--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A sceptic finds Dallas absurd. A cynic…" description: "\"A sceptic finds Dallas absurd. A cynic thinks the public doesn't\" — Clive James" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a00/clive-james-2750_absurd_a-sceptic-finds-dallas-absurd-a-cynic-th_172972.png" --- # A sceptic finds Dallas absurd. A cynic thinks the public… ![“A sceptic finds Dallas absurd. A cynic thinks the public doesn't” quote by Clive James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a00/clive-james-2750_absurd_a-sceptic-finds-dallas-absurd-a-cynic-th_172972.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a00/clive-james-2750_absurd_a-sceptic-finds-dallas-absurd-a-cynic-th_172972.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a00/clive-james-2750_absurd_a-sceptic-finds-dallas-absurd-a-cynic-th_172972.png) > “A sceptic finds Dallas absurd. A cynic thinks the public doesn't” [Clive James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-james/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A skeptic doubts the absurdity of Dallas while a cynic distrusts the public. **In simple terms:** Skepticism about Dallas and public trust. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about culture and trust. Themes skepticism culture trust public perception absurdity Mood critical skeptical Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - media analysis - political discourse - public opinion - cultural critique Key Concepts critical thinking social commentary Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate skepticism from cynicism? - What evidence challenges your view? A Different Perspective Skepticism may overlook nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absurd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurd/) [Cynic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynic/) [Dallas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dallas/) [Sceptic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sceptic/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [The cynic thinks that he is being practical and that the hopeful person is not. It is actually the other way around. Cynicism is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/the-cynic-thinks-that-he-is-being-practical-and-that-the-hopeful/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [I'm a natural sceptic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hockney/i-m-a-natural-sceptic/) [David Hockney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hockney/) > [The conduct of a man, who studies philosophy in this careless manner, is more truly sceptical than that of any one, who feeling inhimself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/the-conduct-of-a-man-who-studies-philosophy-in-this-careless-manner/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [“You are a sceptic." "Never! Scepticism is the beginning of faith." "What are you?" "To define is to limit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/you-are-a-sceptic-never-scepticism-is-the-beginning-of-faith-what-are/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Seeing clearly within himself and always able to dodge around the ends of any position, including his own, Shaw assumed from the start the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/seeing-clearly-within-himself-and-always-able-to-dodge-around-the/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [If you are only skeptical, then no new ideas make it through to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/if-you-are-only-skeptical-then-no-new-ideas-make-it-through-to-you/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [I note that warmists are often banging on about the fact that sceptics like Christopher Booker and myself 'only' have arts degrees. But actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-delingpole/i-note-that-warmists-are-often-banging-on-about-the-fact-that/) [James Delingpole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-delingpole/) > [Yet, when these facts are seen side by side with other facts in the case, it is difficult not to become lost in superstitious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ambler/yet-when-these-facts-are-seen-side-by-side-with-other-facts-in-the/) [Eric Ambler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ambler/) > [To be a philosophical sceptic is, in a man of letters, the first and most essential to being a sound, believing Christian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/to-be-a-philosophical-sceptic-is-in-a-man-of-letters-the-first-and/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [I come from a generation of sceptics, who do not believe what politicians say. 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In Limbo one has natural happiness without the beatific vision; no harps; no communal order; but wine and conversation and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/limbo-is-the-place-in-limbo-one-has-natural-happiness-without-the/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [My position is such that there is no necessity for me to enter into competition with struggling humanity. As to expensive and ruinous pleasures,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henryk-sienkiewicz/my-position-is-such-that-there-is-no-necessity-for-me-to-enter-into/) [Henryk Sienkiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henryk-sienkiewicz/) > [The want of faith, as well as faith itself, is best shewn by works. If a sceptic avoid the fire as much as those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-reid/the-want-of-faith-as-well-as-faith-itself-is-best-shewn-by-works-if-a/) [Thomas Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-reid/) > [Never trust anyone who has no doubts. And I'm not talking about scepticism either: scepticism can be a healthy thing. You can have an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bragg/never-trust-anyone-who-has-no-doubts-and-i-m-not-talking-about/) [Billy Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bragg/) ## More by Clive James > [Arnold Schwarzenegger looks like a brown condom full of walnuts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-james/arnold-schwarzenegger-looks-like-a-brown-condom-full-of-walnuts/) [Clive James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-james/) > [My wife spoke perfect Italian and she was very beautiful and very suave Italian men were crowding around her, talking all the time and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-james/my-wife-spoke-perfect-italian-and-she-was-very-beautiful-and-very/) [Clive