Puritanism. The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.
H. L. MENCKENThe 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.
More H. L. Mencken Quotes
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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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What men value in this world is not rights but privileges.
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There are two kinds of Europeans: The smart ones, and those who stayed behind.
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When somebody says it’s not about the money, it’s about the money.
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Every election is a sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods.
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People do not expect to find chastity in a whorehouse. Why, then, do they expect to find honesty and humanity in government, a congeries of institutions whose modus operandi consists of lying, cheating, stealing, and if need be, murdering those who resist?
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There are two impossibilities in life: “just one drink” and “an honest politician.”
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Always remember this: If you don’t attend the funerals of your friends, they will certainly not attend yours.
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Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage.
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Free speech is too dangerous to a democracy to be permitted.
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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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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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It is even harder for the average ape to believe that he has descended from man.
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Most people want security in this world, not liberty.
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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.
H. L. MENCKEN