Delusional optimism

This is part of a new series of handwritten thoughts on AI, Strategy and Life

”Let your ambitions be delusionally optimistic and your preparations realistically pessimistic.”

The above is just a convoluted way of saying -

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

One of my tweets on delusional optimism got some numbers on X, and over half the comments were pessimistic. The fact that we live in a world where we can believe that the future will be MUCH better than the past is a rare historical anomaly.

Atman@atmanpandya

Imagine in 1925 you told someone that in 2025 we'd have - Self-driving cars, - instant communication with anyone on the planet for free in hi-res video, - Infinite encyclopedias in our pockets - self-landing rockets, - treatments for ~all common diseases of that time, -

Cormac @cormachayden_

being delusional is the only way

7:53 PM · Oct 19, 2025 · 721K Views

---

144 Replies · 420 Reposts · 4.18K Likes

For most of human history, nothing really happened in terms of progress and social mobility was non-existent. We come from a long line of pessimists that helped us survive all the dangers.

But all the progress we’ve made in the past 2 centuries came from the delusional optimism of a few pioneers and all the others supporting them. To thrive in the 21st century, delusional optimism is the way to go.