James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-james/) > [The streets, at least in this part of town, seemed impossibly clean in comparison to London. The public telephones were unvandalised. For a London…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-james/the-streets-at-least-in-this-part-of-town-seemed-impossibly-clean-in/) [Clive James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-james/) > [In London there was no home cooking worthy of the name. When you were in funds you ate out. But only the people whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-james/in-london-there-was-no-home-cooking-worthy-of-the-name-when-you-were/) [Clive James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-james/) > [Generally it is our failures that civilize us. Triumph confirms us in our habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-james/generally-it-is-our-failures-that-civilize-us-triumph-confirms-us-in/) [Clive James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-james/) > [I try to be specific. One thought at a time. Clear. Articulate. And above all, memorable, if you can be. 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Avoid the big ones, go for the little ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-james/little-books-are-the-things-to-write-at-my-age-i-ve-decided-avoid-the/) [Clive James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-james/) > [“Too many of my friends are dead, and others wrecked By various diseases of the intellect Or failing body. How am I still upright?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-james/too-many-of-my-friends-are-dead-and-others-wrecked-by-various/) [clive james](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-james/) > [The Canadian version of Julius Caesar's memoirs? I came, I saw, I coped.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-james/the-canadian-version-of-julius-caesar-s-memoirs-i-came-i-saw-i-coped/) [Clive James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-james/) > [“Rilke used to say that no poet would mind going to gaol, since he would at least have time to explore the treasure house…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-james/rilke-used-to-say-that-no-poet-would-mind-going-to-gaol-since-he/) [Clive James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-james/) > [The thing about making a documentary in Las Vegas is there isn't much to film apart from other people making documentaries about Las Vegas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-james/the-thing-about-making-a-documentary-in-las-vegas-is-there-isn-t-much/) [Clive James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-james/) > [When I was very young, one of my favourite books was Captain's Courageous and I suppose one of the reasons I loved it, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-james/when-i-was-very-young-one-of-my-favourite-books-was-captain-s/) [Clive James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-james/) [Explore all 151 Clive James quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-james/) ## More Absurd quotes > [“It seem absurd to me that they don't know, haven't felt any change or tremor, even as my life has been completely turned upside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/it-seem-absurd-to-me-that-they-don-t-know-haven-t-felt-any-change-or/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [When a person’s tongue is extensively wrong, it is absurd, no less than unscriptural, to say that their heart is right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-ryle/when-a-person-s-tongue-is-extensively-wrong-it-is-absurd-no-less-than/) [J. 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For after you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-dangerous-and-fateful-presumption-besides-the-absurd-temerity/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I thought to myself: if it’s true that every person has a star in the sky, mine must be distant, dim, and absurd. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadegh-hedayat/i-thought-to-myself-if-it-s-true-that-every-person-has-a-star-in-the/) [Sadegh Hedayat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadegh-hedayat/) > [If, indeed, a firearm were more dangerous to its possessors than to potential aggressors, would it not make sense for the government to arm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/if-indeed-a-firearm-were-more-dangerous-to-its-possessors-than-to/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [“You were torturing a cat," she says. "With a freaking prod." "A prod I built myself in metal shop," he says. "But of course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/you-were-torturing-a-cat-she-says-with-a-freaking-prod-a-prod-i-built/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [I have never heard enough classical music to be able to enjoy it; & the simple truth is, I detest it. Not mildly, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-have-never-heard-enough-classical-music-to-be-able-to-enjoy-it-the/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [To deprecate human reason by saying that none of us is or can be omniscient is absurd, for it takes an impossible standard as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-rothbard/to-deprecate-human-reason-by-saying-that-none-of-us-is-or-can-be/) [Murray Rothbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-rothbard/) > [“Rachel got up and did this happy little shuffle, like she was some cheerful farmer chick who'd just stepped outside to find the hick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/rachel-got-up-and-did-this-happy-little-shuffle-like-she-was-some/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [The absurd duty, too often inculcated, of obeying a parent only on account of his being a parent, shackles the mind, and prepares it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/the-absurd-duty-too-often-inculcated-of-obeying-a-parent-only-on/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [The workman of today works every day in his life at the same tasks, and this fate is no less absurd. 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But solitude also produces perverseness, the disproportianate, the absurd and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/solitude-produces-originality-bold-and-astonishing-beauty-poetry-but/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) [Browse all 1,644 Absurd quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurd/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A sceptic finds Dallas absurd. 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