An idealist is a man who looks at a rose, and thinks, because it smells sweet, it will make better soup than cabbage.
Source: In Webster's Electronic Quotebase, ed. Keith Mohler, 1994.
-- H L Mencken, (Sep 12 1880-1956), US editor, satirist; He is known for his biting satire, insults, and debunking in The American Mercury, 1924-33.