“A cynic is a frustrated idealist.”

“Scratch the surface of most cynics and you find a frustrated idealist — someone who made the mistake of converting his ideals into expectations.”

“She had lost her compassion for people and a thick crust of indifference had formed around her feelings - that disgust that afflicts the exhausted, the frustrated, and the perverted and prevents them from sympathizing with others.”

“I'm a cynical idealist.”

“Oh Sohn Adams, du bist nichts weiter als eine Anzahl von Tagen. Wenn einer deiner Lebenstage verstreicht, so ist mit ihm auch ein Teil von dir gegangen.”

“Inside every cynical person, there is a disappointed idealist.”

“Scratch a cynic and you'll find a disappointed idealist.”