10 Optimistic Poems
Be encouraged by these optimistic poems that remind us hope can grow even in everyday moments and difficult times.
Optimism is choosing to believe that tomorrow can be better, even when today feels uncertain.
Updated January 10, 2026, by Catherine Pulsifer
Optimism is not about pretending life is always easy or free from trouble. It is about how we choose to see what lies ahead. When challenges come, an optimistic heart looks forward with trust that better days are possible and that every situation holds something to learn from or grow through.
These optimistic poems share gentle reminders that attitude plays a powerful role in how we experience life. When we focus on what is good, even in small ways, we strengthen our confidence and our hope. Let these verses encourage you to notice the blessings that surround you, to keep moving forward, and to believe that brighter moments are still ahead.
Better Things
Better to smell the violet cool than sip the glowing wine;
Better to hark a hidden brook than watch a diamond shine.
Better the love of a gentle heart than beauty's favor proud;
Better the rose's living seed, than roses in a crowd.
Better to love in loneliness than to bask in love all day;
Better the fountain in the heart than the fountain by the way.
Better be fed by a mother's hand than eat alone at will;
Better to trust in God than say, "My goods my storehouse fill."
Better to be a little wise than in knowledge to abound;
Better to teach a child than toil to fill perfection's round.
Better to sit at a master's feet than thrill a listening State;
Better suspect that thou art proud than be sure that thou art great.
Better to walk the real unseen than watch the hour's event;
Better the "Well done" at the last than the air with shouting rent.
Better to have a quiet grief than a hurrying delight;
Better the twilight of the dawn than the noonday burning bright.
Better a death when work is done than earth's most favored birth;
Better a child in God's great house than the king of all the earth.
Sunshine and Shade
There's a little splash of sunshine and a little spot of shade
Always somewhere near;
The wise bask in the sunshine, but the foolish choose the shade
The wise are gay and happy, on the foolish sorrow's laid,
And the fault's their own, I fear.
For the little splash of sunshine and the little spot of shade
Are here for joint consumption, for comparison are made.
We're all meant to be happy - not too foolish or too staid;
And the right dose to be taken is some sunshine mixed with shade!
How You Take It
This world is not so bad a world
As some would like to make it;
For whether good or whether bad,
Depends on how you take it.
The Ridiculous Optimist
There was once a man who smiled
Because the day was bright,
Because he slept at night,
Because God gave him sight
To gaze upon his child;
Because his little one.
Could leap and laugh and run;
Because the distant sun
Smiled on the earth he smiled.
He smiled because the sky
Was high above his head.
Because the rose was red.
Because the past was dead!
He never wondered why
The Lord had blundered so
That all things have to go
The wrong way, here below
The overarching sky.
He toiled, and still was glad
Because the air was free.
Because he loved, and she
That claimed his love and he
Shared all the joys they had!
Because the grasses grew.
Because the sweet winds blew,
Because that he could hew
And hammer, he was glad.
Because he lived he smiled,
And did not look ahead
With bitterness or dread.
But nightly sought his bed
As calmly as a child.
And people called him mad
For being always glad
With such things as he had,
And shook their heads and smiled.
Sunshine After Rain
Sorrows will not last forever,
Brighter times will come again:
Joy our every grief succeeding,
As the sunshine after rain.
The Optimist
Who would have the sky any color but blue,
Or the grass any color but green?
Or the flowers that bloom the summer through
Of other color or sheen?
How the sunshine gladdens the human heart
How the sound of the falling rain
Will cause the tender tears to start,
And free the soul from pain.
Oh, this old world is a great old place!
And I love each season’s change,
The river, the brook of purling grace,
The valley, the mountain range.
And when I am called to quit this life,
My feet will not spurn the sod,
Though I leave this world with its beauty rife,
There’s a glorious one with God!
Trip Lightly
Trip lightly over trouble,
Trip lightly over wrong;
We only make them double
By dwelling on them long.
Why clasp woe's hand so tightly?
Why sigh over blossoms dead?
Why cling to forms unsightly?
Why not seek joy instead?
Trip lightly over sorrow;
Though this day may be dark,
The sun will shine tomorrow,
And gaily sing the lark.
Fair hope has not departed,
Though rosed may have fled,
Then never be down-hearted,
But look for joy instead.
Trip lightly over sadness,
Stand not to rail at doom,
We've pearls to string of gladness,
On this side of the tomb.
While stars are nightly shining,
And heaven is overhead,
Encourage not repining,
But look for joy instead.
Smooth As We Can
'Tis well to walk with a cheerful heart
Wherever our fortunes call,
With a friendly glance and an open hand
And a gentle word for all.
Since life is a thorny and difficult path.
Where toil is the portion of man,
We all should endeavor, while passing along,
To make it as smooth as we can.
Pessimist or Optimist
The pessimist finds fault;
The optimist discovers a remedy.
The pessimist seeks sympathy;
The optimist spreads cheer.....
Read the complete poem, Pessimist or Optimist
The Pessimist
Poet Unknown
The pessimist's a cheerless man;
To him the world's a place
Of anxious thoughts and clouds and gloom;
Smiles visit not his face.....
Read the entire poem and others at The Pessimist
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Conclusion
Optimism does not remove life’s challenges, but it helps us face them with courage and calm. When we choose hopeful thoughts, we open our hearts to peace, strength, and possibility. These optimistic poems remind us that even small shifts in perspective can make a meaningful difference. May the words on this page encourage you to keep believing, keep moving forward, and keep looking for the good that still surrounds you.
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When you choose hope, you choose strength for today and confidence for tomorrow.