I do the very best I can to look upon life with optimism and hope and… — Rosa Parks · Smartyfair

I do the very best I can to look upon life with optimism and hope and looking forward to a better day.

Rosa Parks1913–2005 · activist · 1900s-2000s USARosa Parks was an American civil rights activist whose refusal to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in 1955 sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a pivotal moment in the fight against racial segregation in the United States.5 quotes

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In plain words

She tried hard to keep hoping for a better day.

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Where these words come from

How sure this is: 58% sureLots of sources credit Rosa Parks with this, and they agree with each other. The book or the speech it first came from hasn't turned up yet.
What turned up: Quoted in "Standing Up for Freedom," Academy of Achievement (31 Oct 2005) — first clause of a longer sentence quoted as a complete statement.
Occasion: 2005
Sources checked: en.wikiquote.orgChecked using claude-sonnet-5, 21 August 2026Quotes section, Academy of Achievement (2005)

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More from Rosa Parks

I did not get on the bus to get arrested. I got on the bus to go home.

Rosa Parks The only tired I was, was tired of giving in.

Rosa Parks I would like to be known as a person who is concerned about freedom and equality and justice and prosperity for all people.

Rosa Parks I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.

More on wisdom

In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.

Sun Tzu The wound is the place where the light enters you.

Rumi You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.

Marcus Aurelius Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.

Marcus Aurelius An unexamined life is not worth living.

Socrates Wonder is the feeling of a philosopher, and philosophy begins in wonder.