Norman Cousins Quotes

Cynicism is the intellectual cripple's substitute for intelligence. It is the dishonest businessman's substitute for conscience. It is the communicator's substitute, whether he is advertising man or editor or writer, for self-respect.

Cynicism is not realistic and tough. It's unrealistic and kind of cowardly because it means you don't have to try. ---in Good Housekeeping

I'm just a negative person, a deeply negative person. I see the worst aspects of everything.

Cynicism is cheap - you can buy it at any Monoprix store - it's built into all poor-quality goods.

I've never been an optimist.

People have moved beyond apathy, beyond skepticism into deep cynicism.

Skepticism about authority turns into corrosive cynicism.

I've always been a glass-half-empty sort of person.

I'm a massive pessimist.

I'm English, so I can be very 'half empty.'

Sneering springs out of the wish to deny; and wretched must that state of mind be that wishes to take refuge in doubt.

Cynicism is a sorry kind of wisdom.

There have been times when a particularly heavy dose of such cynicism has caused me to reflect that surely this is the age and place of the gifted pickle sucker!

I'm too cynical to be an optimist.

Cynicism is just an excuse for not helping.

If you handed [character] a glass that was 90% full, he'd tell you that the 10% empty part proved that no one really cared about water.

It's so easy to become a grumbler, someone who condemns and carps at everything on principle and sees an ulterior motive behind it.

I'm rarely optimistic.

My pessimism extends to the point of even suspecting the sincerity of other pessimists.

Cynicism is the intellectual cripple's substitute for intelligence.

You want positive, go elsewhere. Go find a different lie.

To me, politics is a pile of tricks.

I'm rather a cynic, I suppose. I do not believe in the niceness of humanity.

Pessimism of the spirit; optimism of the will.

I find nothing more depressing than optimism.