“People often call me an optimist, because I show them the enormous progress they didn't know about. That makes me angry. I'm not an optimist. That makes me sound naive. I'm a very serious “possibilist”. That’s something I made up. It means someone who neither hopes without reason, nor fears without reason, someone who constantly resists the overdramatic worldview. As a possibilist, I see all this progress, and it fills me with conviction and hope that further progress is possible. This is not optimistic. It is having a clear and reasonable idea about how things are. It is having a worldview that is constructive and useful.”
― Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think
― Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think
Beta / Proof Readers
— 4590 members
— last activity Jan 21, 2026 09:28AM
I am hoping that in creating this group I can help writers find someone to proof read their book. All books will be accepted.
Homer's The Odyssey, translated by Emily Wilson
— 200 members
— last activity Aug 15, 2025 01:06PM
In this group, we will read and discuss Emily Wilson's new translation of Homer's The Odyssey, published in November 2017 by Norton. We also welcome d ...more
The History Book Club
— 25852 members
— last activity 11 hours, 42 min ago
"Interested in history - then you have found the right group". The History Book Club is the largest history and nonfiction group on Goodread ...more
William’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at William’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
More friends…
Polls voted on by William
Lists liked by William


























