Best Pollyanna Quotes | Short & Famous Sayings

“I’m not interested in hearing from those who preach joy or talk such crap about ‘positivity pledges’ about not allowing negative thoughts to drain them of energy, or about sending vibes of positive energy into the world and being grateful for all the wonderful things it’s going to attract into lives. That stuff’s all well and good, except that most people who talk shit like this are as fake as Katie Price’s boobs.”

Positive Thinking Positive Attitude Positive Affirmation Positive Mindset Positivity Quotes Pollyanna

Book:Wrong Planet - Searching for your Tribe

Source: Wrong Planet - Searching for your Tribe

“Into the eyes of those she met Pollyanna smiled joyously. She was disappointed—but not surprised—that she received no answering smile in return. She was used to that now—in Boston. She still smiled, however, hopefully: there might be some one, sometime, who would smile back.”

Smile Hopefully Boston Smile Quotes Pollyanna Smiled Joyously

Book:Pollyanna Grows Up

Source: Pollyanna Grows Up

“That's the way I look at things - if you focus on the worst case scenario and it happens, you've lived it twice. It sounds like Pollyanna-ish tripe but I'm telling you - it works for me.”

Ifs Way Looks Happens Sound Cases Focus Worst Scenarios Worst Case Scenario Pollyanna Tripe

Author:Michael J. Fox

“Don't be a Pollyanna!”

Courage Pollyanna

Author:Richard Diebenkorn

“I prefer to see myself as the Janus, the two-faced god who is half Pollyanna and half Cassandra, warning of the future and perhaps living too much in the past - a combination of both.”

Two Past Half Too Much Combination Warning Pollyanna Janus

Author:Ray Bradbury

“Millions of Americans would still despair in the eight long years of the Depression that lay ahead and many of their individual dreams would be dashed on the rocks of economic hardship. But collectively, the country was in a new place, with a new confidence that the federal government would actively try to solve problems rather than fiddle or cater to the rich. Hope was no longer for Pollyannas; the cynics about the American system were in retreat.”

Source: The Defining Moment: FDR's Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope

“Consider the "new" woman. She's trying to be Pollyanna Borgia, clearly a conflict of interest. She's supposed to be a ruthless winner at work and a bundle of nurturing sweetness at home.”

Trying Home Interest Conflict Supposed To Be Winner Sweetness Ruthless Nurturing Bundles Conflict Of Interest Pollyanna

Author:Rita Mae Brown

“The influence of a beautiful, helpful, hopeful character is contagious. ... People radiate what is in their minds and in their hearts.”

People Mind Heart Character Beautiful Influence Hopeful Helpful Contagious Pollyanna

Book:Pollyanna

Source: Pollyanna

“I hate the pollyanna pest who says that all is for the best.”

Hate I Hate Pests Pollyanna

Author:Franklin P. Adams

“Anyone who looks for life can find it... and they don't need to photograph ashcans. The average camera fan reminds me of Pollyanna, with a lollypop in one hand and a camera in the other. You can't be a Nice Nelly and take news pictures.”

Needs Looks Hands Nice Fans News Cameras Photographer Photograph Average Pollyanna

Author:Weegee

“I long ago discovered that you can't TELL about Pollyanna. The minute you try to, she sounds priggish and preachy, and--impossible. Yet you and I know she is anything but that.”

Knows Trying Long Sound Impossible Minutes Long Ago Pollyanna

Author:Eleanor Porter

“Wonder is not a Pollyanna stance, not a denial of reality; wonder is an acknowledgement of the power of the mind to transform, to notice, to decide what experience shall mean.”

Inspirational Mind Mean Reality Wonder Denial Stance Acknowledgement Power Of The Mind Pollyanna Denial Of Reality

Book:Life's Companion: Journal Writing as a Spiritual Quest

Source: Life's Companion: Journal Writing as a Spiritual Quest

“I’m grateful I had the strength to fight. It takes courage to believe the best is yet to come, especially when you are flat on your back and don’t know if you’re going to see tomorrow. I’m no Pollyanna, but I believe optimism is a choice — a muscle that gets stronger with use. Right foot, left foot…just keep moving.”

Ifs Knows Believe Use Moving Choices Fighting Left I Believe Feet Tomorrow Optimism Stronger Grateful Muscles Flats Keep Moving Just Keep Moving Best Is Yet To Come Pollyanna

Author:Robin Roberts

“I'm an optimist in my heart - I'm a hopeless pollyanna just like my mother - but a pessimist in my head. I think that's the dialectic we all need to be in.”

Thinking Needs Heart Mother My Heart Hopeless Optimist Pessimist Dialectics Pollyanna

Author:Bill Ayers

“I have been accused of being a Pollyanna, but I think there are plenty of people dealing with the darker side of human nature, and if I am going to write about people who are kind and generous and loving and thoughtful, so what? In my life I have met astonishingly good people.”

People Ifs Thinking Writing Humans Kind Has Beens Sides Human Nature Mets Plenty Generous Thoughtful Good People Accused Darker Side Pollyanna

Author:Ann Patchett

“I'm not Pollyanna - I know that my personality and my opinions and how I approach the teaching of writing maybe isn't exactly how it's done traditionally in the academy...wherever that academy is...but, you know, the academy is broken as it relates to many creative writing programs.”

Knows Writing Done Opinion Creative Teaching Broken Personality Approach Program Relate Creative Writing Academy Pollyanna

Author:Tod Goldberg

“There are really two kinds of optimism. There's the complacent, Pollyanna optimism that says "don't worry - everything will be just fine" and that allows one to just lay back and do nothing about the problems around you. Then there's what we call dynamic optimism. That's an optimism based on action.”

