A Quote by George Carlin

Scratch any cynic and you will find a disappointed idealist.

George Carlin

Quote Topics

Any Cynic Disappointed Find Idealist Scratch Will

Quote Author

George Carlin
American - Comedian
May 12, 1937 - June 22, 2008

I don't consider myself a cynic. I think of myself as a skeptic and a realist. But I understand the word "cynic" has more than one meaning, and I see how I could be seen as cynical. "George, you're cynical." Well, you know, they say if you scratch a cynic you find a disappointed idealist. And perhaps the flame still flickers a little, you know?

George Carlin

Someone once said, if you scratch a cynic, and you'll find a disappointed idealist. That really rang a bell with me - because I recognized that, within me, there is this flame, of wishing it were better, wishing people had better lives, that there was more of an authentic sharing and harmony with nature.

George Carlin

A cynic should never marry an idealist. For the cynic, marriage represents the welcome end of romantic life, with all its agony and ecstasy. But for the idealist, it is only the beginning.

Julie Burchill

Scratch the surface of any cynic, and you will find a wounded idealist underneath. Because of previous pain or disappointment, cynics make their conclusions about life before the questions have even been asked. This means that beyond just seeing what is wrong with the world, cynics lack the courage to do something about it. The dynamic beneath cynicism is a fear of accepting responsibility.

John Ortberg

Many times when you're a tourist you can just stay on the surface and not really experience the place you're visiting, which will probably leave you disappointed. Everywhere has something interesting; it's just about being curious enough to find it and scratch where you have to scratch and stay longer and walk further.

Diego Luna

Idealist: a cynic in the making.

Irving Layton

Scratch the surface of most cynics and you find a frustrated idealist — someone who made the mistake of converting his ideals into expectations.

Peter Senge

The cynic finds love with the idealist. The rebel with the conformist. The social butterfly with the bookworm. They help each other balance their lives.

Joyce Brothers

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

Rick Bayan

It's good to be a cynic. I'm a cynic. But the best part of being a cynic is somebody proving you wrong.

Tom King

Anyone can be an idealist. Anyone can be a cynic. The hard part lies somewhere in the middle.

Hugh Jackman

Inside every cynical person, there is a disappointed idealist.

George Carlin

My family will be disappointed only if I'm disappointed, and hopefully that won't be the case. I'm trying to view the Olympics like any other race and I think the London course will suit my style.

Lizzie Armitstead

A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past, his is also one who is permanently disappointed in the future.

Sydney J. Harris

I'm passionate about politics, but when it comes to political parties, I'm despondent. I'm disappointed at the absence of a sense of humanity and struggle to not become a cynic.