H. L. Mencken Quotes

No one in this world has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby.
H. L. Mencken

Money, Great, Lost

Every election is a sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods.
H. L. Mencken

Election, Advance, Goods

Love is the delusion that one woman differs from another.
H. L. Mencken

Love, Woman, Another

The difference between a moral man and a man of honor is that the latter regrets a discreditable act, even when it has worked and he has not been caught.
H. L. Mencken

Between, Honor, Moral

When a new source of taxation is found it never means, in practice, that the old source is abandoned. It merely means that the politicians have two ways of milking the taxpayer where they had one before.
H. L. Mencken

Two, Before, Old

A good politician is quite as unthinkable as an honest burglar.
H. L. Mencken

Good, Honest, Quite

A newspaper is a device for making the ignorant more ignorant and the crazy crazier.
H. L. Mencken

Crazy, Making, Ignorant

Immorality: the morality of those who are having a better time.
H. L. Mencken

Time, Morality, Immorality

Strike an average between what a woman thinks of her husband a month before she marries him and what she thinks of him a year afterward, and you will have the truth about him.
H. L. Mencken

Anniversary, Truth, Husband

Man is a beautiful machine that works very badly.
H. L. Mencken

Beautiful, Works, Machine

The older I grow the more I distrust the familiar doctrine that age brings wisdom.
H. L. Mencken

Wisdom, Age, Older

The one permanent emotion of the inferior man is fear - fear of the unknown, the complex, the inexplicable. What he wants above everything else is safety.
H. L. Mencken

Fear, Everything, Else

It doesn't take a majority to make a rebellion; it takes only a few determined leaders and a sound cause.
H. L. Mencken

Few, Leaders, Takes

It is hard to believe that a man is telling the truth when you know that you would lie if you were in his place.
H. L. Mencken

Truth, Lie, Hard

Women have simple tastes. They get pleasure out of the conversation of children in arms and men in love.
H. L. Mencken

Women, Love, Men

Each party steals so many articles of faith from the other, and the candidates spend so much time making each other's speeches, that by the time election day is past there is nothing much to do save turn the sitting rascals out and let a new gang in.
H. L. Mencken

Faith, Time, Past

Democracy is also a form of worship. It is the worship of Jackals by Jackasses.
H. L. Mencken

Democracy, Worship

The basic fact about human existence is not that it is a tragedy, but that it is a bore. It is not so much a war as an endless standing in line.
H. L. Mencken

Life, War, Human

No married man is genuinely happy if he has to drink worse whisky than he used to drink when he was single.
H. L. Mencken

Happy, Single, Used

Every man sees in his relatives, and especially in his cousins, a series of grotesque caricatures of himself.
H. L. Mencken

Relationship, Himself, Relatives

The worst government is often the most moral. One composed of cynics is often very tolerant and humane. But when fanatics are on top there is no limit to oppression.
H. L. Mencken

Government, Moral, Often

Criticism is prejudice made plausible.
H. L. Mencken

Made, Criticism, Prejudice

Honor is simply the morality of superior men.
H. L. Mencken

Men, Honor, Simply

A church is a place in which gentlemen who have never been to heaven brag about it to persons who will never get there.
H. L. Mencken

Place, Heaven, Church

I believe that all government is evil, and that trying to improve it is largely a waste of time.
H. L. Mencken

Time, Government, Evil

Share with your Friends

Everyone likes a good quote - don't forget to share.

Biography

Nationality: American

Type: Writer

Born: September 12, 1880

Died: January 29, 1956

Links

Find on Amazon: H. L. Mencken

Cite this Page: Citation

Popular Topics

Friendship Quotes

Motivational Quotes

Inspirational Quotes

Related Authors

Elbert Hubbard
Dr. Seuss
Napoleon Hill
Robert A. Heinlein
Dale Carnegie
Ray Bradbury
Orison Swett Marden
More

Get Social with BrainyQuote

BrainyQuote Desktop

BrainyQuote Mobile

Site

Quote of the Day

Social

BQ on Pinterest

Syndication

Funny Quote Feed

Love Quote Feed

Nature Quote Feed

About Us