Cynical
Andrew W. Mathis on Luck
“It is bad luck to be superstitious.” Andrew W. Mathis
H. L. Mencken on Politics
“Every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under.” H. L. Mencken US editor (1880 – 1956)
Paul Johnson on Meaning
“The word ‘meaningful’ when used today is nearly always meaningless.” Paul Johnson
Daniel J. Boorstin on Greatness
“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some hire public relations officers.” Daniel J. Boorstin US historian (1914 – )
Leo J. Burke on Children
“People who say they sleep like a baby usually don’t have one.” Leo J. Burke
Robert X. Cringely on Technology
“If the automobile had followed the same development cycle as the computer, a Rolls-Royce would today cost $100, get a million miles per gallon, and explode once a year, killing everyone inside.” Robert X. Cringely, InfoWorld magazine
Nikola Tesla on Scientists
“The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite insane.” Nikola Tesla, Modern Mechanics and Inventions. July, 1934 US (Serbian-born) electrical inventor (1857 – 1943)
Peter McArthur on Satirists
“A satirist is a man who discovers unpleasant things about himself and then says them about other people.” Peter McArthur
Galileo Galilei on Ignorance
“I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn’t learn something from him.” Galileo Galilei Italian astronomer & physicist (1564 – 1642)
Oscar Wilde Cynical Quote
“True friends stab you in the front.” Oscar Wilde
Edgar Watson Howe on Lies
“Americans detest all lies except lies spoken in public or printed lies.” Edgar Watson Howe US journalist (1853 – 1937)
Ambrose Bierce on Politeness
“Politeness, n. The most acceptable hypocrisy.” Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary US author & satirist (1842 – 1914)
Laurence J. Peter on Politics
“Democracy is a process by which people are free to choose the man who will get the blame.” Laurence J. Peter
Caskie Stinnett on Diplomacy
“A diplomat… is a person who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you actually look forward to the trip.” Caskie Stinnett, Out of the Red (1960)
Henry Adams Cynical Quote
“No one means all he says, and yet very few say all they mean, for words are slippery and thought is viscous.” Henry Adams US author, autobiographer, & historian (1838 – 1918)
Bertrand Russell on Society
“Many people would sooner die than think; In fact, they do so.” Bertrand Russell British author, mathematician, & philosopher (1872 – 1970)
Georg Christoph Lichtenberg Cynical Quote
“What a blessing it would be if we could open and shut our ears as easily as we open and shut our eyes!” Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742 – 1799)
Evan Esar on Character
“A signature always reveals a man’s character – and sometimes even his name.” Evan Esar American Humorist (1899 – 1995)
John Lehman on Power
“Power corrupts. Absolute power is kind of neat.” John Lehman, Secretary of the Navy, 1981-1987 US administrator (1942 – )
William G. McAdoo on Ignorance
“It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument.” William G. McAdoo US industrialist, lawyer, & politician (1863 – 1941)
Evan Esar on Conscience
“Conscience is what makes a boy tell his mother before his sister does.” Evan Esar American Humorist (1899 – 1995)
Glaser and Way on Law
“The problem with any unwritten law is that you don’t know where to go to erase it.” Glaser and Way
Plato on War
“Only the dead have seen the end of the war.” Plato
Samuel Goldwyn on Movies
“A wide screen just makes a bad film twice as bad.” Samuel Goldwyn
John Kenneth Galbraith on Thinking
“The conventional view serves to protect us from the painful job of thinking.” John Kenneth Galbraith US (Canadian-born) administrator & economist (1908 – 2006)
Bob Wells on Government
“For every action there is an equal and opposite government program.” Bob Wells
King Farouk of Egypt on Politics
“The whole world is in revolt. Soon there will be only five Kings left–the King of England, the King of Spades, The King of Clubs, the King of Hearts, and the King of Diamonds.” King Farouk of Egypt, 1948 king of Egypt 1936-1952 (1920 – 1965)
Scott Adams Cynical Quote
“You can never underestimate the stupidity of the general public.” Scott Adams, The Dilbert Future US cartoonist (1957 – )
H. L. Mencken on Celebrities
“A celebrity is one who is known to many persons he is glad he doesn’t know.” H. L. Mencken US editor (1880 – 1956)
Cullen Hightower on Politics
“We may not imagine how our lives could be more frustrating and complex–but Congress can.” Cullen Hightower
W. C. Fields Cynical Quote
“I am free of all prejudice. I hate everyone equally.” W. C. Fields US actor (1880 – 1946)
Robertson Davies Cynical Quote
“Few people can see genius in someone who has offended them.” Robertson Davies
Ambrose Bierce on Acquaintances
“Acquaintance, n.: A person whom we know well enough to borrow from, but not well enough to lend to.” Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary US author & satirist (1842 – 1914)
Bruce Grocott on Work
“I have long been of the opinion that if work were such a splendid thing the rich would have kept more of it for themselves.” Bruce Grocott British politician (1940 – )
Thomas Sowell on History and Society
“Much of the social history of the Western world over the past three decades has involved replacing what worked with what sounded good.” Thomas Sowell, Is Reality Optional?, 1993 (1930 – )
Mark Twain on Genius
“Thousands of geniuses live and die undiscovered – either by themselves or by others.” Mark Twain US humorist, novelist, short story author, & wit (1835 – 1910)
Georg Christoph Lichtenberg on Opinions
“Nothing is more conducive to peace of mind than not having any opinions at all.” Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742 – 1799)
F. Scott Fitzgerald on Intelligence
“The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.” F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Crack-Up (1936) US novelist (1896 – 1940)
Dwight D. Eisenhower on Television
“I can think of nothing more boring for the American people than to have to sit in their living rooms for a whole half hour looking at my face on their television screens.” Dwight D. Eisenhower 34th president of US 1953-1961 (1890 – 1969)
Tom Stoppard on Age
“I think age is a very high price to pay for maturity.” Tom Stoppard British dramatist & screenwriter (1937 – )
Olin Miller Cynical Quote
“You probably wouldn’t worry about what people think of you if you could know how seldom they do.” Olin Miller
Hodding Carter on Television
“Television news is like a lightning flash. It makes a loud noise, lights up everything around it, leaves everything else in darkness and then is suddenly gone.” Hodding Carter
Ambrose Bierce on Science
“There is nothing new under the sun but there are lots of old things we don’t know.” Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary US author & satirist (1842 – 1914)
Voltaire on Boredom
“The secret of being a bore is to tell everything.” Voltaire, Discours en vers sur l’homme, 1737 French author, humanist, rationalist, & satirist (1694 – 1778)
Francois de La Rochefoucauld Cynical Quote
“We all have strength enough to endure the misfortunes of others.” Francois de La Rochefoucauld French author & moralist (1613 – 1680)
James Thorpe on Work
“Household tasks are easier and quicker when they are done by somebody else.” James Thorpe US football player & track athlete (1888 – 1953)
Niels Bohr on the Future
“Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future.” Niels Bohr Danish physicist (1885 – 1962)
Peter Drucker on Work
“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.” Peter Drucker American (Austrian-born) management writer (1909 – 2005)
Georg Christoph Lichtenberg on Belief
“First there is a time when we believe everything, then for a little while we believe with discrimination, then we believe nothing whatever, and then we believe everything again – and, moreover, give reasons why we believe.” Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742 – 1799)
Judith Viorst on Marriage
“One advantage of marriage is that, when you fall out of love with him or he falls out of love with you, it keeps you together until you fall in again.” Judith Viorst