"The thought that life could be better is woven indelibly into our hearts and our brains"
About this Quote
That dual emphasis matters. Simon refuses the usual split between sentimental optimism (the heart) and rational planning (the brain). The desire for “better” is both: an ache and an analysis. It’s why his best songs can sound gentle while carrying sharp social weather; he treats yearning as a force that shapes ordinary choices and collective history at the same time.
The subtext is a rebuke to cynicism that masquerades as sophistication. If longing for improvement is indelible, then resignation is the posture that has to be taught, rehearsed, defended. And “could be better” is calibrated: not utopian perfection, not “will be” certainty. It’s possibility, which is more durable. In a late-20th-century American context where comfort and anxiety coexist, Simon gives a compact diagnosis of modern restlessness: we’re wired to notice the gap, and that gap is where art, ambition, protest, and reinvention all start.
Quote Details
| Topic | Optimism |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Simon, Paul. (2026, January 14). The thought that life could be better is woven indelibly into our hearts and our brains. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-thought-that-life-could-be-better-is-woven-82494/
Chicago Style
Simon, Paul. "The thought that life could be better is woven indelibly into our hearts and our brains." FixQuotes. January 14, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-thought-that-life-could-be-better-is-woven-82494/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"The thought that life could be better is woven indelibly into our hearts and our brains." FixQuotes, 14 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-thought-that-life-could-be-better-is-woven-82494/. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.









