--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Cynic, n: a blackguard whose faulty…" description: "\"Cynic, n: a blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be.\" — Ambrose Bierce" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/973/ambrose-bierce-140_cynic_cynic-n-a-blackguard-whose-faulty-vision_2322509.jpg" --- # Cynic, n: a blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as… ![“Cynic, n: a blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be.” quote by Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/973/ambrose-bierce-140_cynic_cynic-n-a-blackguard-whose-faulty-vision_2322509.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/973/ambrose-bierce-140_cynic_cynic-n-a-blackguard-whose-faulty-vision_2322509.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/973/ambrose-bierce-140_cynic_cynic-n-a-blackguard-whose-faulty-vision_2322509.jpg) > “Cynic, n: a blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be.” [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A cynic is someone who sees reality plainly, not as it should be. **In simple terms:** Cynics see facts, not ideals. Key Takeaway Accept reality as is. Themes skepticism realism critique Mood critical analytical Type philosophical descriptive When to use this quote - political analysis - personal relationships Key Concepts philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - Do you balance realism with hope? - When is skepticism helpful? A Different Perspective Cynicism can breed negativity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blackguard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blackguard-2113649/) [Blackguard Faulty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blackguard-faulty-5557772/) [Cynic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynic/) [Cynic Blackguard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynic-blackguard-5557771/) [Cynicism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynicism/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Faulty Vision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faulty-vision-1823537/) [Pessimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimism/) [Vision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vision/) ## Related quotes > [Cynicism is that blackguard defect of vision which compels us to see the world as it is, instead of as it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/cynicism-is-that-blackguard-defect-of-vision-which-compels-us-to-see/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [“There is no problem in calling a thief, ‘a thief; but to call him bad, or to hurt him, is a fault of one’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/there-is-no-problem-in-calling-a-thief-a-thief-but-to-call-him-bad-or/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [I have before suggested that a genuine blackguard is never without a pocket-handkerchief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/i-have-before-suggested-that-a-genuine-blackguard-is-never-without-a/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [“Eliza. The memory of her gentle features and the song of her laugh formed a grin on his lips. Then another memory took the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-lynn-perry/eliza-the-memory-of-her-gentle-features-and-the-song-of-her-laugh/) [Amber Lynn Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-lynn-perry/) > [Believe me, there exists no such dilemma as that in which a gentleman is placed when he is forced to reply to a blackguard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/believe-me-there-exists-no-such-dilemma-as-that-in-which-a-gentleman/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [Bran was the only person I knew who could use words like "blackguard" and make them sound like swear words-but then he could have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/bran-was-the-only-person-i-knew-who-could-use-words-like-blackguard/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) > [A few hours of mountain climbing make a blackguard and a saint two rather similar creatures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/a-few-hours-of-mountain-climbing-make-a-blackguard-and-a-saint-two/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past, his is also one who is permanently disappointed in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/a-cynic-is-not-merely-one-who-reads-bitter-lessons-from-the-past-his/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [The only way to do my job without optimism would be as a cynic, and that's not my nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-snow/the-only-way-to-do-my-job-without-optimism-would-be-as-a-cynic-and/) [Jon Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-snow/) > [The cynic makes fun of all earnestness; he makes fun of everything and everyone who feels that something can be done. . . