Being pragmatic doesn't have anything to do with being a Mahatma Gandhi wannabe...or just simply doing anything weird out of the ordinary!
So, what is?
Picture this scenario: Imagine you applied for a job, but instead of offering you the job you wanted, they offered you a lower position. Being idealist you are, you would reject the offer, with the rationale that you would eventually find the job you wanted. As a pragmatist, you would accept the job, with the rationale that it's better than nothing and you might be get promoted or transferred to the job you actually wanted. That's to say, a pragmatist will compromise between his or her theoretically ideal outcome and the useful, practical actions he or she can actually take.
Does it mean that as a pragmatic you have settle? No. You basically switch your priorities. You are someone who knows what they want, and will take a few blows for the greater idea. It's all about applied logic and reasoning. Sure you may not have the best job, but its better than nothing. Someone with more confidence in their patient theories may come out ahead, but they may lose out on all that inactive time. That time they could have been pragmatic and more forceful.
#A pragmatist accepts a situation as it is, and seeks to benefit from it as best they can.
N/B: Be most of the things that society does not value....and don't ever regret it.