At the beginning of the novel Candide is described as an extremely optimistic person who always sees the best in everything. Not only is Candido very optimistic, but he doesn't really understand how the world works. He seems to be simple minded and immature towards all the harsh realities of the real world. His philosophy of life is that he lives “in the best of all possible worlds”. Candide learns this philosophy from his master Pangloss, also an extreme optimist. Both Pangloss and Candide find themselves facing horrible suffering and misfortune, almost despite their optimistic view of the situation.