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-edgar-vincent/the-cynic-makes-fun-of-all-earnestness-he-makes-fun-of-everything-and/) [George Edgar Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-edgar-vincent/) > [The idea of The Boy Vs. The Cynic is the tension between the wide-eyed optimism in youthfulness where you think nothing can go wrong,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-reuben-zappin/the-idea-of-the-boy-vs-the-cynic-is-the-tension-between-the-wide-eyed/) [John Reuben Zappin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-reuben-zappin/) > [I get the cynicism thing all the time, although I don't really know where that comes from, because I think I'm actually the opposite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-taibbi/i-get-the-cynicism-thing-all-the-time-although-i-don-t-really-know/) [Matt Taibbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-taibbi/) > [Only the broken-hearted idealist can become a cynic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-clifton/only-the-broken-hearted-idealist-can-become-a-cynic/) [Mark Clifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-clifton/) > [“That's what I've never been able to get about religion: that charmless combination of altruism and insanity. Give me a cynical, self-interested bastard any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-carey/that-s-what-i-ve-never-been-able-to-get-about-religion-that-charmless/) [Mike Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-carey/) > [Cynicism masquerades as wisdom, but it is the farthest thing from it. Because cynics don’t learn anything. Because cynicism is a self-imposed blindness, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/cynicism-masquerades-as-wisdom-but-it-is-the-farthest-thing-from-it/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) ## More by Ambrose Bierce > [OBSESSED, p.p. Vexed by an evil spirit, like the Gadarene swine and other critics. Obsession was once more common than it is now. Arasthus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/obsessed-p-p-vexed-by-an-evil-spirit-like-the-gadarene-swine-and/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [DECIDE, v.i. To succumb to the preponderance of one set of influences over another set.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/decide-v-i-to-succumb-to-the-preponderance-of-one-set-of-influences/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [IMMORAL, adj. Inexpedient. Whatever in the long run and with regard to the greater number of instances men find to be generally inexpedient comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/immoral-adj-inexpedient-whatever-in-the-long-run-and-with-regard-to/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [REVIEW, v.t. To set your wisdom (holding not a doubt of it./ Although in truth there's neither bone nor skin to it)/ At work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/review-v-t-to-set-your-wisdom-holding-not-a-doubt-of-it-although-in/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [CLOCK, n. A machine of great moral value to man, allaying his concern for the future by reminding him what a lot of time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/clock-n-a-machine-of-great-moral-value-to-man-allaying-his-concern/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [RUBBISH, n. Worthless matter, such as the religions, philosophies, literatures, arts and sciences of the tribes infesting the regions lying due south from Boreaplas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/rubbish-n-worthless-matter-such-as-the-religions-philosophies/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [There was never a genius who was not thought a fool until he disclosed himself; whereas he is a fool then only.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/there-was-never-a-genius-who-was-not-thought-a-fool-until-he/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Telephone, n. An invention of the devil which abrogates some of the advantages of making a disagreeable person keep his distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/telephone-n-an-invention-of-the-devil-which-abrogates-some-of-the/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [WHANGDEPOOTENAWAH, n. In the Ojibwa tongue, disaster; an unexpected affliction that strikes hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/whangdepootenawah-n-in-the-ojibwa-tongue-disaster-an-unexpected/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Jealous, adj. Unduly concerned about the preservation of that which can be lost only if not worth keeping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/jealous-adj-unduly-concerned-about-the-preservation-of-that-which-can/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [RIDICULE, n. Words designed to show that the person of whom they are uttered is devoid of the dignity of character distinguishing him who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/ridicule-n-words-designed-to-show-that-the-person-of-whom-they-are/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Think twice before you speak to a friend in need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/think-twice-before-you-speak-to-a-friend-in-need/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [HERMIT, n. A person whose vices and follies are not sociable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/hermit-n-a-person-whose-vices-and-follies-are-not-sociable/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [TARIFF, n. A scale of taxes on imports, designed to protect the domestic producer against the greed of his consumer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/tariff-n-a-scale-of-taxes-on-imports-designed-to-protect-the-domestic/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [A bad marriage is like an electrical thrilling machine: it makes you dance, but you can't let go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/a-bad-marriage-is-like-an-electrical-thrilling-machine-it-makes-you/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) [Explore all 1,157 Ambrose Bierce quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) ## More Cynic quotes > [The only activity a cynic will find contagious is yawning, that is, with other people, at other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/the-only-activity-a-cynic-will-find-contagious-is-yawning-that-is/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [Cynicism masquerades as wisdom, but it is the farthest thing from it. Because cynics don’t learn anything. Because cynicism is a self-imposed blindness, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/cynicism-masquerades-as-wisdom-but-it-is-the-farthest-thing-from-it/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [“That's what I've never been able to get about religion: that charmless combination of altruism and insanity. Give me a cynical, self-interested bastard any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-carey/that-s-what-i-ve-never-been-able-to-get-about-religion-that-charmless/) [Mike Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-carey/) > [Why should we strive, with cynic frown, to knock their fairy castles down?