As Nicholas M. Butler, philosopher and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize states, “Optimism is the foundation of courage.” “Dear Miss Breed”, written by Joanne Oppenheim, tells the story of a young girl named Louise who was interned, but had an optimistic outlook on life, leading her to appreciate everything around her. In Susan Campbell Bartoletti’s “Hitler Youth”, Sophie Scholl had the courage to stand up and do what she believed was right. And in Eli Wiesel’s “Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech”, he emphasized the need to be optimistic in times of conflict. All of these great leaders have had great courage and chosen to be optimistic in depressing times. Although it can be argued that optimism and courage are irrelevant to resolving conflict because the pessimist may see the conflict in a more negative way and be able to react differently, it is proven that the optimist has a better chance to resolve conflict efficiently and successfully. People can best respond to conflict with courage and optimism because optimism shows strength and positively affects the situation whereas showing fear or cowardliness adds to the conflict and makes one run away from the issue. An optimist sees the good in every situation, making the resolution more efficient and one with courage is willing to stand up to confront the issue. Optimism is a positive way to confront conflict because it shows strength and positively affects the situation. According to Forbes’ “How to Use Optimism to Defeat