Perhaps the most relevant of Mencken's aphorisms

'An idealist is one who, upon noting that a rose smells sweeter than an onion, concludes that it will also make better soup.'

or, paraphrasing; The cynic is perennially in the position of a guest at a wedding, who has known the bride and has had her confidence. Presumably the groom, beautifully barbered and arrayed, about to embark upon the honeymoon, is the one to be envied. The cynic looks forward two weeks...two months...two years....Such are the enduring satisfactions in life.