H. L. Mencken Quotes

Author Image

H. L. Mencken

Profession : Writer

Birth : September 12, 1880

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

God is a comedian, playing to an audience too afraid to laugh.

H. L. Mencken

Injustice is relatively easy to bear; what stings is justice.

H. L. Mencken

Love is the delusion that one woman differs from another.

H. L. Mencken

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.

H. L. Mencken

If a politician found he had cannibals among his constituents, he would promise them missionaries for dinner.

H. L. Mencken

An idealist is one who, on noticing that roses smell better than a cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup.

H. L. Mencken

All men are frauds. The only difference between them is that some admit it. I myself deny it.

H. L. Mencken

Every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under.

H. L. Mencken

Life is a constant oscillation between the sharp horns of dilemmas.

H. L. Mencken

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

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

H. L. Mencken

A judge is a law student who marks his own examination papers.

H. L. Mencken

Temptation is a woman's weapon and man's excuse.

H. L. Mencken

A cynic is a man who, when he smells flowers, looks around for a coffin.

H. L. Mencken

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

Have you ever watched a crab on the shore crawling backward in search of the Atlantic Ocean, and missing? That's the way the mind of man operates.

H. L. Mencken

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

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

The cynics are right nine times out of ten.

H. L. Mencken