“Optimism is the parent of despair, while pessimism allows the mind to accustom itself to the inevitable disappointments of human existence by degrees, just as some drugs induce a state of tolerance. Pessimists, moreover, have the better sense of humour, for they have a livelier apprehension of pretension and absurdity. In a meritocracy, furthermore, those who fail must either indulge in elaborate mental contortions to disguise reality from themselves or sink into a deep melancholy.”

— Theodore Dalrymple

British Medical Journal Views and Reviews: Desperate house calls (BMJ 2009;338:b212).

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Theodore Dalrymple 96

English doctor and writer 1949

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As quoted in "An analysis of the problems presented in the use of LSD" (1967) UNODC http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/bulletin/bulletin_1967-01-01_1_page003.html
General sources
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The Marx-Engels Reader
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Theodore Dalrymple 96

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