| 1. | He was among the first thinkers of Europe to overcome the pessimism which godlessness generally brings in its wake. - from Thus Spake Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche |
| 2. | That which follows speaks of age and sadness even its brightest hours are followed by gloom, and by the pessimism inseparable from the passing of old standards. - from English Literature by William J. Long |
| 3. | He is, therefore, hardly a realist, but rather a man blinded by pessimism and his novels, though generally powerful and sometimes fascinating, are not pleasant or wholesome reading. - from English Literature by William J. Long |