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-cook/why-should-we-strive-with-cynic-frown-to-knock-their-fairy-castles/) [Eliza Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-cook/) > [Only the broken-hearted idealist can become a cynic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-clifton/only-the-broken-hearted-idealist-can-become-a-cynic/) [Mark Clifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-clifton/) > [I get the cynicism thing all the time, although I don't really know where that comes from, because I think I'm actually the opposite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-taibbi/i-get-the-cynicism-thing-all-the-time-although-i-don-t-really-know/) [Matt Taibbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-taibbi/) > [“Skeptics are always marked by their total lack of skepticism towards whatever position they are defending.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-madison/skeptics-are-always-marked-by-their-total-lack-of-skepticism-towards/) [Steve Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-madison/) > [“Listen, O lord of the meeting rivers, things standing shall fall, but the moving ever shall stay.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/basava/listen-o-lord-of-the-meeting-rivers-things-standing-shall-fall-but/) [Basava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/basava/) > [An executive should be a realist; and no one is less realistic than the cynic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/an-executive-should-be-a-realist-and-no-one-is-less-realistic-than/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [Remember that all is opinion. For what was said by the Cynic Monimus is manifest: and manifest too is the use of what was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/remember-that-all-is-opinion-for-what-was-said-by-the-cynic-monimus/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [The idea of The Boy Vs. The Cynic is the tension between the wide-eyed optimism in youthfulness where you think nothing can go wrong,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-reuben-zappin/the-idea-of-the-boy-vs-the-cynic-is-the-tension-between-the-wide-eyed/) [John Reuben Zappin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-reuben-zappin/) > [The cynic makes fun of all earnestness; he makes fun of everything and everyone who feels that something can be done. . . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-edgar-vincent/the-cynic-makes-fun-of-all-earnestness-he-makes-fun-of-everything-and/) [George Edgar Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-edgar-vincent/) > [To me it seems to be important to believe people to be good even if they tend to be bad, because your own joy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/to-me-it-seems-to-be-important-to-believe-people-to-be-good-even-if/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [ \[in the\]..curious way that my idealism has been mixed with my fatalism, so that I can possess the soul of a dreamer and that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/in-the-curious-way-that-my-idealism-has-been-mixed-with-my-fatalism/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [The only way to do my job without optimism would be as a cynic, and that's not my nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-snow/the-only-way-to-do-my-job-without-optimism-would-be-as-a-cynic-and/) [Jon Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-snow/) [Browse all 217 Cynic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynic/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Cynic, n: a blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ambrose Bierce" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/cynic-n-a-blackguard-whose-faulty-vision-sees-things-as-they-are-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cynic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/cynic-n-a-blackguard-whose-faulty-vision-sees-things-as-they-are-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/973/ambrose-bierce-140_cynic_cynic-n-a-blackguard-whose-faulty-vision_2322509.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/973/ambrose-bierce-140_cynic_cynic-n-a-blackguard-whose-faulty-vision_2322509.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/973/ambrose-bierce-140_cynic_cynic-n-a-blackguard-whose-faulty-vision_2322509.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Cynic, n: a blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be.” — Ambrose Bierce", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ambrose Bierce", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Cynic, n: a blackguard whose faulty...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/cynic-n-a-blackguard-whose-faulty-vision-sees-things-as-they-are-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/cynic-n-a-blackguard-whose-faulty-vision-sees-things-as-they-are-not/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```