--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Skepticism has become a virtue. Cynicism…" description: "\"Skepticism has become a virtue. Cynicism and demand for proof has become enlightened thought. Is it any wonder that humans now feel more depressed and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/dan-brown-203_cynicism_skepticism-has-become-a-virtue-cynicism_2366351.png" --- # Skepticism has become a virtue. Cynicism and demand for… ![“Skepticism has become a virtue. Cynicism and demand for proof has become enlightened thought. Is it any wonder that humans now feel more depressed and defeated than they have at any point in human history?” quote by Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/dan-brown-203_cynicism_skepticism-has-become-a-virtue-cynicism_2366351.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/dan-brown-203_cynicism_skepticism-has-become-a-virtue-cynicism_2366351.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/dan-brown-203_cynicism_skepticism-has-become-a-virtue-cynicism_2366351.png) > “Skepticism has become a virtue. Cynicism and demand for proof has become enlightened thought. Is it any wonder that humans now feel more depressed and defeated than they have at any point in human history?” [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Skepticism is praised, but excessive cynicism may foster despair. **In simple terms:** Too much doubt can lead to unhappiness. Key Takeaway Balance skepticism with hope. Themes skepticism mental health truth Mood concerned analytical Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - personal reflection - media consumption - scientific discourse Key Concepts cognitive bias existential anxiety Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify claims without losing optimism? - What practices nurture mental resilience? A Different Perspective Blind skepticism can erode trust and well‑being. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cynicism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynicism/) [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Enlightened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightened/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Pessimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimism/) [Skepticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skepticism/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) ## Related quotes > [Everybody's part of the greater whole and skepticism and virtue are a part of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-webb/everybody-s-part-of-the-greater-whole-and-skepticism-and-virtue-are-a/) [Marc Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-webb/) > [Skepticism is a virtue in history as well as in philosophy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/skepticism-is-a-virtue-in-history-as-well-as-in-philosophy/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [Most institutions demand unqualified faith; but the institution of science makes skepticism a virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-k-merton/most-institutions-demand-unqualified-faith-but-the-institution-of/) [Robert K. Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-k-merton/) > [“She (historian Barbara Tuchman) draws on skepticism, not cynicism, leaving the reader not so much outraged by human ability as amused and saddened by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-k-massie/she-historian-barbara-tuchman-draws-on-skepticism-not-cynicism/) [Robert K. Massie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-k-massie/) > [As to how I would guide someone who is confused about the idea of God, I would suggest that he or she begins identifying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-needleman/as-to-how-i-would-guide-someone-who-is-confused-about-the-idea-of-god/) [Jacob Needleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-needleman/) > [“It all depends on what people you're talking about helping. That's the wonderful think about just about every religion on the planet - they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-landy/it-all-depends-on-what-people-you-re-talking-about-helping-that-s-the/) [Derek Landy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-landy/) > [There are many different kinds of doubt. When we doubt the future, we call it worry. When doubt other people we call is suspicion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/there-are-many-different-kinds-of-doubt-when-we-doubt-the-future-we/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I realize that idealism is out of sync with the cynicism of our age. Skepticism has come to be synonymous with sophistication, and glibness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-schultz/i-realize-that-idealism-is-out-of-sync-with-the-cynicism-of-our-age/) [Howard Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-schultz/) > [“The genius of cynicism is that it is a voice in your ear it does not usually hang around long enough to be interviewed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-keyes/the-genius-of-cynicism-is-that-it-is-a-voice-in-your-ear-it-does-not/) Dick Keyes > [ “All Hellenistic schools seem to define \[wisdom\] in approximately the same terms: first and foremost, as a state of perfect peace of mind. From… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-hadot/all-hellenistic-schools-seem-to-define-wisdom-in-approximately-the/) [Pierre Hadot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-hadot/) > [People confuse the word cynicism with the word skepticism. One is “you’re not gonna pay attention to anything, think everything’s screwed up, nothing’s ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/people-confuse-the-word-cynicism-with-the-word-skepticism-one-is-you/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [I don't think of myself as particularly earnest. I have long bouts of cynicism and skepticism. So much of my early life was full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-mishra/i-don-t-think-of-myself-as-particularly-earnest-i-have-long-bouts-of/) [Pankaj Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-mishra/) > [In the end we shall have had enough of cynicism and skepticism and humbug and we shall want to live more musically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/in-the-end-we-shall-have-had-enough-of-cynicism-and-skepticism-and/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [I prefer credulity to skepticism and cynicism for there is more promise in almost anything than in nothing at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-prefer-credulity-to-skepticism-and-cynicism-for-there-is-more/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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 ## More by Dan Brown > [The more science I studied, the more I saw that physics becomes metaphysics and numbers become imaginary numbers. The farther you go into science,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/the-more-science-i-studied-the-more-i-saw-that-physics-becomes/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [A little faith can do wonders...