--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I’m consciously shedding the assumption…" description: "\"“I’m consciously shedding the assumption that a skeptical point of view is the most intellectually credible. Intellect does not function in opposition ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b2/krista-tippett-9825_cynicism_i-m-consciously-shedding-the-assumption_1065785.jpg" --- # I’m consciously shedding the assumption that a skeptical… ![“I’m consciously shedding the assumption that a skeptical point of view is the most intellectually credible. Intellect does not function in opposition to mystery; tolerance is not more pragmatic than love; and cynicism is not more reasonable than hope. Unlike almost every worthwhile thing in life…” quote by Krista Tippett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b2/krista-tippett-9825_cynicism_i-m-consciously-shedding-the-assumption_1065785.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b2/krista-tippett-9825_cynicism_i-m-consciously-shedding-the-assumption_1065785.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b2/krista-tippett-9825_cynicism_i-m-consciously-shedding-the-assumption_1065785.jpg) > ““I’m consciously shedding the assumption that a skeptical point of view is the most intellectually credible. Intellect does not function in opposition to mystery; tolerance is not more pragmatic than love; and cynicism is not more reasonable than hope. Unlike almost every worthwhile thing in life, cynicism is easy. It’s never proven wrong by the corruption or the catastrophe. It’s not generative. It judges things as they are, but does not lift a finger to try to shift them.”” [Krista Tippett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-tippett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She argues that skepticism isn’t automatically the most credible stance; love, hope, and curiosity are equally, and often more generative. **In simple terms:** Skepticism isn’t the only valid view; love and hope matter. Key Takeaway Embrace curiosity and hope over cynicism. Themes skepticism hope love curiosity Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - personal growth - social activism - dialogue - creative problem solving Key Concepts philosophy psychology spirituality Questions to Reflect On - How can you replace cynicism with hopeful action? - What role does love play in intellectual honesty? A Different Perspective Cynicism can be a defense against vulnerability, limiting change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Credible Intellect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/credible-intellect-2628570/) [Cynicism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynicism/) [Cynicism Easy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynicism-easy-2251351/) [Cynicism Reasonable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynicism-reasonable-1454010/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Intellectually Credible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectually-credible-1278290/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Pessimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimism/) [Point of view](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/point-of-view/) ## Related quotes > [I fight cynicism. It's too easy. It's really boring. It's much harder to be positive and see the wonder of everything. Cynicism is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-fight-cynicism-it-s-too-easy-it-s-really-boring-it-s-much-harder-to/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [“Cynicism is too easy, and it gets you nowhere.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/cynicism-is-too-easy-and-it-gets-you-nowhere/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [There is a danger when we give young people only a catalog of dos and don'ts. In these young minds, the gospel is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/there-is-a-danger-when-we-give-young-people-only-a-catalog-of-dos-and/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [“cynicism is the only reasonable response to the antics of humanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/cynicism-is-the-only-reasonable-response-to-the-antics-of-humanity/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Joshua, cynicism is the only reasonable response to the antics of humanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/joshua-cynicism-is-the-only-reasonable-response-to-the-antics-of/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [There's something I believe wholeheartedly: Cynicism is the true refuge of the pseudo-intellectual, .. Cynicism is easy. Joy is an extremely advanced spiritual and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/there-s-something-i-believe-wholeheartedly-cynicism-is-the-true/) [Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/) > [Cynicism is easy. An optimist is a braver cynic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/cynicism-is-easy-an-optimist-is-a-braver-cynic/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [I hate cynicism. I wipe it from me. I don't like cynical people. I don't like cynical movies. Cynicism is very easy. You don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-gondry/i-hate-cynicism-i-wipe-it-from-me-i-don-t-like-cynical-people-i-don-t/) [Michel Gondry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-gondry/) > [Cynicism, I contend, is the wailing of someone who believes that things are, or should be, or could be, much, much better than they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-becker/cynicism-i-contend-is-the-wailing-of-someone-who-believes-that-things/) [Walter Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-becker/) > [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/) > [“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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) ## More by Krista Tippett > [“God delights in beauty, Islam teaches at its core, and is beauty. Beauty is in creation, not destruction, and in balance. It is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-tippett/god-delights-in-beauty-islam-teaches-at-its-core-and-is-beauty-beauty/) [Krista Tippett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-tippett/) > [“Spirituality doesn’t look like sitting down and meditating. Spirituality looks like folding the towels in a sweet way and talking kindly to the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-tippett/spirituality-doesn-t-look-like-sitting-down-and-meditating/) [Krista Tippett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-tippett/) > [“But what we did is we studied our town. We did an inventory of all of the things that were present there—farms and marshes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-tippett/but-what-we-did-is-we-studied-our-town-we-did-an-inventory-of-all-of/) [Krista Tippett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-tippett/) > [“...'fundamentalism' and 'liberalism' and terrorism.' These labels only tell us partial truths. 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You can't disagree with their experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-tippett/you-can-disagree-with-another-person-s-opinions-you-can-disagree-with/) [Krista Tippett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-tippett/) > [“Resilience is a successor to mere progress, a companion to sustainability.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-tippett/resilience-is-a-successor-to-mere-progress-a-companion-to/) [Krista Tippett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-tippett/) > [“It’s a collection of pointers that treat the margins as seriously as the noisy center. For change has always happened in the margins, across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-tippett/it-s-a-collection-of-pointers-that-treat-the-margins-as-seriously-as/) [Krista Tippett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-tippett/) > [How we carry what has gone wrong for us is essential to being at home in ourselves, and present to the world with all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-tippett/how-we-carry-what-has-gone-wrong-for-us-is-essential-to-being-at-home/) [Krista Tippett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-tippett/) > [Mystery is a birthright of theology and faith, but you often do find religious people grasping for answers that shut things down and narrow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-tippett/mystery-is-a-birthright-of-theology-and-faith-but-you-often-do-find/) [Krista Tippett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-tippett/) > [Humanity needs this technology as much as it needs all other technologies that have now connected us and set before us the terrifying and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-tippett/humanity-needs-this-technology-as-much-as-it-needs-all-other/) [Krista Tippett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-tippett/) > [Structure is something that calms our nature; we know this of toddlers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-tippett/structure-is-something-that-calms-our-nature-we-know-this-of-toddlers/) [Krista Tippett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-tippett/) > [If God is God, we can't be afraid of what we can learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-tippett/if-god-is-god-we-can-t-be-afraid-of-what-we-can-learn/) [Krista Tippett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-tippett/) > [“Hope is an orientation, an insistence on wresting wisdom and joy from the endlessly fickle fabric of space and time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-tippett/hope-is-an-orientation-an-insistence-on-wresting-wisdom-and-joy-from/) [Krista Tippett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-tippett/) [Explore all 70 Krista Tippett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-tippett/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "“I’m consciously shedding the assumption that a skeptical point of view is the most intellectually credible. 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