"This goodly frame, the earth, seems to me a sterile promontory."
Cynicism quotes
Cynicism
156 quotes on this topic — from poets, philosophers, and thinkers across history.
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Cynicism quotes (page 1 of 8)
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"A cynic can chill and dishearten with a single word."
"Cynics regarded everybody as equally corrupt... Idealists regarded everybody as equally corrupt, except themselves."
"Perhaps no philosopher is more correct than the cynic. The happiness of the animal, that thorough cynic, is the living proof of cynicism."
"I need a healthy injection of cynicism right now."
"Kindness is the beginning of cruelty."
"The major motivation theories by which most men live can lead them only to depression and cynicism."
"I prefer credulity to skepticism and cynicism for there is more promise in almost anything than in nothing at all."
"I understand the concept of optimism. But I think with me what you get is a lack of cynicism."
"among a coward's weapons, cynicism is the nastiest of all"
"Cynicism is humor in ill health."
"in rejecting secrecy I had also rejected the road to cynicism."
"It is cynicism and fear that freeze life; it is faith that thaws it out, releases it, sets it free."
"An enemy is anyone who tells the truth about you."
"I hate cynicism - it's my least favorite quality and it doesn't lead anywhere."
"Irony: Don't let yourself be controlled by it, especially during uncreative moments."
"Don't be a cynic and disconsolate preacher. Don't bewail and moan. Omit the negative propositions. Challenge us with incessant affirmatives."
"Be polite to all, but intimate with few."
"The greater part of the truth is always hidden, in regions out of the reach of cynicism."
"Don't confuse my point of view with cynicism. The real cynics are the ones who tell you that everything's gonna be all right."
"Out of the unconscious lips of babes and sucklings are we satirized."