--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I know as a critic I'm required to have a…" description: "\"I know as a critic I'm required to have a well-armored heart. I must be a cynical wise guy to show my great sophistication. No pushover, me.\" — Roger E..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/roger-ebert-655_critics_i-know-as-a-critic-i-m-required-to-have_2684905.jpg" --- # I know as a critic I'm required to have a well-armored… ![“I know as a critic I'm required to have a well-armored heart. I must be a cynical wise guy to show my great sophistication. No pushover, me.” quote by Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/roger-ebert-655_critics_i-know-as-a-critic-i-m-required-to-have_2684905.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/roger-ebert-655_critics_i-know-as-a-critic-i-m-required-to-have_2684905.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/roger-ebert-655_critics_i-know-as-a-critic-i-m-required-to-have_2684905.jpg) > “I know as a critic I'm required to have a well-armored heart. I must be a cynical wise guy to show my great sophistication. No pushover, me.” [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He claims critics must protect themselves with cynicism and sophistication, avoiding being taken advantage of. **In simple terms:** Critics need a tough exterior. Key Takeaway Maintain critical distance. Themes cynicism professionalism defense Mood defensive analytical Type critical defensive When to use this quote - film reviews - media analysis - personal boundaries Key Concepts critical theory emotional armor Questions to Reflect On - When does cynicism become a barrier? - How to stay sincere while critical? A Different Perspective Cynicism can hinder openness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cynical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynical/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Pushovers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pushovers/) [Sophistication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sophistication/) [Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise/) [Wise guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise-guy/) ## Related quotes > [A thankful heart cannot be cynical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/a-thankful-heart-cannot-be-cynical/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [I'm not strong-willed, actually. I'm a complete pushover. I love to be told what to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mirren/i-m-not-strong-willed-actually-i-m-a-complete-pushover-i-love-to-be/) [Helen Mirren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mirren/) > [“It's easy to think that people will like you more if you do whatever they tell you to do, but it's quite the opposite.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osayi-osar-emokpae/it-s-easy-to-think-that-people-will-like-you-more-if-you-do-whatever/) [Osayi Osar-Emokpae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osayi-osar-emokpae/) > [Competitiveness is a personality thing and competitive people don't become pushovers the day they turn fifty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hale-irwin/competitiveness-is-a-personality-thing-and-competitive-people-don-t/) [Hale Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hale-irwin/) > [I wouldn't want to date a pushover who would let me make all the plans and have all the control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/i-wouldn-t-want-to-date-a-pushover-who-would-let-me-make-all-the/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [A city suffering from chronic poverty, out-of-control crime, a $76 million budget deficit and a 15 percent unemployment rate (nearly 50 percent for Oakland's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-malkin/a-city-suffering-from-chronic-poverty-out-of-control-crime-a-76/) [Michelle Malkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-malkin/) > [I say yes to the hot bath and the sandwich - to getting ourselves into the best possible mental shape to identify and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/i-say-yes-to-the-hot-bath-and-the-sandwich-to-getting-ourselves-into/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [Life's too short to be a pushover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-clarkson/life-s-too-short-to-be-a-pushover/) [Kelly Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-clarkson/) > [I like to talk come fight night, that's how I do it, but I'm not a pushover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-ward/i-like-to-talk-come-fight-night-that-s-how-i-do-it-but-i-m-not-a/) [Andre Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-ward/) > [I'm a real pushover for animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kline/i-m-a-real-pushover-for-animals/) [Kevin Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kline/) > [I got a dog with a Napoleon complex. I have a Napoleon complex. We're small. Anything big that we feel is threatening us, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hart/i-got-a-dog-with-a-napoleon-complex-i-have-a-napoleon-complex-we-re/) [Kevin Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hart/) > [I knew that if I wanted to stop being a pushover I had to get comfortable with small rejections myself. That took some work,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/i-knew-that-if-i-wanted-to-stop-being-a-pushover-i-had-to-get/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [Balance for me now means seeing myself as a tree, being strong enough in my roots and trunk to not be a pushover, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-strong/balance-for-me-now-means-seeing-myself-as-a-tree-being-strong-enough/) [Brenda Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-strong/) > [I don't take crap from anyone, so that makes people think I'm rebellious. I'm not. I'm just not a pushover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kat-dennings/i-don-t-take-crap-from-anyone-so-that-makes-people-think-i-m/) [Kat Dennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kat-dennings/) > [I don't know if I'm a strict parent or a pushover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/i-don-t-know-if-i-m-a-strict-parent-or-a-pushover/) [Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/) ## More by Roger Ebert > [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [It is an interesting law of romance that a truly strong woman will choose a strong man who disagrees with her over a weak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-is-an-interesting-law-of-romance-that-a-truly-strong-woman-will/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [I am, beneath everything else, a fan. I was fixed in this mode as a young boy and am awed by people who take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/i-am-beneath-everything-else-a-fan-i-was-fixed-in-this-mode-as-a/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [“We’d had a revelation. This was the direction American movies should take: into idiosyncratic characters, into dialogue with an ear for the vulgar and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/we-d-had-a-revelation-this-was-the-direction-american-movies-should/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [“Most courtroom movies feel it necessary to end with a clear-cut verdict. But 12 Angry Men never states whether the defendant is innocent or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/most-courtroom-movies-feel-it-necessary-to-end-with-a-clear-cut/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [What every human being should do is eat a vegetarian diet based on whole foods. Period. That's it. Animal protein is bad for you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/what-every-human-being-should-do-is-eat-a-vegetarian-diet-based-on/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [I value the kind of prayer when you stand at the edge of the sea, or beneath a tree, or smell a flower, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/i-value-the-kind-of-prayer-when-you-stand-at-the-edge-of-the-sea-or/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [“One