I am an optimist — it does not seem to be much use being anything else.

The line presents optimism not as naïve cheerfulness but as a practical stance: if one must act in an uncertain world, hope and confidence are more useful than despair. The dash underscores a conversational, almost offhand logic—Churchill frames optimism as the only attitude that enables effort, resilience, and leadership. Read this way, the quote argues that pessimism may feel intellectually “realistic,” but it tends to paralyze; optimism, even when hard-won, is instrumentally valuable because it sustains initiative. Its enduring appeal lies in this pragmatic justification: optimism is chosen less because outcomes are guaranteed than because it is the mindset most conducive to making better outcomes possible.