H. L. Mencken Quotes

American - Writer September 12, 1880 - January 29, 1956

The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.

Humanity Always False Rule Save

Bachelors know more about women than married men; if they didn't they'd be married too.

Women Marriage Men Know

On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.

Heart Day Great White

The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.

Politics Safety Aim Practical

Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage.

Science Art Democracy Government

The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out... without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable.

Man Think Government Dangerous

For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong.

Simple Problem Wrong Answer

Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.

Wisdom Ignorance Democracy Belief

Legend: A lie that has attained the dignity of age.

History Age Lie Legend

Each party steals so many articles of faith from the other, and the candidates spend so much time making each other's speeches, that by the time election day is past there is nothing much to do save turn the sitting rascals out and let a new gang in.

Day Faith Time Election

Top 10
H. L. Mencken
Quotes

Every election is a sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods.

Election Stolen Every Auction Sort

It is inaccurate to say that I hate everything. I am strongly in favor of common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever ineligible for public office.

I Am Hate Me Honesty

A judge is a law student who marks his own examination papers.

Judge Law Student Own

In war the heroes always outnumber the soldiers ten to one.

War Soldiers Always Veterans Day Ten

An idealist is one who, on noticing that roses smell better than a cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup.

Better Roses Will Smell

A good politician is quite as unthinkable as an honest burglar.

Good Politician Honest Quite

A cynic is a man who, when he smells flowers, looks around for a coffin.

Man Flowers Looks He

Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence.

Love Love Is Intelligence Imagination

The common argument that crime is caused by poverty is a kind of slander on the poor.

Poverty Poor Argument Crime

The older I grow the more I distrust the familiar doctrine that age brings wisdom.

Wisdom Age Grow More

A newspaper is a device for making the ignorant more ignorant and the crazy crazier.

Crazy Newspaper More Ignorant

Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public.

Funny Nobody American Taste Broke

A national political campaign is better than the best circus ever heard of, with a mass baptism and a couple of hangings thrown in.

Best Political Better Circus

Immorality: the morality of those who are having a better time.

Time Better Morality Who

When a new source of taxation is found it never means, in practice, that the old source is abandoned. It merely means that the politicians have two ways of milking the taxpayer where they had one before.

Practice Never New Politicians

Adultery is the application of democracy to love.

Love Democracy To Love Adultery

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Related Authors

William Arthur Ward

Robert A. Heinlein

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