---
title: "1 Life Basically Quotes By Henry Louis Mencken"
description: "1 Life Basically quotes by Henry Louis Mencken. Plus more from Henry Louis Mencken and more Life Basically sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/595/henry-louis-mencken-15675_comedy_human-life-is-basically-a-comedy-even-it_472845.jpg"
---

> [Human life is basically a comedy. Even its tragedies often seem comic to the spectator, and not infrequently they actually seem to have comic touches to the victim. Happiness probably consists largely in the capacity to detect and relish them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-mencken/human-life-is-basically-a-comedy-even-its-tragedies-often-seem-comic/)

[Henry Louis Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-mencken/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/595/henry-louis-mencken-15675_comedy_human-life-is-basically-a-comedy-even-it_472845.jpg)

## More by Henry Louis Mencken

> [Good government is that which delivers the citizen from the risk of being done out of his life and property too arbitrarily and violently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-mencken/good-government-is-that-which-delivers-the-citizen-from-the-risk-of/)

[Henry Louis Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-mencken/)

> [The practical politician, as every connoisseur of ochlocracy knows, is not a man who seeks to inoculate the innumerable caravan of voters with new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-mencken/the-practical-politician-as-every-connoisseur-of-ochlocracy-knows-is/)

[Henry Louis Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-mencken/)

> [To be in love is merely to be in a perpetual state of anesthesia - to mistake an ordinary young man for a Greek…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-mencken/to-be-in-love-is-merely-to-be-in-a-perpetual-state-of-anesthesia-to/)

[Henry Louis Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-mencken/)

> [“An enchanted life has many moments when the heart is overwhelmed with beauty and the imagination is electrified by some haunting quality in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-mencken/an-enchanted-life-has-many-moments-when-the-heart-is-overwhelmed-with/)

[Henry Louis Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-mencken/)

> [Morality: The theory that every human act must either be right or wrong, and that 99% of them are wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-mencken/morality-the-theory-that-every-human-act-must-either-be-right-or/)

[Henry Louis Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-mencken/)

> [The Liberals have many tails, and chase them all](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-mencken/the-liberals-have-many-tails-and-chase-them-all/)

[Henry Louis Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-mencken/)

> [Intelligence has been commoner among American Presidents than high character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-mencken/intelligence-has-been-commoner-among-american-presidents-than-high/)

[Henry Louis Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-mencken/)

> [The surest way to get on in politics in America is to play the leading part in a prosecution which attracts public notice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-mencken/the-surest-way-to-get-on-in-politics-in-america-is-to-play-the/)

[Henry Louis Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-mencken/)

> [Living with a dog is messy - like living with an idealist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-mencken/living-with-a-dog-is-messy-like-living-with-an-idealist/)

[Henry Louis Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-mencken/)

> [Democratic man, as I have remarked, is quite unable to think of himself as a free individual; he must belong to a group, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-mencken/democratic-man-as-i-have-remarked-is-quite-unable-to-think-of-himself/)

[Henry Louis Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-mencken/)

> [He (the businessman) is the only man who is forever apologizing for his occupation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-mencken/he-the-businessman-is-the-only-man-who-is-forever-apologizing-for-his/)

[Henry Louis Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-mencken/)

> [Human life is basically a comedy. Even its tragedies often seem comic to the spectator, and not infrequently they actually seem to have comic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-mencken/human-life-is-basically-a-comedy-even-its-tragedies-often-seem-comic/)

[Henry Louis Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-mencken/)

> [Perhaps the most revolting character that the United States ever produced was the Christian business man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-mencken/perhaps-the-most-revolting-character-that-the-united-states-ever/)

[Henry Louis Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-mencken/)

> [Government is a broker in pillage, and every election is sort of an advance auction sale of stolen goods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-mencken/government-is-a-broker-in-pillage-and-every-election-is-sort-of-an/)

[Henry Louis Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-mencken/)

> [Democracy is based upon so childish a complex of fallacies that they must be protected by a rigid system of taboos, else even half-wits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-mencken/democracy-is-based-upon-so-childish-a-complex-of-fallacies-that-they/)

[Henry Louis Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-mencken/)

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