On Optimism, Pessimism, and Happiness
An optimist stays up to see the New Year in. A pessimist waits to make sure the old one
leaves.
—Bill Vaughan
1
The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist
fears this is true.
—James Branch Cabell, 1926
2
Idealism is what precedes experience; cynicism is what follows.
—David T. Wolf
3
***
It is difficult not to write satire.
—Juvenal
4
That power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not
got it.
—George Bernard Shaw, 1894
Cynic, n. A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be.
—Ambrose Bierce, 1906
Cynicism is an unpleasant way of saying the truth.
—Lillian Hellman, 1939
Being cynical is the only way to deal with modern civilization.
—Frank Zappa, 1982
1
As quoted, without a date, in several reliable collections, including Wikiquote.
2
Sometimes misattributed to J. Robert Oppenheimer.
3
As quoted, without a date, in several generally reliable collections, starting not later than 1987.
4
From his Satires, written in the early second century AD.
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
K. K. Likharev (ed.), Essential Quotes for Scientists and Engineers,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63332-5_10
87
An optimist stays up to see the New Year in. A pessimist waits to make sure the old one
leaves.
—Bill Vaughan
1
The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist
fears this is true.
—James Branch Cabell, 1926
2
Idealism is what precedes experience; cynicism is what follows.
—David T. Wolf
3
***
It is difficult not to write satire.
—Juvenal
4
That power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not
got it.
—George Bernard Shaw, 1894
Cynic, n. A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be.
—Ambrose Bierce, 1906
Cynicism is an unpleasant way of saying the truth.
—Lillian Hellman, 1939
Being cynical is the only way to deal with modern civilization.
—Frank Zappa, 1982
1
As quoted, without a date, in several reliable collections, including Wikiquote.
2
Sometimes misattributed to J. Robert Oppenheimer.
3
As quoted, without a date, in several generally reliable collections, starting not later than 1987.
4
From his Satires, written in the early second century AD.
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
K. K. Likharev (ed.), Essential Quotes for Scientists and Engineers,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63332-5_10
87