H. L. Mencken ( 10 of 103 )
Democracy is the art of running the circus from the monkey cage.
Democracy is the art of running the circus from the monkey cage.
It is hard to tell if a man is telling the truth when you know you would lie if you read more
It is hard to tell if a man is telling the truth when you know you would lie if you were in his place.
It is common to assume that human progress affects everyone- that even the dullest man, in these bright days, knows read more
It is common to assume that human progress affects everyone- that even the dullest man, in these bright days, knows more than any man of, say, the Eighteenth Century, and is far more civilized. This assumption is quite erroneous...The great masses of men, even in this inspired republic, are precisely where the mob was at the dawn of history. They are ignorant, they are dishonest, they are cowardly, they are ignoble. They know little if anything that is worth knowing, and there is not the slightest sign of a natural desire among them to increase their knowledge.
The idea that the sole aim of punishment is to prevent crime is obviously grounded upon the theory that crime read more
The idea that the sole aim of punishment is to prevent crime is obviously grounded upon the theory that crime can be prevented, which is almost as dubious as the notion that poverty can be prevented.
To wage a war for a purely moral reason is as absurd as to ravish a woman for a purely read more
To wage a war for a purely moral reason is as absurd as to ravish a woman for a purely moral reason.
Temptation is a woman's weapon and man's excuse.
Temptation is a woman's weapon and man's excuse.
Temptation is an irresistible force at work on a moveable body.
Temptation is an irresistible force at work on a moveable body.
God is the immemorial refuge of the incompetent, the helpless, the miserable. They find not only sanctuary in His arms, read more
God is the immemorial refuge of the incompetent, the helpless, the miserable. They find not only sanctuary in His arms, but also a kind of superiority, soothing to their macerated egos; He will set the above their betters.
It is only doubt that creates. It is only the minority that counts.
It is only doubt that creates. It is only the minority that counts.
The penalty for laughing in a courtroom is six months in jail; if it were not for this penalty, the read more
The penalty for laughing in a courtroom is six months in jail; if it were not for this penalty, the jury would never hear the evidence.
