Optimist

Stop Saying Books Are Dead. They’re More Alive Than Ever

"Books aren't exclusive"

The Most Radical and Rebellious Choice You Can Make Is to Be Optimistic

'It is the hard choice, the brave choice'

The Story Behind the Painting on TIME's Optimists Cover

South African artist Nelson Makamo had never produced a magazine cover before

Hollywood’s New Black Renaissance Is Thriving. But the Industry Still Has Work to Do

'It’s too soon to be patting ourselves on the back like the problem is solved'

When I Need Hope, I Look to the History of Black Brilliance

'The history of black excellence in America gives us a template for how to fight'

How Artists of All Ages Keep Their Creative Spirit Alive

How does an artist keep her creative vision alive? It’s a concern not just for painters and poets who have been at work for decades; an artist’s vision can be tested at any point in...

‘You Can’t Just Stop.’ Hollywood Legend Cicely Tyson on Why She'll Never Retire

The actor speaks about her storied career, optimism and how her art has affected others

Read the Poem 'Navel' by Robin Coste Lewis

We crawled out of her navel one by one, then waited until we were all here. That lucid moment when the last wet child learned to stand, we began walking. We walked slowly. We took...

Art Doesn’t Just Imitate Life. It Infuses It With a Radical Kind of Hope

'Today we find ourselves in a moment of possibility'

Artificial Intelligence Has a Problem With Gender and Racial Bias. Here’s How to Solve It

Machines can discriminate in harmful ways. Here's how we fix the problem

12 Leaders Who Are Shaping the Next Generation of Artists

When we consume art—get swept up in a film, meander through a museum, parse the lines of a poem—we tend to direct our praise or criticism toward the artist who created the work. But behind...

Optimism in Your World

Bill Gates: Why I Decided To Edit an Issue of TIME

Gates is TIME's first guest editor in its 94-year history

Bill Gates: What Gives Me Hope About the World's Future

The Microsoft founder sat down with TIME's Nancy Gibbs about looking forward

Warren Buffett Shares the Secrets to Wealth in America

I have good news. First, most American children are going to live far better than their parents did. Second, large gains in the living standards of Americans will continue for many generations to come. Some...

Girls Can Change the World—But We Have to Invest in Them First

One hundred and thirty million girls are out of school. As I travel the world to advocate for them, not every day is easy. Some days I meet girls who have to fight so hard...