Cynicism

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Cynicism is a term which originally referred to the ancient Greek philosophy of the Cynics, often considered to have been founded by Antisthenes. Currently, the word "cynicism" generally describes the opinions of those who are disinclined to rely upon sincerity, human virtue, or altruism, and maintain that self-interest is the primary motive of human behaviour.

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  • There is nothing so pitiful as a young cynic because he has gone from knowing nothing to believing nothing.
    • Maya Angelou, as quoted in The Truth in Words (2005) by Neal Zero
  • Cyn-ic: An idealist whose rose-colored glasses have been removed, snapped in two, and stomped into the ground, immediately improving his vision.
  • I’ve seen studies that say cynics keel over from heart disease at a rate four times greater than non-cynics. And I’m sure that unrelieved cynicism isn’t good for the body or the soul; it leads to pessimism, which can lead to depression, which can lead to all sorts of mental and physical miseries. It’s just that we cynics have this need to be honest with ourselves and the world. I think there are benefits to cynicism, too.
    • Rick Bayan, from,‘The Cynic's Message Board’, at, The Cynic’s Sanctuary website
  • Nobody loves a cynic, except maybe another cynic.
    • Rick Bayan, Writer and Cynic. from, ‘What is Cynicism?’ at, The Cynic’s Sanctuary website.
  • The cynic is one who never sees a good quality in a man and never fails to see a bad one. He is the human owl, vigilant in darkness and blind to light, mousing for vermin, and never seeing noble game. The cynic puts all human actions into two classes — openly bad and secretly bad.
    • Henry Ward Beecher, in Lectures to Young Men: On Various Important Subjects (1860) Lecture IV : Portrait Gallery
  • Cynic, n. A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be.
  • Cynicism is full of naive disappointments.
    • Mason Cooley (1927-2002), American aphorist. City Aphorisms (1984)
  • Cynicism formulates issues clearly, but only to dismiss them.
  • Cynicism is intellectual treason.
  • I was too green to know that all cynicism masks a failure to cope – an impotence, in short; and to that despise all effort is the greatest effort of all.
  • Cynicism is cheap – you can buy it at any Monoprix store – it’s built into all poor–quality goods.
    • Graham Greene (1904–1991), British novelist. The Comedians (1966), pt. 1, ch. 1, sct. 3
  • A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past; he is one who is prematurely disappointed in the future.
  • Cynicism is an unpleasant way of saying the truth.
  • Irony differentiates. Cynicism never does.
    • Paul Horgan (b. 1903), American author. Approaches to Writing (1973), No. 398
  • I once said cynically of a politician, "He'll double-cross that bridge when he comes to it."
  • Cynicism is intellectual dandyism.
  • The worst cynicism: a belief in luck.
  • All I ask of you is one thing: please don't be cynical. I hate cynicism - it's my least favorite quality and it doesn't lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen.
  • What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.
  • The cynic, a parasite of civilisation, lives by denying it, for the very reason that he is convinced that it will not fail.
    • José Ortega Y Gasset (1883–1955), Spanish essayist and philosopher. The Revolt of the Masses (1930), Ch. 11

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