Its candidate for prime minister, Jan Rokita, is a clever, short-tempered free-marketeer.

ECONOMIST: Poland's election race

But privately, he was irritable and short-tempered, ruminating endlessly over his cases and becoming easily frustrated by small things, like deciding which TV show to watch with his girlfriend.

NEWSWEEK: Culture

Although these films did very well abroad, local critics worried that internationally directed projects drew on stereotypes of Ireland being primitive yet idyllic and the Irish being short-tempered drunkards.

BBC: The evolution of Irish cinema

It must have been so exhausting for David Steel and Paddy Ashdown to keep up the pretence, perhaps that explains why they were always rather short-tempered during election campaigns.

BBC: Is anybody listening?

Long-term optimism tempered with short-term skepticism is a good way to look at business, the economy and stocks too.

FORBES: Short-Term Skeptic, Long-Term Optimist