Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule—and both commonly succeed, and are right.
H. L. MENCKENA judge is a law student who marks his own examination papers.
More H. L. Mencken Quotes
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The aim of public education is not to spread enlightenment at all; it is simply to reduce as many individuals as possible to the same safe level, to breed a standard citizenry, to put down dissent and originality.
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Government’s great contribution to human wisdom is the discovery that the taxpayer has more than one pocket.
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You can’t do anything about the length of your life, but you can do something about its width and depth.
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Every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under.
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Journalism is to politician as dog is to lamp-post.
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Socialist: A man suffering from an overwhelming conviction to believe what is not true.
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The average man does not get pleasure out of an idea because he thinks it is true; he thinks it is true because he gets pleasure out of it.
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The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out for himself.
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Love is like war: easy to begin but very hard to stop.
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A cynic is a man who, when he smells flowers, looks around for a coffin.
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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.
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If a politician found he had cannibals among his constituents, he would promise them missionaries for dinner.
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There are two kinds of Europeans: The smart ones, and those who stayed behind.
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There’s really no point to voting. If it made any difference, it would probably be illegal.
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A man may be a fool and not know it, but not if he is married.
H. L. MENCKEN