Quotes about Cynicism
Pessimism is only the name that men of weak nerve give to wisdom.
- Mark Twain
I could never be cynical, not that I think there's anything wrong with cynicism. I think it can be quite funny at times. But I just feel so grateful to be alive.
- Drew Barrymore
Sometimes the curses of the godless sound better than the hallelujahs of the pious.
- Martin Luther
Most people see the world as a threatening place, and, because they do, the world turns out, indeed, to be a threatening place.
- Paulo Coelho
Some people find fault like there is a reward for it
- Zig Ziglar
No matter how cynical you become, it's never enough to keep up.
- Lily Tomlin
"Sometimes," said she, "I think that is my permanent feeling towards people. I like the world, the sky and the earth and the greater mystery beyond. But people—yes, they are all monkeys to me."
- DH Lawrence
instead of allowing the enormity of the world's sufferings to make me unhappy, I have allowed it to increase the depth of my gratitude for the blessed life that I have been allowed to lead. You can look at the amount of suffering in the world and become bitter (this world stinks), cynical (nothing matters, it's all just a roulette game), or hedonistic (with all this suffering, I'll rack up all the fun I can) — or you can be grateful for your blessings.
- Dennis Prager
Despair can come from deep grief, but it can also be a defense against the risks of bitter disappointment and shattering heartbreak. Resignation and cynicism are easier, more self-soothing postures that do not require raw vulnerability and tragic risk of hope. To choose hope is to step firmly forward into the howling wind, baring one's chest to the elements, knowing that, in time, the storm will pass.
- Desmond Tutu
Americans are a very backward people, with all the real virtues of a backward people; the patriarchal simplicity and human dignity of a democracy, and a respect for labor uncorrupted by cynicism.
- GK Chesterton
The harshest people I've met over the years have had two things in common: they don't fully trust anybody, and they view relationships as a means to an end.
- Donald Miller
Cynicism dressed like a security guard, making me believe that if I hoped for less, it would protect me and prevent more pain.
- Lysa TerKeurst