"The existence of any evil anywhere at any time absolutely ruins a total optimism"

This quote by George Santayana speaks to the concept that optimism is not possible when evil exists. He is suggesting that the existence of evil in any form, at any time, is enough to entirely ruin any sense of optimism. This indicates that optimism is fragile and can be easily ruined by the existence of evil. Santayana is recommending that evil is so effective that it can overpower any sense of optimism, no matter how strong it might be. He is also indicating that optimism is not a reasonable method of taking a look at the world, as evil will constantly exist and will always be a consider our lives. This quote functions as a tip that we must know the presence of evil on the planet which it can have a powerful result on our outlook.