[Sheena lets him go and takes her own step back, shaking her head.]

You don't see that as a form of that dreaded optimism, Once-ler? [She's looking at the carving as she speaks.] And I'm not asking you to change that because, like you say, you can't.

But, knowing the future is one thing; accepting it is another. But that's not the real problem, is it? [She looks at him with a gaze of experience.] You can't forgive yourself for this mistake, can you?