--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I hate cynicism a great deal worse than I…" description: "\"I hate cynicism a great deal worse than I do the devil; unless perhaps the two were the same thing\" — Robert Louis Stevenson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc2/robert-louis-stevenson-289_hate_i-hate-cynicism-a-great-deal-worse-than_2070486.jpg" --- # I hate cynicism a great deal worse than I do the devil… ![“I hate cynicism a great deal worse than I do the devil; unless perhaps the two were the same thing” quote by Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc2/robert-louis-stevenson-289_hate_i-hate-cynicism-a-great-deal-worse-than_2070486.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc2/robert-louis-stevenson-289_hate_i-hate-cynicism-a-great-deal-worse-than_2070486.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc2/robert-louis-stevenson-289_hate_i-hate-cynicism-a-great-deal-worse-than_2070486.jpg) > “I hate cynicism a great deal worse than I do the devil; unless perhaps the two were the same thing” [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Cynicism is portrayed as a corrosive force, possibly as harmful as the devil himself. **In simple terms:** Cynicism is as bad as evil. Key Takeaway Beware letting cynicism dominate your worldview. Themes cynicism evil perspective trust Mood skeptical reflective guarded Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - relationships - political discourse - media consumption - personal growth Key Concepts philosophy morality skepticism Questions to Reflect On - When does healthy skepticism become harmful? - Can cynicism ever be constructive? A Different Perspective Cynicism can protect against naiveté but also erodes hope. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cynicism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynicism/) [Cynicism Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynicism-great-632460/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Hate Cynicism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate-cynicism-3513681/) [Worse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worse/) [Worse Devil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worse-devil-3995472/) ## Related quotes > [Young people are cynical about love. Ultimately, cynicism is the great mask of the disappointed and betrayed heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/young-people-are-cynical-about-love-ultimately-cynicism-is-the-great/) [Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [What's worse ...? The devil you don't know ... or the devil you do?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/what-s-worse-the-devil-you-don-t-know-or-the-devil-you-do/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [All I ask is one thing, and I’m asking this particularly of young people: please don’t be cynical. I hate cynicism, for the record,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/all-i-ask-is-one-thing-and-i-m-asking-this-particularly-of-young/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [I think I hate cynicism more than anything else. It's the curse of our age, and I want to avoid it at all costs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-think-i-hate-cynicism-more-than-anything-else-it-s-the-curse-of-our/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [“Who’s worse? The devil who abuses you honestly, or the one who convinces you he’s your best friend first?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-v-larson/who-s-worse-the-devil-who-abuses-you-honestly-or-the-one-who/) [B.V. Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-v-larson/) > [When a man gets his money in bad ways, when he sees the better course and takes the worse, then the devil's in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-totheroh/when-a-man-gets-his-money-in-bad-ways-when-he-sees-the-better-course/) [Dan Totheroh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-totheroh/) > [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/) > [“All I ask of you is one thing: please don’t be cynical. I hate cynicism — it’s my least favorite quality and it doesn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/all-i-ask-of-you-is-one-thing-please-don-t-be-cynical-i-hate-cynicism/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [“Please do not be cynical. I hate cynicism – it's my least favorite quality, and it doesn't lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/please-do-not-be-cynical-i-hate-cynicism-it-s-my-least-favorite/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [I hate cynicism - it's my least favorite quality and it doesn't lead anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/i-hate-cynicism-it-s-my-least-favorite-quality-and-it-doesn-t-lead/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [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/) > [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'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/) > [“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/) > [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 Robert Louis Stevenson > [You must suffer me to go my own dark way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/you-must-suffer-me-to-go-my-own-dark-way/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [Nobody speaks of a beautifful view for 5 minutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/nobody-speaks-of-a-beautifful-view-for-5-minutes/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [“We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best that we find is an honest friend. He is a fortunate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/we-are-all-travelers-in-the-wilderness-of-this-world-and-the-best/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [The little rift between the sexes is astonishingly widened by simply teaching one set of catchwords to the girls and another to the boys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/the-little-rift-between-the-sexes-is-astonishingly-widened-by-simply/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [The problem of education is twofold: first to know, and then to utter. Everyone who lives any semblance of an inner life thinks more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/the-problem-of-education-is-twofold-first-to-know-and-then-to-utter/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [“For thirty years," he said, "I've sailed the seas and seen good and bad, better and worse, fair weather and foul, provisions running out,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/for-thirty-years-he-said-i-ve-sailed-the-seas-and-seen-good-and-bad/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [“Mutiny, it was plain, hung over us like a thunder-cloud.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/mutiny-it-was-plain-hung-over-us-like-a-thunder-cloud/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [Jealousy is the most radical primeval and naked form of admiration in war paint, so to speak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/jealousy-is-the-most-radical-primeval-and-naked-form-of-admiration-in/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [It is the property of things seen for the first time, or for the first time after long, like the flowers in spring, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/it-is-the-property-of-things-seen-for-the-first-time-or-for-the-first/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [You have no idea, unless you have tried it, how endlessly long is a summer's day, that you measure out only by hunger, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/you-have-no-idea-unless-you-have-tried-it-how-endlessly-long-is-a/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [Do not measure success by today's harvest. Measure success by the seeds you plant today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/do-not-measure-success-by-today-s-harvest-measure-success-by-the/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [To be idle requires a strong sense of personal identity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/to-be-idle-requires-a-strong-sense-of-personal-identity/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [Saints are sinners who kept on going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/saints-are-sinners-who-kept-on-going/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [Loving God, help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/loving-god-help-us-remember-the-birth-of-jesus-that-we-may-share-in/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [The friendly cow, all red and white, I love with all my heart; She gives me cream with all her might, To eat with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/the-friendly-cow-all-red-and-white-i-love-with-all-my-heart-she-gives/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) [Explore all 701 Robert Louis Stevenson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) ## 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 hate cynicism a great deal worse than I do the devil; unless perhaps the two were the same thing", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Louis Stevenson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/i-hate-cynicism-a-great-deal-worse-than-i-do-the-devil-unless-perhaps/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cynicism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/i-hate-cynicism-a-great-deal-worse-than-i-do-the-devil-unless-perhaps/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc2/robert-louis-stevenson-289_hate_i-hate-cynicism-a-great-deal-worse-than_2070486.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc2/robert-louis-stevenson-289_hate_i-hate-cynicism-a-great-deal-worse-than_2070486.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc2/robert-louis-stevenson-289_hate_i-hate-cynicism-a-great-deal-worse-than_2070486.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I hate cynicism a great deal worse than I do the devil; unless perhaps the two were the same thing” — Robert Louis Stevenson", "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": "Robert Louis Stevenson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I hate cynicism a great deal...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/i-hate-cynicism-a-great-deal-worse-than-i-do-the-devil-unless-perhaps/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/i-hate-cynicism-a-great-deal-worse-than-i-do-the-devil-unless-perhaps/#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 } } ] } ```