of my delights in these books, on the other hand, has been to include movies not often cited as “great”—some because they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/one-of-my-delights-in-these-books-on-the-other-hand-has-been-to/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [A movie isn't good or bad based on its politics. It's usually good or bad for other reasons, though you might agree or disagree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/a-movie-isn-t-good-or-bad-based-on-its-politics-it-s-usually-good-or/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [It is human nature to look away from illness. We don't enjoy a reminder of our own fragile mortality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-is-human-nature-to-look-away-from-illness-we-don-t-enjoy-a/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [ Gene \[Siskel\] often mentioned something François Truffaut once told him: the most beautiful sight in a movie theater is to walk down to the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/gene-siskel-often-mentioned-something-fran-ois-truffaut-once-told-him/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [A movie is not about what it is about. It is about how it is about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/a-movie-is-not-about-what-it-is-about-it-is-about-how-it-is-about-it/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [James Cameron's films have always been distinguished by ground-breaking technical excellence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/james-cameron-s-films-have-always-been-distinguished-by-ground/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [Friends don't let Jackasses drink and drive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/friends-don-t-let-jackasses-drink-and-drive/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [I think we have to get beyond the idea that we have to categorize people. We can now have action movies with two stars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/i-think-we-have-to-get-beyond-the-idea-that-we-have-to-categorize/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) [Explore all 427 Roger Ebert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) ## More Critics quotes > [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Critics are biased, and so are readers. (Indeed, a critic is a bundle of biases held loosely together by a sense of taste.) But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-balliett/critics-are-biased-and-so-are-readers-indeed-a-critic-is-a-bundle-of/) Whitney Balliett > [I reject criticism because the last thing I wanted was to sit there and look at people talking. I think people are conditioned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-tyrnauer/i-reject-criticism-because-the-last-thing-i-wanted-was-to-sit-there/) [Matt Tyrnauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-tyrnauer/) > [Popular culture as a whole is popular, but in today's fragmented market it's a jostle of competing unpopular popular cultures. As the critic Stanley…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/popular-culture-as-a-whole-is-popular-but-in-today-s-fragmented/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [There was a cultural war going on, the '60s was going on. All the film critics were square.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waters/there-was-a-cultural-war-going-on-the-60s-was-going-on-all-the-film/) [John Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waters/) > [Capitalists have done more good for society through their charitable giving, philanthropy and generosity than all their critics combined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/capitalists-have-done-more-good-for-society-through-their-charitable/) [James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/) > [I get that the media wants us to play theater critics and critique every other proposal. What I'm focusing on are my own policy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/i-get-that-the-media-wants-us-to-play-theater-critics-and-critique/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [The Yippies, their lifestyle is different from mine. But I consider Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hoffman inspired critics of the kind of society that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-dellinger/the-yippies-their-lifestyle-is-different-from-mine-but-i-consider/) [David Dellinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-dellinger/) > [This one goes out to all my critics: don't you feel stupid? Look how I did it. Look how it came to pass when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicki-minaj/this-one-goes-out-to-all-my-critics-don-t-you-feel-stupid-look-how-i/) [Nicki Minaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicki-minaj/) > [There's a lot of stuff I want to do, just things that I want to explore that don't involve show business. I'm going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-sheen/there-s-a-lot-of-stuff-i-want-to-do-just-things-that-i-want-to/) [Charlie Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-sheen/) > [Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/whatever-course-you-decide-upon-there-is-always-someone-to-tell-you/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Nearly all the writing of our time is likely to disappear in a hundred years. Certainly most readers - and nearly all critics -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/nearly-all-the-writing-of-our-time-is-likely-to-disappear-in-a/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [David Rockefeller is the most conspicuous representative today of the ruling class, a multinational fraternity of men who shape the global economy and manage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-moyers/david-rockefeller-is-the-most-conspicuous-representative-today-of-the/) [Bill Moyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-moyers/) > [The boundaries between contemporary art and cinema are so rigid. It's unbelievable. The film critics don't know my artwork and the art world doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/the-boundaries-between-contemporary-art-and-cinema-are-so-rigid-it-s/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [A certain type of critic doesn't really want French movies to be visual. They think movies started from books and they forgot this part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-tautou/a-certain-type-of-critic-doesn-t-really-want-french-movies-to-be/) [Audrey Tautou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-tautou/) Browse all 2,637 Critics quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I know as a critic I'm required to have a well-armored heart. I must be a cynical wise guy to show my great sophistication. No pushover, me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Roger Ebert" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/i-know-as-a-critic-i-m-required-to-have-a-well-armored-heart-i-must/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Critics" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/i-know-as-a-critic-i-m-required-to-have-a-well-armored-heart-i-must/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/roger-ebert-655_critics_i-know-as-a-critic-i-m-required-to-have_2684905.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/roger-ebert-655_critics_i-know-as-a-critic-i-m-required-to-have_2684905.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/roger-ebert-655_critics_i-know-as-a-critic-i-m-required-to-have_2684905.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I know as a critic I'm required to have a well-armored heart. I must be a cynical wise guy to show my great…” — Roger Ebert", "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": "Roger Ebert", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I know as a critic I'm...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/i-know-as-a-critic-i-m-required-to-have-a-well-armored-heart-i-must/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/i-know-as-a-critic-i-m-required-to-have-a-well-armored-heart-i-must/#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 } } ] } ```