Optimism isn't just a private belief. It is information that we are sharing with other people that becomes evidence of progress and possibility.
— Michelle Gielan“The discovery of an effective HIV vaccine is the nirvana for all our efforts to prevent AIDS.”— Sir Richard Feachem
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The quote archive
Wisdom in fragments
A growing archive of 3,000+ moments, drawn from every interview.
If you do not speak up, your optimism has no effect on the room.
— Michelle GielanSometimes we fight so hard against the negative. But if we can bolster the positive, we can sometimes get to the same place.
— Michelle GielanResilience is not how you endure, it's how you recharge.
— Michelle GielanIt doesn't ask, was today good? It asks, what was good in today?
— Michelle GielanOptimism is the expectation of good things to happen. Resilient optimism is optimism that is built on a set of behaviours and stays strong when it's tested.
— Michelle GielanYou need to be able to hold two truths at the same time. Yes, this is difficult, and there's something we can do here. Yes, I don't know how the story ends, and I believe that my behaviour matters in this moment.
— Michelle GielanToxic positivity aims to edit out the problem.
— Michelle GielanWhat I study in the research is rational optimism. It's how you take a realistic assessment of the present moment while maintaining a belief that your behaviour matters, especially in the face of challenges.
— Michelle GielanOptimism doesn't stop cars from hitting us. It doesn't stop reality from negatively affecting us.
— Michelle GielanIt was not a psychological operation. It was good communication. And of course, so many of these things come back to good communication.
— Arthur DenaroPeople should recognise, before they enter a conflict, that there has to be an end state. There has to be, first of all, an exit plan, which will depend on what your aims are in the first place. Because if you have not got any aims, it is difficult to see how to come out of it.
— Arthur DenaroSoldiers do not like killing. Yes, of course we are trained to do it effectively and properly and professionally if necessary - but far better to win and defend our country in a better way.
— Arthur DenaroI always say it was the cruellest war I have ever been involved in.
— Arthur DenaroKilling the enemy is half as effective as recruiting him.
— Arthur DenaroGeography has a big effect on long-term, large-area history, whereas leaders have a big effect on short-term, small-area history.
— Jared Diamond