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/a-little-faith-can-do-wonders/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [For me, the spiritual quest will be a life-long work in progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/for-me-the-spiritual-quest-will-be-a-life-long-work-in-progress/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [Sometimes all it takes is a tiny shift of perspective to see something familiar in a totally new light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/sometimes-all-it-takes-is-a-tiny-shift-of-perspective-to-see/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [“Leonardo believed his research had the potential to convert millions to a more spiritual life. Last year he categorically proved the existence of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/leonardo-believed-his-research-had-the-potential-to-convert-millions/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [“The price of greatness...is responsibility - Winston Churchill”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/the-price-of-greatness-is-responsibility-winston-churchill/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [I am a completely horizontal author. I can't think unless I'm lying down, either in bed or stretched on a couch and with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/i-am-a-completely-horizontal-author-i-can-t-think-unless-i-m-lying/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [We did not have a television while I was growing up, and so I read voraciously. My earliest memory of being utterly transfixed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/we-did-not-have-a-television-while-i-was-growing-up-and-so-i-read/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [“Robert,” Ambra whispered, “just remember the wise words of Disney’s Princess Elsa.” Langdon turned. “I’m sorry?” Ambra smiled softly. “Let it go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/robert-ambra-whispered-just-remember-the-wise-words-of-disney-s/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [“¿Tienes enemigos? Bien. ¡Eso significa que has defendido algo!”.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/tienes-enemigos-bien-eso-significa-que-has-defendido-algo/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [Who will guard the guards ? If we're the guards of society, then who will watch us and make sure that we're not dangerous?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/who-will-guard-the-guards-if-we-re-the-guards-of-society-then-who/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [“Dante's poem, Langdon was now reminded, was not so much about the misery of hell as it was about the power of the human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/dante-s-poem-langdon-was-now-reminded-was-not-so-much-about-the/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [It's kind of a catch-22 now because since the 'Da Vinci Code,' I have access to places and people that I didn't have access…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/it-s-kind-of-a-catch-22-now-because-since-the-da-vinci-code-i-have/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [“The man was no stranger to deception, and yet his heart was pounding wildly now. He took another deep, throbbing breath. You've been deceiving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/the-man-was-no-stranger-to-deception-and-yet-his-heart-was-pounding/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [“the entire operating system of the cosmos could be summed up by a single overriding command: spread energy!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/the-entire-operating-system-of-the-cosmos-could-be-summed-up-by-a/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) [Explore all 833 Dan Brown quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) ## More Cynicism quotes > [Scepticism and cynicism about politics is so great that one of the best counters to it is what you can do at a local…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-miliband/scepticism-and-cynicism-about-politics-is-so-great-that-one-of-the/) [Ed Miliband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-miliband/) > [“Wish in one hand, shit in the other, see which one fills up faster.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noelle-oxenhandler/wish-in-one-hand-shit-in-the-other-see-which-one-fills-up-faster/) Noelle Oxenhandler > [There's a distinct unease about Americans when they are outside the United States. I can't say quite what it is, but they are easily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-osborne/there-s-a-distinct-unease-about-americans-when-they-are-outside-the/) [Lawrence Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-osborne/) > [If you're going to reach for it, reach all the way for it. Albums like 'Purple Rain' and 'Thriller' and those kind of records,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-sitek/if-you-re-going-to-reach-for-it-reach-all-the-way-for-it-albums-like/) [Dave Sitek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-sitek/) > [There have been times when a particularly heavy dose of such cynicism has caused me to reflect that surely this is the age and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/there-have-been-times-when-a-particularly-heavy-dose-of-such-cynicism/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) > [The larger an English industry was, the more likely it was to go bankrupt, because the English were not naturally corporate people; they disliked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-larger-an-english-industry-was-the-more-likely-it-was-to-go/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [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/) > [I think growing up in Indiana prepares anyone for a life in comedy. I do feel like there is a certain kind of self-effacing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/i-think-growing-up-in-indiana-prepares-anyone-for-a-life-in-comedy-i/) [Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/) > [“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/) > [We will need to work hard to break the cynicism, talk straight and rebuild trust in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-benn/we-will-need-to-work-hard-to-break-the-cynicism-talk-straight-and/) [Hilary Benn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-benn/) > [Nothing is more urgent than a serious, dare I say compassionate, debate as to where we are going at home and abroad. Technicians cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/nothing-is-more-urgent-than-a-serious-dare-i-say-compassionate-debate/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [“The fucking world is running out of gas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-fucking-world-is-running-out-of-gas/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“In a fractured age, when cynicism is god, here is a possible heresy: we live by stories, we also live in them. One way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/in-a-fractured-age-when-cynicism-is-god-here-is-a-possible-heresy-we/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) > [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 > [What's important is how we use our time on this earth, not how conspicuously we give our money away. What's important is the energy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pallotta/what-s-important-is-how-we-use-our-time-on-this-earth-not-how/) [Dan Pallotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pallotta/) [Browse all 890 Cynicism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynicism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Skepticism has become a virtue. Cynicism and demand for proof has become enlightened thought. 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