John Zorn Quotes

I am not an idiot, and I'm not a Pollyanna sort of kumbaya type.

I'm a realist.

Idealist: a cynic in the making.

I guess I don't have a grandiose view of the world in general, and I never believe it when someone else has a grandiose moment.

I consider myself a realist.

I'm very much a realist.

I think I probably hoped for it a little bit, but I'm not an optimist. I'm a realist... or maybe even a pessimist.

An idealist believes the short run doesn’t count. A cynic believes the long run doesn’t matter. A realist believes that what is done or left undone in the short run determines the long run.

I went around in my teens and early 20s thinking that life was a con trick. I had managed to grow up believing in all sorts of romantic ideas about hard work and justice and truth, and it seemed the real world was much more complicated and shaded than I wanted to believe.

The problem with Raven is that she's so smart, so sometimes it's hard for her to be hopeful or idealistic, because she's so realistic. So even if she's working on a solution, she's not proud of it until it's concrete.

Cynic: an idealist whose rose-colored glasses have been removed, snapped in two and stomped into the ground, immediately improving his vision

God save me from idealists.

It makes sense to work towards a better world, but it doesn't make any sense to have illusions about what the real world is.

One cannot afford to be a realist.

I'm sick of my own romanticism!

Perpetual optimism is annoying. It is a sign that you are not paying attention.

I'm an idealist without illusions.

I would say that I am a jaded man beyond most expectations, but, like everyone else, I still have hope.

Don't make me into this airy-fairy, moralist, idealist because I'm not.

I'm always being realistic.

To know oneself is to disbelieve utopia.

I'm not a Pollyanna; I'm a pragmatist.

Cynicism stems from disappointment. Cynical and faithless people were not always like that. They were filled with possibilities and hope as kids. But they tried and perhaps failed.

We know the ideal isn't where the action is.

Idealism is fine, but as it approaches reality, the costs become prohibitive.