An idealist is one who, on noticing that roses smell better than a cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup.
H. L. MENCKENThe kind of man who demands that government enforce his ideas is always the kind whose ideas are idiotic.
More H. L. Mencken Quotes
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Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.
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Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.
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What men value in this world is not rights but privileges.
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No professional politician is ever actually in favor of public economy. It is his implacable enemy, and he knows it. All professional politicians are dedicated wholeheartedly to waste and corruption. They are the enemies of every decent man.
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A sense of humor always withers in the presence of the messianic delusion, like justice and the truth in front of patriotic passion.
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A cynic is a man who, when he smells flowers, looks around for a coffin.
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Imagine the Creator as a low comedian, and at once the world becomes explicable.
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It doesn’t take a majority to make a rebellion; it takes only a few determined leaders and a sound cause.
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The only good bureaucrat is one with a pistol at his head. Put it in his hand and it’s good-bye to the Bill of Rights.
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Freedom of press is limited to those who own one.
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Free speech is too dangerous to a democracy to be permitted.
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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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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 urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.
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There are two impossibilities in life: “just one drink” and “an honest politician.”
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