“Coach Wooden dealt in the positive. He would not spend time on the negative – he was always focusing on moving forward with what we had to learn to make us better.” Fred Slaughter

“Confidence is contagious and so is lack of confidence, and a customer will recognize both.” Vince Lombardi

“Leaders need to understand how profoundly they affect people, how their optimism and pessimism are equally infectious, how directly they set the tone and spirit of everyone around them.” Captain Abrashoff

“It is well known that every leader sets the tone for his or her organisation. Show me an enthusiastic leader, and I will show you an enthusiastic workforce.” Captain Abrashoff

Investors Optimism

“I’ve seen very few people in the world accomplish anything unless they were optimists.” Bill Ackman

“I’m an optimist. And investing has always seemed to me to be the ultimate act of optimism.” Charles Schwab

“Bulls make more than bears, so if anything be an optimist about life and about things in general is a great attribute as an investor. You just can’t be starry eyed and naïve.” Stanley Druckenmiller

“An unwavering confidence in human potential in the long term stands as a lighthouse guiding us towards our destination in the investing world—particularly when the storms are raging.” Francois Rochon

“You have to be optimistic about the future. I like it because I tend to see the world more positively. It’s consistent with where I am psychologically. To me optimists rule the world. I think optimists are the ones who ultimately get it right. Buffett says it all the time, ‘Never bet against America’. I’d say never bet against great growth companies with superior cultures that are highly competitively advantaged.” Paul Black, WCM Investment Management

“It’s hard to be optimistic during a crisis, but optimism remains core to our approach. Growth investors need to be positive and we always are. Volatility is a fact of life in equity investment. It doesn’t detract from change for the better being a consistent theme if one has a long enough historical time horizon.” Baillie Gifford

“We have chosen optimism and the belief that our civilization is fundamentally progressing. While prudence frames our approach towards stock selection, we have so far been rewarded for maintaining a constructive attitude.” Francois Rochon

“We are optimists. In a world where limiting volatility and avoiding downside is the dominant investor mentality, we focus unashamedly on the drivers and implications of corporate success.” James Anderson, Baillie Guifford

“There is a tendency for smart people to caution and pessimism, but I think it’s a demonstrably a very dangerous tendency because over time equity markets have gone up a lot. I have also observed that pessimism messes people up and messes up their careers. I’d rather that didn’t happen so I stay optimistic.” Nick Train

“In our experience, we find optimists most often win the day. Skepticism is inherently valuable in investing, but I have found I need to engage skeptically with my pessimism not my optimism. Optimists are more likely to be persistent and have more imagination. Imagination would seem like one of the worst, if not harmful, investing traits to have - yet it opens up more what-if scenarios and adds balance to the prevailing pessimistic chorus.” Jake Rosser

“People are always worried about the economy and the world, especially since the financial crisis of 2008 and Europe’s sovereign debt crisis in 2011. I feel that people should learn to be optimistic because life goes on, and sometimes favourable suprises come out of the blue, whether due to new policies or scientific breakthroughs.” Irving Kahn

“I had to teach myself to be bullish. But I promise you, as soon as I started looking on the bright side not only did my investment performance begin to improve, but I felt and looked younger too. Let’s face it – bearishness is the natural province of crabby old people.  All the great investors – Buffett, Fisher, Munger, Templeton – stayed structural bulls and (have) reached grand old ages. Not only were they intellectually correct to be bullish – as history and their track records amply confirm – but they were emotionally smart too.” Nick Train

“Take a look at the long term chart of the S&P500. Every bull market you see, the remorseless accumulation of long term value is associated with new industries, new companies or the productivity gains brought by new technology. The ups and down’s of interest rates? Not so much. I’m sure that if you’re optimistic about technology and innovation, then you should be optimistic about equity markets. In that sense, markets are always cheap.” Nick Train 

“Pessimism has never built anything and, as Robert G. Allen said: ‘Many an optimist has become rich by buying out a pessimist.’” Francois Rochon

“People who are pessimistic don’t do particularly well in this industry.” Nick Train

“At Baillie Gifford we are incurably optimistic; it comes from investing in growth equities where the opportunities are skewed to the upside.” Jenny Davis

