 | "Idealism is what precedes experience; cynicism is what follows."
- David T. Wolf
. |
| "The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it."
- George Bernard Shaw
. |
| "A cynic is a man who, when he smells flowers, looks around for a coffin."
- H. L. Mencken
. |
| "My pessimism extends to the point of even suspecting the sincerity of the pessimists."
- Jean Rostand
, Journal of a Character, 1931. |
| "Cynicism is an unpleasant way of saying the truth."
- Lillian Hellman
, The Little Foxes, 1939. |
| "No matter how cynical you get, it is impossible to keep up."
- Lily Tomlin
. |
| "What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing."
- Oscar Wilde
, Lady Windermere's Fan, 1892, Act III. |
| "Cynicism is not realistic and tough. It's unrealistic and kind of cowardly because it means you don't have to try."
- Peggy Noonan
, in Good Housekeeping. |
| "Cynics regarded everybody as equally corrupt... Idealists regarded everybody as equally corrupt, except themselves."
- Robert Anton Wilson
. |
| "A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past, he is one who is prematurely disappointed in the future."
- Sidney J. Harris
. |