Laws are no longer made by a rational process of public discussion; they are made by a process of blackmail and intimidation, and they are executed in the same manner
H. L. MENCKENThe trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one’s time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all.
More H. L. Mencken Quotes
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A church is a place in which gentlemen who have never been to Heaven brag about it to persons who will never get there.
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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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An idealist is one who, on noticing that roses smell better than a cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup.
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Journalism is to politician as dog is to lamp-post.
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The men the American people admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest most violently are those who try to tell them the truth.
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The ideal way to get rid of any infectious disease would be to shoot instantly every person who comes down with it.
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There are two kinds of Europeans: The smart ones, and those who stayed behind.
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The kind of man who demands that government enforce his ideas is always the kind whose ideas are idiotic.
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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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When fanatics are on top there is no limit to oppression.
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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’s really no point to voting. If it made any difference, it would probably be illegal.
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Once a woman passes a certain point in intelligence she finds it almost impossible to get a husband: she simply cannot go on listening without snickering.
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For every problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong.
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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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On one issue, at least, men and women agree. They both distrust women.
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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.
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Don’t overestimate the decency of the human race.
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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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Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage.
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A cynic is a man who, when he smells flowers, looks around for a coffin.
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The demagogue is one who preaches doctrines he knows to be untrue to men he knows to be idiots.
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A man may be a fool and not know it, but not if he is married.
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Misogynist: A man who hates women as much as women hate one another.
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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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Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.
H. L. MENCKEN