PMLA: Publications of the Modern Language Association of America, vol. 109, no. 5, Oct. 1994, pp. 995-1008. EBSCOhost, doi:10.2307/462967. 

Taghizadeh, Ali and Mojtaba Jeihouni. "Aestheticism Versus Realism? Narcissistic Mania of the Unheeded Soul in Oscar Wilde's the Picture of Dorian Gray." Theory and Practice in Language Studies, no. 7, 2014, pp. 1445-1451. EBSCOhost, doi:10.4304/tpls.4.7.1445-1451. 

Wilde, Oscar. “The Picture of Dorian Gray.” 19th Century Fantastic Fiction: An Anthology, edited by Charles Beach, Six Driftwood Press, 2018, pp. 469-579. Print. 

“Narcissistic Personality Disorder.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 18 Nov. 2017, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/narcissistic-personality-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20366662. 

50 Optimistic Quotes To Crush Negativity

Our latest collection of optimistic quotes to help you see the bright side. These quotes about optimism will help you live a positive life.

Do you consider yourself optimistic? Is it easy for you to stay positive?

We decided to search the web and find some of our favorite optimistic quotes that can lift your spirits and elevate your perspective.

We believe that being optimistic is imperative for happiness and essential for a high quality of life. No matter how tough the day is, no matter how frustrated or stressed out we are, keeping an optimistic state of mind is a non-negotiable.

Below you’ll find our collection of inspirational, wise, and optimistic quotes, optimistic sayings, and optimistic proverbs, collected from a variety of sources over the years. Enjoy!

Optimistic Quotes To Push Your Thinking

1.) “And imagine acquiring a new language and only learning the words to describe a wonderful world, refusing to know the words for a bleak one and in doing so linguistically shaping the world that you inhabit.” ― Rosamund Lupton

2.) “A pessimist is a man who thinks everybody is as nasty as himself, and hates them for it.”― George Bernard Shaw

3.) “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”― Winston S. Churchill

4.) “Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.”― Arundhati Roy

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

6.) “TO BE HOPEFUL in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.” ― Howard Zinn

Optimistic Quotes About Mindset

7.) “Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.”― Dalai Lama XIV

8.) “Expect the best, prepare for the worst.”― Muhammad Ali Jinnah

9.) “For myself I am an optimist – it does not seem to be much use to be anything else.” ― Winston S. Churchill

10.) “I am so far from being a pessimist…on the contrary, in spite of my scars, I am tickled to death at life.”― Eugene O’Neill

11.) “Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety.

Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt crept in. Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense.

This new day is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on the yesterdays.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Optimistic Quotes About Being Positive

12.) “Another way to be prepared is to think negatively. Yes, I’m a great optimist. but, when trying to make a decision, I often think of the worst case scenario. I call it ‘the eaten by wolves factor.’ If I do something, what’s the most terrible thing that could happen? Would I be eaten by wolves? One thing that makes it possible to be an optimist, is if you have a contingency plan for when all hell breaks loose. There are a lot of things I don’t worry about, because I have a plan in place if they do.” ― Randy Pausch

13.) “I meant to write about death, only life came breaking in as usual”― Virginia Woolf

14.) “Perpetual Optimism is a Force Multiplier.” ― Colin Powell

15.) “If you think this Universe is bad, you should see some of the others.”― Philip K. Dick

16.) “I’m a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of will.”― Antonio Gramsci

17.) “The optimist lives on the peninsula of infinite possibilities; the pessimist is stranded on the island of perpetual indecision.”  ― William Arthur Ward

18.) “In this hour, I do not believe that any darkness will endure.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien

19.) “Pessimism never won any battle.”  ― Dwight D. Eisenhower

20.) “Life has no remote….get up and change it yourself!”― Mark A. Cooper

21.) “My optimism wears heavy boots and is loud.”― Henry Rollins

22.) “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

23.) “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

24.) “Optimism,” said Cacambo, “What is that?” “Alas!” replied Candide, “It is the obstinacy of maintaining that everything is best when it is worst.”― Voltaire

25.) “Pessimists are usually right and optimists are usually wrong but all the great changes have been accomplished by optimists.”― Thomas L. Friedman

26.) “Some people grumble that roses have thorns; I am grateful that thorns have roses.”― Alphonse Karr

27.) “The longest way must have its close – the gloomiest night will wear on to a morning.”― Harriet Beecher Stowe

28.) “The man who is a pessimist before 48 knows too much; if he is an optimist after it he knows too little.” ― Mark Twain

29.) “There is some good in this world, and it’s worth fighting for.”― J.R.R. Tolkien

30.) “there’s no harm in hoping for the best as long as you’re prepared for the worst.”― Stephen King

31.) “Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson

32.) “You have this ability to find beauty in weird places.”― Kamila Shamsie

Optimistic quotes to elevate your state of mind

33.) “For myself I am an optimist – it does not seem to be much use to be anything else.”– Winston Churchill

33.) “What is hope but a feeling of optimism, a thought that says things will improve, it won’t always be bleak [and] there’s a way to rise above the present circumstances.” ―Wayne W. Dyer

34.) “Optimism doesn’t wait on facts. It deals with prospects.” ―Norman Cousins

35.) “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” ― Oscar Wilde

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

37.) “It is the hopeful, buoyant, cheerful attitude of mind that wins. Optimism is a success builder; pessimism an achievement killer.” – Orison Swett Marden

38.) “I am an optimist. Anyone interested in the future has to be otherwise he would simply shoot himself.”– Arthur C. Clarke

39.) “When you have vision it affects your attitude. Your attitude is optimistic rather than pessimistic.”– Charles R. Swindoll

40.) “Optimism means better than reality; pessimism means worse than reality. I’m a realist.” – Margaret Atwood

Other uplifting optimistic quotes

41.) “”When you are asked if you can do a job, tell ’em, ‘Certainly I can!’ Then get busy and find out how to do it.” – Theodore Roosevelt

42.) “Success is not how high you have climbed, but how you make a positive difference to the world.” ― Roy T. Bennett

43.) “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.” ―Martin Luther

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

45.) “I try to think about optimism. I try to look at the beautiful things in life.” – Dolores O’Riordan

46.) “Sometimes when you’re in a dark place you think you’ve been buried, but you’ve actually been planted.” – Christine Caine

47.) “The optimist looks at the horizon and sees an opportunity; the pessimist peers into the distance and fears a problem.” – William Arthur Ward

48.) “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” – Jimmy Dean

49.) “Be more optimistic. Pessimism is a kind of behavior that you learn . Hoping for the best and believing that everything is going to be fine in the end helps to reduce stress.” – David Brown

50.) “To the question whether I am a pessimist or an optimist, I answer that my knowledge is pessimistic, but my willing and hoping are optimistic.” – Albert Schweitzer

Tali Sharot: The optimism bias

How did you find these optimistic quotes?

Becoming more optimistic can help you change your life and achieve your goals. Optimism can empower you to overcome your challenges and strive for success and happiness.

Due to the ups and downs of life, it can be tough to remain positive at certain times. During such times, a reminder that things will get better might be all you need. So hopefully, these quotes about optimism have elevated your state of mind and encouraged you to always hope for the best in life; regardless of circumstance.

Did you enjoy these optimistic quotes? Which of the quotes was your favorite? Tell us in the comment section below. Also, take a second to Like and Share!

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