Cynical Quote by Steven Erikson
““Your cynicism lies in your willing abuse of others to consolidate your superiority over them. My cynicism is in regard to humanity’s wilful blindness with respect to its own extinction.’ ‘Without that wilful blindness there is naught but despair.’ ‘Oh, I am not that cynical. In fact, I do not agree at all. Maybe when the wilful blindness runs its inevitable course, there will be born wilful wisdom, the revelation of seeing things as they are.’ ‘Things? To which things are you referring, old man?’ ‘Why, that everything of true value is, in fact, free.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Malazan Book of the Fallen, 2000s
The speaker critiques personal cynicism that harms others, contrasting it with a broader, existential cynicism about humanity’s denial of its own doom, suggesting that awareness may lead to wisdom and recognition that true value is free.
In simple terms: Criticizes self‑serving cynicism; warns of humanity’s denial of extinction; true value is free.
Key Takeaway
Recognize personal bias; confront collective denial; seek genuine wisdom.
Themes
cynicism
existentialism
ethics
human nature
Mood
reflective
serious
hopeful
Type
philosophical
critical
When to use this quote
- political discourse
- environmental activism
- personal reflection
- philosophical debate
Key Concepts
moral responsibility
awareness
wisdom
Questions to Reflect On
- How does personal cynicism affect your view of others?
- What steps can we take to break collective denial?
A Different Perspective
Blindness to reality can paralyze action and foster despair.
![“In 1914... [German] history, poetry, dream and the individual moment were all combined in one exhilarating sensation...The nation was a creation of one's imagination, a poetic truth, an ethical, not a social, construct... blind obedience was the true value... the stronger a person is... the more…” quote by The Rites of Spring Modris Eksteins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9a2/the-rites-of-spring-modris-eks_blind-obedience_in-1914-german-history-poetry-dream-and_16799.jpg)
