Top 327 Idealism Quotes & Sayings

The '60s redefined narcissism as idealism.

The exclusion of true esoteric religion has been the business of the State since ancient times. At first this was done via the establishment of the popular idealism of exoteric religious institutions in league with the State. But in modern times the same process is done by the strategic exclusion of conventional religious cultism, mystical idealism, and higher evolutionary Wisdom from the mechanisms of popular culture.

The idealism of Berkeley is only a crude statement of the idealism of Jesus, and that again is a crude statement of the fact thatall nature is the rapid efflux of goodness executing and organizing itself.

Leadership is Idealism in Action.

Our German language has a word which in a magnificent way denotes conduct based on this spirit: doing one's duty [Pflichterfüllung]-which means serving the community instead of contenting oneself. We have a word for the basic disposition which underlies conduct of this kind in contrast to egoism and selfishness-idealism. By 'idealism' we mean only the ability of the individual to sacrifice himself for the whole, for his fellow men.

Realism is in the work when idealism is in the soul, and it is only through idealism that we resume contact with reality.

There is no realism without an element of idealism.

Idealism, unrealistic idealism, is always contrasted with the reality of the people, of the man in the street. The details of daily life are always more convincing than the political fantasies of the earlier generations.

What I've learned is that life is a balance between idealism and realism.

Idealism leads to realism if it is strictly thought out.

I'd describe myself as a pragmatist tinged with idealism.

The president has to project to the American people a sense of demanding idealism. Idealism which is not based in self-indulgence, but on self-denial and sacrifice, and on this such an America is going to be credible to the world.

Words without actions are the assassins of idealism.

Sometimes idealism and all that make believe makes the world a better place.

Idealism, alas, does not protect one from ignorance, dogmatism, and foolishness.

Idealism without realism is impotent. Realism without idealism is immoral.

The single most amazing phenomenon is the discrediting of idealism.

The purest idealism is unconsciously equivalent to the deepest knowledge.

If capitalism begins as the practical idealism of the aspiring bourgeoisie, it ends ... as an orgy of materialism.

The idealism of the left is a very selfish idealism. In their war against 'the rich' and big business, they don't care how much collateral damage there is to workers who end up end up unemployed.

Idealism is the highest form of reason.

Life without idealism is empty indeed. We just hope or starve to death.

Wishful thinking is not idealism. It is self-indulgence at best and self-exaltation at worst. In either case, it is usually at the expense of others. In other words, it is the opposite of idealism.

It is through the idealism of youth that man catches sight of truth, and in that idealism he possesses a wealth which he must never exchange for anything else.

. . . idealism is one of the greatest forces in the world. It makes seeming impossibilities possible and succeeds where prudence fails. But unless the idealist is brave and has the courage to face the truth, his idealism creates nothing.

I don't think that brutality and idealism are mutually exclusive. It's a common denominator in my work - rabid idealism.

Idealism and realism meet in the actual.

Has Bill Clinton inspired idealism in the young, as he himself was inspired by John F. Kennedy? Or has he actually reduced their idealism? Surely part of the answer lies in Clinton's personal moral lapse with Monica Lewinsky. But more important was his sin of omission - his failure to embrace a moral cause beyond popularity.

What the nostalgic past and the imaginary future seem to share in common is a form of idealism, perhaps a dream of wholeness. Our future is just as goopy with sentiment as our past. To me, they're the same, both very tempting, and I don't believe in either, although the idealism is probably important.

The romantic idealism of my youth has been replaced with realism and hard work at what I love.

Idealism does not represent a superfluous expression of emotion, but in truth it has been, is, and will be, the premise for what we designate as human culture...Without his idealistic attitude all, even the most dazzling faculties of the intellect, would remain mere intellect just like outward appearance without inner value, and never creative force....The purest idealism is unconsciously equivalent to the deepest knowledge.

I hope that I state your case fairly: One of my great fears is misrepresenting you, even to myself, now that you are not here to set me right. The truth is that you did not believe in idealism. All love was suspect; even a saint's was just differed self-interest. And it was impossible to argue without sounding either sentimental or naive. Cynicism has all the smart words on it's side; idealism uses a nursery school dictionary. And you studied early to disguise your childhood pain. But it is not universal.

We must rekindle the fire of idealism in our society.

Idealism has devolved into madness.

Without magic, there is no art. Without art, there is no idealism. Without idealism, there is no integrity. Without integrity, there is nothing but production.

My parents are wonderful people and they instilled in me an idealism for which I'm grateful.

If you didn't have some sense of idealism, then what is there to sustain you?

Any idealism is a proper subject for art.

The days of idealism had gone. Only life was left.

Idealism loses to pragmatism when it comes to winning elections.

The young habitually mistake lust for love, they're infested with idealism of all kinds.

Idealism is the noble toga that political gentlemen drape over their will to power.

In a democracy, the one thing that cannot be done is to destroy its trust, its hope, its idealism.

The natural idealism of youth is an idealism, alas, for which we do not always provide as many outlets as we should.

Youth is a period of idealism. The Communists attract young people by appealing directly to that idealism. Too often, others have failed either to appeal to it or to use it and they are the losers as a consequence. We have no cause to complain if, having neglected the idealism of youth, we see others come along, take it, and harness it to their cause - and against our own.

Quiet heroism or youthful idealism, or both? What do we know? That life without heroism and idealism is not worth living - or that either can be fatal?

Idealism doesn't prevent problems.

Idealism increases in direct proportion to one's distance from the problem.

I have always thought that foreign-policy idealism has to be tempered with realism.

Vietnam was an exercise in mistaken idealism Iraq in cynical money-making. And there's no optimism or idealism now -- Americans are tired of knowledge. Our leaders, the C-students from Yale, know this. We're proud of being ignorant that leaves virtue at our core. We aren't frazzled by knowledge like foreigners, so we can be trusted.

In brief, egoism in its modern interpretation, is the antithesis, not of altruism, but of idealism.

It is never wise to discourage youthful idealism.

All idealism is falsehood in the face of necessity.

The enemy of idealism is zealotry.

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

Idealism without pragmatism is impotent. Pragmatism without idealism is meaningless. The key to effective leadership is pragmatic idealism.

You see, idealism detached from action is just a dream. But idealism allied with pragmatism, with rolling up your sleeves and making the world bend a bit, is very exciting. It's very real. It's very strong.

Often my characters have some kind of idealism or grand belief that they're pursuing.

Nothing has a more sinister effect on art than the artist's desire to prove that he's good. The terrible temptation of idealism! You must achieve mastery over your idealism, over your virtue as well as over your vice, aesthetic mastery over everything that drives you to write in the first place - your outrage, your politics, your grief, your love!

We are a purely idealistic Nation but let no one confuse our idealism with weakness.