There are two kinds of Europeans: The smart ones, and those who stayed behind.
H. L. MENCKENThe chief difference between free capitalism and State socialism seems to be this: that under the former a man pursues his own advantage openly, frankly and honestly, whereas under the latter he does so hypocritically and under false pretenses.
More H. L. Mencken Quotes
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The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.
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Most people want security in this world, not liberty.
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The American people, North and South, went into the [Civil] war as citizens of their respective states, they came out as subjects … what they thus lost they have never got back.
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It is the classic fallacy of our time that a moron run through a university and decorated with a Ph.D. will thereby cease to be a moron.
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In this world of sin and sorrow there is always something to be thankful for; as for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican.
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The theory seems to be that as long as a man is a failure he is one of God’s children, but that as soon as he succeeds he is taken over by the Devil.
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Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.
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Misogynist: A man who hates women as much as women hate one another.
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A cynic is a man who, when he smells flowers, looks around for a coffin.
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Equality before the law is probably forever unattainable. It is a noble ideal, but it can never be realized, for what men value in this world is not rights but privileges.
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All government, in its essence, is a conspiracy against the superior man: its one permanent object is to oppress him and cripple him.
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The central belief of every moron is that he is the victim of a mysterious conspiracy against his common rights and true deserts.
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Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage.
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When somebody says it’s not about the money, it’s about the money.
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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.
H. L. MENCKEN