--- title: "1 Man Pays Quotes By H.L. Mencken" description: "1 Man Pays quotes by H.L. Mencken. Plus more from H.L. Mencken and more Man Pays sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfe/h-l-mencken-2-5374_government-waste_the-intelligent-man-when-he-pays-taxes-c_2966291.jpg" --- > [“The intelligent man, when he pays taxes, certainly does not believe that he is making a prudent and productive investment of his money; on the contrary, he feels that he is being mulcted in an excessive amount for services that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken-2/the-intelligent-man-when-he-pays-taxes-certainly-does-not-believe/) [H.L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken-2/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfe/h-l-mencken-2-5374_government-waste_the-intelligent-man-when-he-pays-taxes-c_2966291.jpg) ## More by H.L. Mencken > [“Suffice it to say that the vile arts of the hussy prevailed over that noble and upright man—that she enticed him, by adroit appeals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken-2/suffice-it-to-say-that-the-vile-arts-of-the-hussy-prevailed-over-that/) [H.L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken-2/) > [“I can't recall a single masculine figure created by a woman who is not, at bottom, a booby.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken-2/i-can-t-recall-a-single-masculine-figure-created-by-a-woman-who-is/) [H.L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken-2/) > [“As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken-2/as-democracy-is-perfected-the-office-of-president-represents-more-and/) [H.L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken-2/) > [ “If there had been any formidable body of cannibals in the country he \[Harry Truman\] would have promised to provide them with free missionaries,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken-2/if-there-had-been-any-formidable-body-of-cannibals-in-the-country-he/) [H.L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken-2/) > [“I have seen something of the horrors of war, and much too much of the worse horrors of peace.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken-2/i-have-seen-something-of-the-horrors-of-war-and-much-too-much-of-the/) [H.L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken-2/) > [“Don’t tell me. I have been there. No longer ago than last Tuesday—or was it last Monday?—I went into one of those big restaurants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken-2/don-t-tell-me-i-have-been-there-no-longer-ago-than-last-tuesday-or/) [H.L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken-2/) > [“ONE OF the most irrational of all the conventions of modern society is the one to the effect that religious opinions should be respected.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken-2/one-of-the-most-irrational-of-all-the-conventions-of-modern-society/) [H.L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken-2/) > [“But though every normal man thus cherishes the soothing unction that he is the intellectual superior of all women, and particularly of his wife,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken-2/but-though-every-normal-man-thus-cherishes-the-soothing-unction-that/) [H.L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken-2/) > [“If the average man is made in God's image, then a man such as Beethoven or Aristotle is plainly superior to God, and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken-2/if-the-average-man-is-made-in-god-s-image-then-a-man-such-as/) [H.L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken-2/) > [“The American moron’s mind simply does not run in that direction; he wants to keep his Ford, even at the cost of losing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken-2/the-american-moron-s-mind-simply-does-not-run-in-that-direction-he/) [H.L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken-2/) > [“Once I ventured the guess that men worked in response to a vague inner urge for self-expression. But that was probably a shaky theory,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken-2/once-i-ventured-the-guess-that-men-worked-in-response-to-a-vague/) [H.L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken-2/) > [“He writes the worst English that I have ever encountered. It reminds me of a string of wet sponges; it reminds me of tattered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken-2/he-writes-the-worst-english-that-i-have-ever-encountered-it-reminds/) [H.L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken-2/) > [“For men become civilized, not in proportion to their willingness to believe, but in proportion to their readiness to doubt. The more stupid the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken-2/for-men-become-civilized-not-in-proportion-to-their-willingness-to/) [H.L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken-2/) > [“Where is the graveyard of dead gods? What lingering mourner waters their mounds? There was a time when Jupiter was the king of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken-2/where-is-the-graveyard-of-dead-gods-what-lingering-mourner-waters/) [H.L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken-2/) > [“If I had my way no man guilty of golf would be eligible to any office of trust or profit under the United States,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken-2/if-i-had-my-way-no-man-guilty-of-golf-would-be-eligible-to-any-office/) [H.L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken-2/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-pays/h-l-mencken-2/#itemlist", "name": "1 Man Pays Quotes By H.L. Mencken", "numberOfItems": 1, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The intelligent man, when he pays taxes, certainly does not believe that he is making a prudent and productive investment of his money; on the contrary, he feels that he is being mulcted in an excessive amount for services that, in the main, are useless to him, and that, in substantial part, are downright inimical to him.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "H.L. 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