“From ‘The Man Who Solved The Market’ on Jim Simons. I underlined this short sentence below in the book which is also the commonality in anyone that is successful. ‘Simons remained a stubborn optimist’ Optimism bias is a great bias.’ Ian Cassel

“Elon Musk says, I think a line he's used is, ‘It's better to go through life being an optimist and be proved wrong than a pessimist and be proved right.’” Dan Sundheim

“Part of the reason pessimism is more seductive than optimism is because, despite an awareness of how powerfully things have changed in the past, it’s easy to underestimate our ability to change in the future. Psychologists call this the end of history illusion. In people it’s a tendency to underestimate how much your tastes and preferences will change in the future. When you combine this quirk with markets’ propensity to be in wild states of unsustainable highs and lows, pessimism reigns because it’s easy to underestimate how those crazy states will ever adapt or revert to the mean. If you extrapolate college tuition growing at 10% a year for another 20 years, it looks insane and you’ll be pessimistic. Extrapolate current government deficits as far as you can see and we’re in trouble. Extrapolate negative growth during a recession and you’ll want to build a bunker. But the whole history of economics is a story about things adapting and reverting. Newton’s third law applies to economics: For every reaction – rising price, falling price, higher margin, lower interest rate, whatever – there is an equal and opposite reaction. Somewhere. To someone, who will eventually have enough sway to move things in the other direction or figure out a more palatable option. Underestimating adaptation and reversion to the mean is the greatest cause of pessimism. If you can stick around long enough to stomach the adaptations, optimism should virtually always be the default assumption.” Morgan Housel

Business Optimism

“A sunny disposition is worth more than fortune. Young people should know that it can be cultivated; that the mind like the body can be moved from the shade into sunshine.” Andrew Carnegie

“I was born an optimist.” Joe Foster, founder Reebok

“Frankly, I am pathologically optimistic – it’s a mental condition!” Elon Musk

“You [founders] need optimism and energy. I don’t know how some glum Eeyore type founder could ever lead a company to success. You have to have optimism. You have to have energy. It’s got to be contagious. There’s going to be a lot of bad days and you need to lift people up.” Jeff Bezos

“I have always been an optimist who believes that tomorrow will be better than today.” Ralph Roberts, founder Comcast

"I think what I learned is that cynics get the headlines, optimists make the money and build the companies. Nobody you see who is the head of the company is not an optimist." Ken Moelis, founder Moelis & Company

"When you look at the headlines, just realize nobody who says the world is getting better tomorrow, you're never going to read that. You only read about the person who says there is storm clouds, there's a hurricane and a bad time coming. But as you know all the people who have created substantial businesses are optimists deep in their heart. They have to be." Ken Moelis, founder Moelis & Company

“I learned that the real spirit of America is a kind of pragmatic optimism: Everything will turn out well in the end, but only if you struggle and sacrifice to make it happen.” Lee Iacocca

‘‘Want to win in your leadership role? Keep it positive. While it can be a challenge, some of the most memorable leaders have demonstrated a persistently positive and enthusiastic attitude. The capacity to show positivity day in and day out is not only a benchmark of true leadership, but can also set the tone for others to achieve the same.” Joe Scarlett, Tractor Supply

“[Management] must be carried out with the attitude of a cheerleader. We need to be upbeat, encouraging, and enthusiastic, even it we don’t feel that way when we wake up in the morning.” Peter Schutz, ex CEO Porsche

“It is always the positive people who win. They are always a joy to their colleagues and to themselves.” Ingvar Kamprad, founder IKEA

“Positive reinforcement inspires much greater performance than fear ever can. Great leaders show their people a better way, ie what they can achieve if they strive for greatness.” Kent Taylor, founder Texas Roadhouse

“One of the most important qualities of a good leader is optimism, a pragmatic enthusiasm for what can be achieved. Even in the face of difficult choices and less than ideal outcomes, an optimistic leader does not yield to pessimism. Simply put, people are not motivated or energised by pessimists.” Bob Iger, Disney

“We have been successful, have a positive attitude, and enjoy life and try to make others feel the same. No matter how bad things were at any point in time, my job was to never let on that I was discouraged.” Joe Scarlett, Tractor Supply

