"I have to be an optimist and say that it might get better"
About this Quote
The genius is in the hedge. "Might" and "get" are small, non-heroic verbs; they refuse the drama of transformation. This isn't "it will get better", the slogan printed on posters. It's a man choosing the minimum viable hope, the kind you can carry through a bad year without having to eat your words. The subtext is almost comic: optimism isn't a temperament, it's a role you play because cynicism is too exhausting or too public.
Context matters because Moore lived in the long shadow of the 20th century's grand disillusionments and then spent decades in a celebrity ecosystem that sells certainty. As a pop-culture Bond, he embodied effortless control; as a human being, he admits the opposite. The line quietly punctures the fantasy of the invulnerable star, offering instead a modest, tactical faith: not that the world is good, but that you can still choose to bet on improvement, even if only as a disciplined habit.
Quote Details
| Topic | Optimism |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Moore, Roger. (2026, January 16). I have to be an optimist and say that it might get better. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-have-to-be-an-optimist-and-say-that-it-might-83050/
Chicago Style
Moore, Roger. "I have to be an optimist and say that it might get better." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-have-to-be-an-optimist-and-say-that-it-might-83050/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I have to be an optimist and say that it might get better." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-have-to-be-an-optimist-and-say-that-it-might-83050/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.