Kind Two Problem Action Worry Fine Optimism Lays Complacent Pollyanna

Author:Ramez Naam

“I do tend to be almost kind of Pollyanna-ish person.”

Kind Persons Pollyanna

Author:Anna Quindlen

“Balance in life is the key, as Aristotle taught us. Nobody likes a naive Pollyanna, but neither do we like to be around people who are constantly complaining and finding fault.”

People Life Is Taught Keys Balance Findings Faults Complaining Likes Naive Taught Us Life Balance Pollyanna

Author:Mark Skousen

“Oh, but Aunt Polly, Aunt Polly, you haven't left me any time at all just to- to live.”

Left Havens Aunt Pollyanna

Book:Pollyanna

Source: Pollyanna

“What men and women need is encouragement. Their natural resisting powers should be strengthened, not weakened ... Instead of always harping on a man's faults, tell him of his virtues. Try to pull him out of his rut ... Hold up to him his better self, his real self that can dare and do and win out! ... People radiate what is in their minds and in their hearts.”

People Men Needs Should Trying Mind Heart Real Self Winning Natural Virtue Men And Women Encouragement Faults Dare Resisting Ruts Real Self Pollyanna

Book:Pollyanna

Source: Pollyanna

“Oh, yes; the game was to just find something about everything to be glad about—no matter what 'twas”

Matter Games No Matter What Glad Pollyanna

Book:Pollyanna

Source: Pollyanna

“In all probability the Human Genome Project will, someday, find that I carry some recessive gene for optimism, because despite all my best efforts I still can't scrape together even a couple days of hopelessness. Future scientists will call it the Pollyanna Syndrome, and if forced to guess, I'd say that mine has been a way-long case history of chasing rainbows.”

“'Oh, yes,' nodded Pollyanna emphatically. 'He said he felt better right away, that first day he thought to count 'em. He said if God took the trouble to tell us eight hundred times to be glad and rejoice, He must want us to do it - some.”

Ifs Want Firsts Said Father Felt Trouble Hundred Eight Glad Ems Rejoice Children's Literature Pollyanna

Author:Eleanor Porter

“... if God took the trouble to tell us eight hundred times to be glad and rejoice, He must want us to do it—SOME.”

Ifs Want Trouble Hundred Eight Glad Rejoice Pollyanna

Book:Pollyanna

Source: Pollyanna

“... there is something about everything that you can be glad about, if you keep hunting long enough to find it.”

Ifs Long Enough Glad Hunting Pollyanna

Book:Pollyanna

Source: Pollyanna

“To affirm a person is to see the good in them that they cannot see in themselves and to repeat it in spite of appearances to the contrary. Please, this is not some Pollyanna optimism that is blind to the reality of evil, but rather like a fine radar system that is tuned in to the true, the good, and the beautiful.”

Persons Reality Beautiful Evil Fine Please Optimism Blind Appearance Contrary Repeats Spite Radar Pollyanna

Book:The Furious Longing of God

Source: The Furious Longing of God

“Be a balanced optimist. Nobody is suggesting that you become an oblivious Pollyanna, pretending that nothing bad can or ever will happen. Doing so can lead to poor decisions and invites people to take advantage of you. Instead, be a rational optimist who takes the good with the bad, in hopes of the good ultimately outweighing the bad, and with the understanding that being pessimistic about everything accomplishes nothing. Prepare for the worst but hope for the best - the former makes you sensible, and the latter makes you an optimist.”

“The influence of a beautiful, helpful character is contagious, and may revolutionize a whole town.”

May Whole Character Beautiful Influence Towns Helpful Volunteer Contagious Volunteerism Pollyanna

Author:Graham Collier

“Look, I hate to sound like Pollyanna, but I literally can't wait to get to work in the morning. I've got steady jobs, I've got my health, and I'm here in the greatest city in the world. I'd be a pig not to be grateful”

World Looks Jobs Hate Waiting Sound Cities Morning I Hate Grateful Steady Pigs Be Grateful Cities In The World Pollyanna

Author:Christopher Meloni

“If the prime directives were followed a little more accurately here on earth, I mean it sounds somewhat Pollyanna, but I think people would certainly get along better.”

People Ifs Thinking Mean Littles Earth Sound Prime Mean People Pollyanna

Author:Jonathan Frakes

“Whenever someone calls me a Pollyanna, I consider it to be the highest of compliments. This courageous girl finds a community that has been torn apart with hate, fear, and pain and brings it love, courage and healing. Isn't that what our world today needs more than anything?”

World Needs Has Beens Today Pain Hate Girl Community Healing Highest Courageous Call Me Our World Compliment Torn World Today Courage To Love Torn Apart Pollyanna

Author:Joe Tye

“I'm not a Pollyanna sort of kumbaya type.”

Type Pollyanna

Author:Dan Savage

“My relationship with "Pollyanna" is a very personal one, because Pollyanna got me through my childhood.”

Relationship Childhood Pollyanna

Author:Eleanor Porter

“My family absolutely comes first, and I don't mean that in a Pollyanna way. It's the focus of my life because it's what makes me happy.”

Way Firsts Mean Focus My Family Make Me Happy Pollyanna

Author:Tracy Pollan

“I suffer from a genetic flaw, which is that my mother was a hopeless Pollyanna.”

Mother Suffering Flaws Hopeless Pollyanna

Author:Bill Ayers

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Pollyanna Quotes