--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think that cynicism can often be…" description: "\"I think that cynicism can often be mistaken for wisdom.\" — Sarah Polley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bf/sarah-polley-14950_cynicism_i-think-that-cynicism-can-often-be-mista_1074396.jpg" --- # I think that cynicism can often be mistaken for wisdom. ![“I think that cynicism can often be mistaken for wisdom.” quote by Sarah Polley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bf/sarah-polley-14950_cynicism_i-think-that-cynicism-can-often-be-mista_1074396.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bf/sarah-polley-14950_cynicism_i-think-that-cynicism-can-often-be-mista_1074396.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bf/sarah-polley-14950_cynicism_i-think-that-cynicism-can-often-be-mista_1074396.jpg) > “I think that cynicism can often be mistaken for wisdom.” [Sarah Polley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-polley/) ## 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 often mistaken for wisdom, though they are not the same. **In simple terms:** Cynicism isn’t true wisdom. Key Takeaway Question cynicism before accepting it as insight. Themes skepticism wisdom misinterpretation Mood critical analytical Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - politics - media consumption - personal decisions Key Concepts critical thinking philosophy Questions to Reflect On - When is healthy skepticism useful? - How to differentiate genuine insight? A Different Perspective Cynicism can protect against naiveté. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cynicism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynicism/) [Cynicism Mistaken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynicism-mistaken-2692932/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Mistaken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistaken/) [Mistaken Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistaken-wisdom-2692933/) [Often is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/often-is/) [Pessimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimism/) [Think Cynicism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-cynicism-1232041/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [I think cynicism often disguises itself as humour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michka-assayas/i-think-cynicism-often-disguises-itself-as-humour/) [Michka Assayas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michka-assayas/) > [I'm going to work with Dan Clowes. After Charlie Kaufman, it's hard to fill up the gap. It's hard to find somebody who... A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-gondry/i-m-going-to-work-with-dan-clowes-after-charlie-kaufman-it-s-hard-to/) [Michel Gondry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-gondry/) > [..I think there is less cynicism about human rights than there was. The work we are doing is part of the overall pattern of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-ennals/i-think-there-is-less-cynicism-about-human-rights-than-there-was-the/) [Martin Ennals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-ennals/) > [“I think cynicism is more enduring than sentimentality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-payne/i-think-cynicism-is-more-enduring-than-sentimentality/) [Alexander Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-payne/) > [I think that cynicism is the enemy. Cynicism thinks it knows how things work. "Oh yeah, you know how that works." I think uncertainty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/i-think-that-cynicism-is-the-enemy-cynicism-thinks-it-knows-how/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [I think the cynicism that you have when you've just gone through a break-up is a luxury that you allow yourself for a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jens-lekman/i-think-the-cynicism-that-you-have-when-you-ve-just-gone-through-a/) [Jens Lekman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jens-lekman/) > [Men and women with freed minds may often be mistaken, but they are seldom fooled. 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This leads to an alternative foundation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saunders-mac-lane/the-membership-relation-for-sets-can-often-be-replaced-by-the/) [Saunders Mac Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saunders-mac-lane/) > [ If \[Barack\] Obama or the boss or the newspapers or anyone else tells you they're doing this, that, or the other thing, dismiss it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-barack-obama-or-the-boss-or-the-newspapers-or-anyone-else-tells/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Old age likes to dwell in the recollections of the past, and, mistaking, the speedy march of years, often is inclined to take the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lajos-kossuth/old-age-likes-to-dwell-in-the-recollections-of-the-past-and-mistaking/) [Lajos Kossuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lajos-kossuth/) ## More by Sarah Polley > [I feel like I've always had two selves - the part of me that makes films and the part of me that's political, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-polley/i-feel-like-i-ve-always-had-two-selves-the-part-of-me-that-makes/) [Sarah Polley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-polley/) > [I think that we need to get along together if we want to survive in the twenty-first century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-polley/i-think-that-we-need-to-get-along-together-if-we-want-to-survive-in/) [Sarah Polley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-polley/) > [With being a mother, I feel like you choose how you spend your time so much more carefully - which is a good thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-polley/with-being-a-mother-i-feel-like-you-choose-how-you-spend-your-time-so/) [Sarah Polley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-polley/) > [There is no point trying to figure out who is guilty or not at un-balancing the planet. I think we need to figure out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-polley/there-is-no-point-trying-to-figure-out-who-is-guilty-or-not-at-un/) [Sarah Polley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-polley/) > [We're in this space right now where things are very precarious for women and things in the States are so terrifying. 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We have to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-polley/we-re-still-at-a-point-where-women-directors-aren-t-allowed-to-be-mad/) [Sarah Polley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-polley/) > [All of my short films are about marriages, and I think that this probably comes from some kind of unconscious fascination with my parents'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-polley/all-of-my-short-films-are-about-marriages-and-i-think-that-this/) [Sarah Polley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-polley/) > [So I decided to make a film about our need to tell stories, to own our stories, to understand them, and to have them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-polley/so-i-decided-to-make-a-film-about-our-need-to-tell-stories-to-own-our/) [Sarah Polley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-polley/) > [The ways in which people are damaged are the ways in which they're strong. It's what makes people interesting - what they've overcome and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-polley/the-ways-in-which-people-are-damaged-are-the-ways-in-which-they-re/) [Sarah Polley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-polley/) [Explore all 44 Sarah Polley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-polley/) ## 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 think that cynicism can often be mistaken for wisdom.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sarah Polley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-polley/i-think-that-cynicism-can-often-be-mistaken-for-wisdom/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cynicism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-polley/i-think-that-cynicism-can-often-be-mistaken-for-wisdom/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bf/sarah-polley-14950_cynicism_i-think-that-cynicism-can-often-be-mista_1074396.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bf/sarah-polley-14950_cynicism_i-think-that-cynicism-can-often-be-mista_1074396.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bf/sarah-polley-14950_cynicism_i-think-that-cynicism-can-often-be-mista_1074396.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think that cynicism can often be mistaken for wisdom.” — Sarah Polley", "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": "Sarah Polley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-polley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think that cynicism can often...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-polley/i-think-that-cynicism-can-often-be-mistaken-for-wisdom/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-polley/i-think-that-cynicism-can-often-be-mistaken-for-wisdom/#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 } } ] } ```