--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The average man never really thinks from…" description: "\"The average man never really thinks from end to end of his life. The mental activity of such people is only a mouthing of cliches. What they mistake fo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85c/h-l-mencken-245_activity_the-average-man-never-really-thinks-from_2629720.png" --- # The average man never really thinks from end to end of his… ![“The average man never really thinks from end to end of his life. The mental activity of such people is only a mouthing of cliches. What they mistake for thought is simply a repetition of what they have heard. My guess is that well over 80 percent of the human race goes through life without having…” quote by H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85c/h-l-mencken-245_activity_the-average-man-never-really-thinks-from_2629720.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85c/h-l-mencken-245_activity_the-average-man-never-really-thinks-from_2629720.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85c/h-l-mencken-245_activity_the-average-man-never-really-thinks-from_2629720.png) > “The average man never really thinks from end to end of his life. The mental activity of such people is only a mouthing of cliches. What they mistake for thought is simply a repetition of what they have heard. My guess is that well over 80 percent of the human race goes through life without having a single original thought.” [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Many people live without deep, original thinking, merely repeating clichés they have heard. **In simple terms:** People often repeat clichés instead of thinking deeply. Key Takeaway Seek genuine, original thought. Themes critical thinking originality intellectual honesty Mood reflective critical thoughtful Type philosophical observational commentary When to use this quote - education - creative work - personal reflection - public discourse Key Concepts cliché repetition original thought cognitive laziness Questions to Reflect On - Do you challenge the clichés you repeat? - How can you foster original thinking in daily life? A Different Perspective Original thought is rare and requires effort to cultivate. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Average man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/average-man/) [Cliche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cliche/) [Human race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-race/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Original thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/original-thought/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Positive atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive-atheism/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) ## Related quotes > [The average man never really thinks from end to end of his life. The mental activity of such people is only a mouthing of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/the-average-man-never-really-thinks-from-end-to-end-of-his-life-the/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [When we have the same thought again, the line of the original thought is deepened, causing what's called a memory trace. With each repetition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/when-we-have-the-same-thought-again-the-line-of-the-original-thought/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [My guess is that well over eighty per cent. of the human race goes through life without having a single original thought..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/my-guess-is-that-well-over-eighty-per-cent-of-the-human-race-goes/) [H. L. 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