“...all cynicism masks a failure to cope.”
“I was too green to know that all cynicism masks a failure to cope - an impotence, in short; and that to despise all effort is the greatest effort of all.”
“We can all pretend to be cynical and scheming, but when we’re faced with purity and innocence, the cynical mask drops off.”
“The only real failure is the failure to try, and the measure of success is how we cope with disappointment.”
“If this was cynical, then we must allow that all courtship is cynical.”
“I am a gluttonous, gorging failure. A waste. My body isn’t used to high-sugar carbs laced with witchcraft. It can barely cope with soup and crackers.”