Avarice Quote by H. L. Mencken
“Consider... the university professor. What is his function? Simply to pass on to fresh generations of numskulls a body of so-called knowledge that is fragmentary, unimportant, and, in large part, untrue. His whole professional activity is circumscribed by the prejudices, vanities and avarices of his university trustees, i.e., a committee of soap-boilers, nail manufacturers, bank-directors and politicians. The moment he offends these vermin he is undone. He cannot so much as think aloud without running a risk of having them fan his pantaloons.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The American Language, 1919
He argues that professors merely transmit fragmented, often false knowledge, constrained by institutional self‑interest and fear of authority.
In simple terms: Professors spread shaky knowledge under pressure.
Key Takeaway
Question authority, seek truth.
Themes
education
power
truth
institutionalism
Mood
cynical
critical
Type
satirical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- academic research
- policy critique
- public discourse
- student activism
Key Concepts
epistemology
critical theory
corruption
Questions to Reflect On
- What would a truly free university look like?
- How can scholars balance truth‑seeking with institutional pressures?
A Different Perspective
The claim dismisses genuine scholarly contributions and reforms.
![“By profession a biologist, [Thomas Henry Huxley] covered in fact the whole field of the exact sciences, and then bulged through its four fences. Absolutely nothing was uninteresting to him. His curiosity ranged from music to theology and from philosophy to history. He didn't simply know something…” quote by H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f46/h-l-mencken-245_absolutely-nothing_by-profession-a-biologist-thomas-henry-h_5368.jpg)
