Cynicism Quotes - Page 22

• Cynicism is what passes for insight among the mediocre.

  Joe Klein

  Mediocre, Insight

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• Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite.

  John Kenneth Galbraith

  Funny, Witty, Men

  Biography/Personal Quotes, www.imdb.com.

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• Since a politician never believes what he says, he is quite surprised to be taken at his word.

  Charles de Gaulle

  Trust, Witty, Freedom

  In Ernest Mignon Les Mots du G‚n‚ral (1962) p. 67

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• Many people today believe that cynicism requires courage. Actually, cynicism is the height of cowardice. It is innocence and open-heartednes s that requires the true courage -- however often we are hurt as a result of it.

  Erica Jong

  Hurt, Believe, People

  FaceBook post by Erica Jong from Feb 03, 2012

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• Cynicism is a choice. Optimism is a better choice.

  Shonda Rhimes

  Optimism, Choices, Brilliant

  Twitter post from Jul 30, 2014

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• I will eliminate hatred, envy, jealousy, selfishness, and cynicism, by developing love for all humanity, because I know that a negative attitude toward others can never bring me success. I will cause others to believe in me, because I will believe in them, and in myself.

  Napoleon Hill

  Attitude, Believe, Envy

  Napoleon Hill (2015). “Think and grow rich: Brazilian edition”, p.48, CDG Edições e Publicações LTDA

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• An enemy is anyone who tells the truth about you.

  Elbert Hubbard

  Enemy, Telling The Truth, Altruism

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• Cynicism is a sorry kind of wisdom.

  Barack Obama

  Sorry, Powerful, Kind

  "Barack Obama's Remarks on Feb. 12 Primaries". www.washingtonpost.com. February 12, 2008.

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• The cynic thinks that he is being practical and that the hopeful person is not. It is actually the other way around. Cynicism is paralyzing, while the naïve person tries what the cynic says is impossible and sometimes succeeds.

  Charles Eisenstein

  Thinking, Hopeful, Trying

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• I realize that idealism is out of sync with the cynicism of our age. Skepticism has come to be synonymous with sophistication, and glibness is mistaken for intelligence. In such an atmosphere, why bother aiming high? Far too many people don't. I just want to reassure people to have the courage to persevere, to keep following their hearts even when others scoff. Don't be beaten down by naysayers. Don't let the odds scare you from even trying.

  Howard Schultz

  Courage, Heart, Odds

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• Be polite to all, but intimate with few.

  Thomas Jefferson

  Intimate, Polite, Presidency

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• Grub first, then ethics.

  Bertolt Brecht

  Food, Cooking, Firsts

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• The Nigerian storyteller Ben Okri says that ‘In a fractured age, when cynicism is god, here is a possible heresy: we live by stories, we also live in them. One way or another we are living the stories planted in us early or along the way, or we are also living the stories we planted — knowingly or unknowingly — in ourselves. We live stories that either give our lives meaning or negate it with meaninglessness. If we change the stories we live by, quite possibly we change our lives.’

  Ben Okri

  Giving, Age, Stories

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• I use emotion for the many and reserve reason for the few.

  Adolf Hitler

  Mein Kampf, Use, Emotion

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• No guest is so welcome in a friend's house that he will not become a nuisance after three days.

  Plautus

  Friendship, Travel, House

  "Miles Gloriosus". Play by Titus Maccius Plautus, Act III, scene 1, line 146,

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• Optimism is a political act. Those who benefit from the status quo are perfectly happy for us to think nothing is going to get any better. In fact, these days, cynicism is obedience.

  Alex Steffen

  Thinking, Optimism, Political

  "The Bright Green City". Interview with Arnie Cooper, www.thesunmagazine.org. April 2010.

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