Henry Louis Mencken quotes

“Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence.”

— Henry Louis Mencken

“For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong.”

— Henry Louis Mencken

“The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.”

— Henry Louis Mencken

“It is even harder for the average ape to believe that he has descended from man.”

— Henry Louis Mencken

“Love is like war: easy to begin but very hard to stop.”

— Henry Louis Mencken

“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.”

— Henry Louis 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.”

— Henry Louis Mencken

“Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.”

— Henry Louis Mencken

“The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out... without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable.”

— Henry Louis Mencken

“I believe that it is better to tell the truth than a lie. I believe it is better to be free than to be a slave. And I believe it is better to know than to be ignorant.”

— Henry Louis Mencken

“Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.”

— Henry Louis Mencken

“Bachelors know more about women than married men; if they didn't they'd be married too.”

— Henry Louis Mencken

“No matter how happily a woman may be married, it always pleases her to discover that there is a nice man who wishes that she were not.”

— Henry Louis Mencken

“We must respect the other fellow's religion, but only in the sense and to the extent that we respect his theory that his wife is beautiful and his children smart.”

— Henry Louis Mencken

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

— Henry Louis Mencken

“Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public.”

— Henry Louis 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.”

— Henry Louis Mencken

“Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.”

— Henry Louis Mencken

“Every election is a sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods.”

— Henry Louis Mencken

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

— Henry Louis Mencken

“Marriage is a wonderful institution, but who would want to live in an institution?”

— Henry Louis Mencken

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

— Henry Louis Mencken

“A man may be a fool and not know it, but not if he is married.”

— Henry Louis Mencken

“If, after I depart this vale, you ever remember me and have thought to please my ghost, forgive some sinner and wink your eye at some homely girl. H. L. Mencken Girl, Remember, Forgive Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage.”

— Henry Louis Mencken

“On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”

— Henry Louis Mencken

“A newspaper is a device for making the ignorant more ignorant and the crazy crazier.”

— Henry Louis 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.”

— Henry Louis Mencken

“The only really happy folk are married women and single men.”

— Henry Louis Mencken

“A good politician is quite as unthinkable as an honest burglar.”

— Henry Louis Mencken

“We must be willing to pay a price for freedom.”

— Henry Louis Mencken