You need hope to form a thought. It takes-I don't know-optimism to speak, to engage in conversation. Because really, what's the point of all this communicating? What difference does it really make what we say to each other? Or what we do, for that matter?

There is a defect in usas human beingsbecause we think ourselvesa fortress, a mountain, unbreakablebut at the centerin that stillness of beingthere is a chasmof lovewhich echoes hope, compassion, empathytry again, it saysand though the fault lines are full of darknesswe are held together bythe optimism and foolishness of a single spark

The emotion of disgust evolved initially to optimize responses to the omnivore's dilemma. Individuals who had a properly calibrated sense of disgust were able to consume more calories than their overly disgustable cousins while consuming fewer dangerous microbes than their insufficiently disgustable cousins.

I cannot here withhold the statement that optimism, where it is not merely the thoughtless talk of those who harbor nothing but words under their shallow foreheads, seems to me to be not merely an absurd, but also a really wicked, way of thinking, a bitter mockery of the most unspeakable sufferings of mankind.

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.

“There's a lot of optimism about the earnings due in the next few weeks, and right now that's concentrated in technology, with people feeling upbeat about tech earnings and spending, which is why you've been seeing the Nasdaq perform a little better than the others this last week.”

“Bayer is stepping up its concentration on nanotechnology. Our goal is to become a developer and supplier of nanotechnology on the global markets for precision materials, healthcare and nutrition. By optimizing our transfer of know-how, we can identify synergies, make recommendations for research and discover new business opportunities.”

“Small molecules penetrate the tumor very efficiently, but are also removed very efficiently. Larger molecules penetrate more slowly, but they stay in the tissue longer, giving the patient a greater concentration of the drug. If you balance the two factors with a precise weight, you get optimal drug concentration.”

My theory is that hope is a form of madness. A benevolent one, sure, but madness all the same. Like an irrational superstition--broken mirrors and so forth--hope's not based on any kind of logic, it's just unfettered optimism, grounded in nothing but faith in things beyond our control.

“I always wish I had more space to put my equipment and tools, but that is the nature of living in the residence halls. You need to optimize your space, and I still have no trouble with keeping two guitars, two amps and tons of tools in my room now.”