Yvon Chouinard, resident elephantjournal.com idol, is a man of few words—and a man of action. I first started looking up to him when I met him in Denver at a flyfishers gathering and he said, “Look: the state of the world is grim. It’s hopeless. You gotta face the facts, and go from there. But that doesn’t mean I lie around doing nothing. Rather, it inspires me to work harder for the things I love.” Something like that, anyone. In that vein, and without further adieu, comes this elephantjournal.com QOTD:

“There’s no difference between a pessimist who says, ‘Oh, it’s hopeless, so don’t bother doing anything,’ and an optimist who says, ‘Don’t bother doing anything, it’s going to turn out fine anyway.’  Either way, nothing happens.” – Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia

With thanks for the tip to Lucas Shaw.