“Optimism in a leader, especially in challenging times, is so vital. Pessimism leads to paranoia, which leads to defensiveness, which leads to risk aversion. Optimism sets a different machine in motion. Especially in difficult moments, the people you lead need to feel confident in your ability to focus on what matters, and not to operate from a place of defensiveness and self-preservation.” Bob Iger, Disney

“Your job is not to be a Pollyanna . . . not to be unrealistic, but to keep your people and the organisation moving forward.” Chris Nassetta, Hilton Hotels

“That is what leadership is about. It’s about bringing out the best in everyone... I think that is perhaps the number one thing that leaders have to do: to bolster the confidence of the people you’re leading.” Satya Nadella, Microsoft

“[I] tend to be consistently optimistic. I truly believe that every day brings opportunity, even the bad days.” Jim Clayton, founder Clayton Homes

“My counsel is to be the most positive person in the room. Eventually good things will happen.” Kent Taylor, founder Texas Roadhouse

“The single most valuable quality one brings to a job is a positive attitude. It is more important than education, training or even experience... As supervisers and executives, we must do all we can to nourish positive attitudes withion ourselves and set an example for others.” Robert Pritzker

“As you walk, remain optimistic. Again, optimists tend to fare better in this life than pessimists. Pessimists never get anything done beyond the minimum things required of them. They rarely achieve something great or lasting – mainly because they can’t see anything great or lasting to pursue. Don’t get discouraged when bad things happen – they are also a part of the path that leads you where you need to go.” Jim Haslam, founder Pilot Flying J Company

“A high degree of enthusiasm should be encouraged at all levels; in particular, the people in high management positions must not only be enthusiastic themselves, they must be able to engender enthusiasm among their associates. There can be no place for halfhearted interest or halfhearted effort.” David Packard, founder HP

“Who wants to work for a pessimist? We all love to work for winners and be part of winning. I believe managers at all levels of a company should strive to develop the emotional side of their leadership skills.” Louis Gerstner Jr, IBM

“Morale seemed to me to be a crucial issue. In business, as in life, good things rarely come to those who appear desperate. I was determined to put everything in a positive light.” Dame Stephanie Shirley

“Some people have said my leadership style is overly optimistic. But if you think about it, people do not follow pessimists. One of the key fundamentals in leadership is optimism.” George Bodenheimer, ESPN

“The bank ... was launched and has had its remarkable record of growth on a policy of conservative yet energetic and enthusiastic optimism. The institution has never know the word 'failure' in any matter, large or small.” A.P. Giannini, founder Bank of America

“In times of great tumult, the kindest gift entrepreneurs can give themselves is positivity. It's impossible to run a race while carrying an anchor, and disappointment and self-recrimination are some of the heaviest anchors to shoulder. Learn from your mistakes and stick to your convictions in spite of the odds that seem to be bringing you underfoot. Maintain your confidence. Negative thoughts produce negative results.” Jim MacLamore, founder Burger King

“Don’t surrender. To achieve a positive outcome during an inauspicious time, be optimistic.” Henry Bloch, founder H&R Block

“Leadership reputations are made or lost during a crisis. People always look for authenticity from their leaders, but in a crisis it's non-negotiable. The mantra that I follow is that the role of a leader is to define reality and give hope.” Kenneth Chenault, Amex

“You cannot lead if you’re filled with uncertainty. Imagine two officers each leading a company of Marines up a hill. The first one says, ‘Men, we’re going up this hill and we’re going to kill every fucking enemy soldier on our way to the top. I’m going first, and you’re all going to make it to the top with me. I haven’t lost one of you yet. Follow me, men.’ Cool, competent, and confident. I’m ready to follow that guy. The second guy says, ‘Men, we’re going to try to take this hill. I have to admit that I don’t know how many enemy soldiers are on this hill. And I’ve never really done anything like this before. But I’m willing to go first if you’re willing to follow me. We might make it; we might not. There’s no way to know for certain. Even if we make it to the top, it’s highly likely that some of us will be killed. Follow me, men.’ Well, the second guy is impressively honest about his fears and uncertainties. Maybe he should become a psychotherapist. But there’s no way anyone is following that guy anywhere.” Larry Ellison, founder Oracle