What is the difference between a cynic and an idealist?

A cynic is someone who fails to thrive, who picks apart good ideas and has a tendency to make life boring and miserable for himself and others. They do not see the purpose of success. They do not get excited. They do not understand where the passion of others comes from. Idealists are dreamers of success and have a potential to succeed. They have grand dreams of things they are interested in and work hard to see them come to light. If they fail, they can quite easily become cynics themselves. Many might argue that a cynic is simply an idealist who has experienced failure. In other Words, you must first be an idealist before you have the capacity to be cynical.