The Silver Linings Playbook

“I don’t want to stay in the bad place, where no one believes in silver linings or love or happy endings.”

Pat’s experiences in the mental hospital—which he calls the “bad place”—convince him that the doctors do not want good outcomes for their patients. The doctors want to treat Pat’s life as a pessimistic movie without a happy ending. Pat cannot see them as trying to help him, simply because they do not share his perspective on the world. As far as Pat is concerned, anyone who tells him that reuniting with Nikki isn’t realistic doesn’t believe in love. 

“Most people lose the ability to see silver linings even though they are always there above us almost every day.”

Pat tells Cliff that people would be much happier if they remembered to look at the clouds. Pat’s optimism has not resulted in a normal life or improved mental health, but he cannot see that yet. He views himself as having a healthier mental outlook than people who become so preoccupied with life that they forget about silver linings. 

“If clouds are blocking the sun, there will always be a silver lining that reminds me to keep on trying.”

Pat uses silver linings as a symbol of hope. Even when clouds threaten to hide the light of the sun, enough of the light manages to seep around the edges that it reminds him the sun is always there. Pat is determined to find something good in bad situations.