Best H. L. Mencken Thoughts
- The government consists of a gang of men exactly like you and me. They have, taking one with another, no special talent for the business… Business
- People constantly speak of 'the government' doing this or that, as they might speak of God doing it. But the government is really nothing but… Any
- He who eats alone chokes alone. Alone
- This passion, so unordered and yet so potent, explains the capacity for teaching that one frequently observes in scientific men of high attainments in their… Alleged
- Economic independence is the foundation of the only sort of freedom worth a damn Damn
- Nothing can come out of an artist that is not in the man. Artist
- Whenever I write anything that sets up controversy its meaning is distorted almost instantly. Even the editorial writers of newspapers seem to be unable to… Almost Instantly
- The only way for a reporter to look at a politician is down. Down
- Good government is that which delivers the citizen from being done out of his life and property too arbitrarily and violently-one that relieves him sufficiently… Agreeable
- Law and its instrument, government, are necessary to the peace and safety of all of us, but all of us, unless we live the lives… All
- All government is, in its essence, organized exploitation, and in virtually all of its existing forms it is the implacable enemy of every industrious and… All
- The true bureaucrat is a man of really remarkable talents. He writes a kind of English that is unknown elsewhere in the world, and an… Almost Infinite
- The natural tendency of every government is to grow steadily worse-that is, to grow more satisfactory to those who constitute it and less satisfactory to… Constitute
- The great masses of men, though theoretically free, are seen to submit supinely to oppression and exploitation of a hundred abhorrent sorts. Have they no… Abhorrent
- There's really no point to voting. If it made any difference, it would probably be illegal. Any
- It is the invariable habit of bureaucracies, at all times and everywhere, to assume...that every citizen is a criminal. Their one apparent purpose, pursued with… All
- The mistake that is made always runs the other way. Because the plain people are able to speak and understand, and even, in many cases,… Able
- Whenever A annoys or injures B on the pretense of saving or improving X, A is a scoundrel. Annoying
- Women decide the larger questions of life correctly and quickly, not because they are lucky guessers, not because they are divinely inspired, not because they… Correctly
- The time must come inevitably when mankind shall surmount the imbecility of religion, as it has surmounted the imbecility of religion's ally, magic. It is… Adopting
- If x is the population of the United States and y is the degree of imbecility of the average American, then democracy is the theory… American
- It [the State] has taken on a vast mass of new duties and responsibilities; it has spread out its powers until they penetrate to every… Act
- The truth is that Christian theology, like every other theology, is not only opposed to the scientific spirit; it is also opposed to all other… All
- Deep within the heart of every evangelist lies the wreck of a car salesman. Car
- What is the function that a clergyman performs in the world? Answer: He gets his living by assuring idiots that he can save them from… Answer
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