All time Quote by H. L. Mencken
![“[Thomas Henry] Huxley, I believe, was the greatest Englishman of the Nineteenth Century—perhaps the greatest Englishman of all time. When one thinks of him, one thinks inevitably of such men as Goethe and Aristotle. For in him there was that rich, incomparable blend of intelligence and character…” quote by H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/371/h-l-mencken-245_all-time_thomas-henry-huxley-i-believe-was-the-gr_3218889.jpg)
“[Thomas Henry] Huxley, I believe, was the greatest Englishman of the Nineteenth Century—perhaps the greatest Englishman of all time. When one thinks of him, one thinks inevitably of such men as Goethe and Aristotle. For in him there was that rich, incomparable blend of intelligence and character, of colossal knowledge and high adventurousness, of instinctive honesty and indomitable courage which appears in mankind only once in a blue moon. There have been far greater scientists, even in England, but there has never been a scientist who was a greater man.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The American Scholar, 1925
Mencken praises Huxley as a rare blend of intellect, character, and courage, surpassing even the greatest scientists.
In simple terms: Huxley combined knowledge, honesty, and bravery uniquely.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and value holistic greatness.
Themes
excellence
character
intellect
Mood
admiring
analytical
Type
historical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- academic lectures
- leadership training
- personal development
- historical analysis
Key Concepts
humanism
philosophy
science
Questions to Reflect On
- What qualities do you admire most in historical figures?
- Can greatness be measured beyond achievements?
A Different Perspective
Such idealized portraits can overlook flaws.
![“[Thomas Henry] Huxley is a very genial, comfortable being-yet with none of the noisy and windy geniality of some folks here, whom you find with their backs turned when you are responding to the remarks that they have made you.” quote by Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/dc5/henry-james-417_biographies_thomas-henry-huxley-is-a-very-genial-com_405431.jpg)
![“Alice Stewart [is] a much underestimated scientist who has been an indomitable challenger of the establishment and a thorn in the flesh of the nuclear industry.” quote by Joseph Rotblat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/79f/joseph-rotblat-16206_establishment_alice-stewart-is-a-much-underestimated-s_294608.jpg)
![“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)
![“I don't know whether we think in moving images or whether we think in still images. I have a suspicion that on our hard drive, our series within our brains, [exist] still photographs of very important moments in our lives. ... That we think in terms of still images and that what the photography is…” quote by Jon Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/598/jon-snow-40883_all-time_i-don-t-know-whether-we-think-in-moving_15093.jpg)
