# Is the glass half full or half empty? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 23, 2009, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-glass-half-full-or-half-empty/494042 "2009-04-23T01:13:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-glass-half-full-or-half-empty/494042/21 "2009-04-23T14:59:01Z")
Its half empty, even if it started out as completely full. Soon to be a quarter empty then all gone. Of course, you can fill it back up and repeat. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-glass-half-full-or-half-empty/494042/22 "2009-04-23T15:04:42Z")
I’ve put the glass back on the shelf and adopted the ‘scale of 1 to 10’ approach. At this point in my life, I’m a solid 8. Maybe an 8.5. This measurement fluctuates between 1 and 10 all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Creaky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@Creaky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creaky)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-glass-half-full-or-half-empty/494042/23 "2009-04-23T15:05:04Z")
I am a pessimist but I’m comfortable with it or I guess I’d be something else. So, definitely a half-empty glass at all times. Probably with a chip in the rim, just waiting to slice my lip open! ---
**Author:** ![tds1273](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df705f/32.png) [@tds1273](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tds1273)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-glass-half-full-or-half-empty/494042/24 "2009-04-23T16:51:22Z")
If it has been drank(drunk?) to half, it’s empty; if it has been filled to half, it’s full. If I come across a half glass of water already there, then it just depends how thirsty I am at that moment. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-glass-half-full-or-half-empty/494042/25 "2009-04-23T17:36:20Z")
Then there is the attitude that it’s totally undrinkable because it’s not bottled so what does it matter. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-glass-half-full-or-half-empty/494042/26 "2009-04-23T17:51:22Z")
Depends. If I don’t want so much, and only pour half a glass, it’s half-full. But if I’ve drank half the glass, it’s half-empty. And of course, you’ve got to watch out for the last third-according to Stephen Colbert, it’s usually backwash. ---
**Author:** ![Frustrated\_Wonderer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a4c791/32.png) [@Frustrated\_Wonderer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frustrated_Wonderer)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-glass-half-full-or-half-empty/494042/27 "2009-04-23T17:53:47Z")
The way I see it, without water, the glass is pretty much useless, so I’d say it’s always full (or half full, or a quarter full) until it’s empty. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-glass-half-full-or-half-empty/494042/28 "2009-04-23T18:05:48Z")
I’m generally pretty optimistic. Sometimes it comes easy and sometimes it takes a bit of effort. I used to be the most pessimistic person on the planet. I’m much happier now. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-glass-half-full-or-half-empty/494042/29 "2009-04-23T18:09:36Z")
The glass is completely full; it’s just that you can’t see the air that fills the top half. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-glass-half-full-or-half-empty/494042.md?page=1)