Remember, beneath every cynic there lies a romantic, and probably an injured one.
A lot of people have asked me whether I am a cynic or take a cynical view of politics and are often surprised when I say that I consider myself an optimist, but an optimist dressed in the robes of a realist.
An idealist believes the short run doesn't count. A cynic believes the long run doesn't matter. A realist believes that what is done or left undone in the short run determines the long run.
Why should we strive, with cynic frown, to knock their fairy castles down?
It takes a clever man to turn cynic and a wise man to be clever enough not to.