Henry Louis Mencken

Ranking: 38th
Biography of Henry Louis Mencken
Search Henry Louis Mencken's quotes

1 2 3 Next >>
Quote	Categories	Rating	Rate
"...the basic delusion that men may be governed and yet be free."	Freedom, Government, Liberty
"A man always blames the woman who fooled him. In the same way he blames the door he walks into in the dark."	Darkness, Light, Men
"A man's women folk, whatever their outward show of respect for his merit and authority, always regard him secretly as an ass, and with something akin to pity. His most gaudy sayings and doings seldom deceive them; they see the actual man within, and know him for a shallow and pathetic fellow. In this fact, perhaps, lies one of the best proofs of feminine intelligence, or, as the common phrase makes it, feminine intuition."	Intelligence, Knowledge, Lies
"A politician is an animal which can sit on a fence and yet keep both ears to the ground."	Politics
"A sound American is simply one who has put out of his mind all doubts and questionings, and who accepts instantly, and as incontrovertible gospel, the whole body of official doctrine of his day, whatever it may be and no matter how often it may change. The instant he challenges it, no matter how timorously and academically, he ceases by that much to be a loyal and creditable citizen of the republic."	Ability, Acceptance, America
"Bachelors know more about women than married men; if they didn't they'd be married too."	Knowledge, Men, Wisdom
"But any man who afflicts the human race with ideas must be prepared to see them misunderstood, and that is what happened to Jesus."	Men
"Conscience is the inner voice that warns us that someone might be looking."	Military, Monarchy, War
"Criticism is prejudice made plausible."	Criticism
"Every man is his own hell."	Men
"Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats."	Change, Men, Time
"For every problem, there is one solution which is simple, neat and wrong."	Miscellaneous
"For men become civilized, not in proportion to their willingness to believe, but in their readiness to doubt."	Doubt, Lies, Men
"Giving every man a vote has no more made men wise and free than Christianity has made them good."	Evil, Freedom, Generosity
"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."	Honesty, Knowledge, Lies
"It is inaccurate to say I hate everything. I am strongly in favor of common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever ineligible for any public office."	Honesty, Strength, Truth
"Legend: a lie that has attained the dignity of age."	Age, Lies
"Life is a dead-end street."	Death, Life
"Life without sex might be safer but it would be unbearably dull. It is the sex instinct which makes women seem beautiful, which they are once in a blue moon, and men seem wise and brave, which they never are at all. Throttle it, denaturalize it, take it away, and human existence would be reduced to the prosiac, laborious, boresome, imbecile level of life in an anthill."	Beauty, Courage, Knowledge
"Love is like war; easy to begin but very hard to stop."	Love, Military, War
1 2 3 Next >>

Browse Henry Louis Mencken quotes by category:

Ability	Acceptance	Age
America	Anger	Beauty
Change	Courage	Creativity
Criticism	Darkness	Death
Doubt	Education	Evil
Excellence	Faith	Freedom
Generosity	Government	Happiness
Honesty	Humor	Imagination
Intelligence	Joy	Knowledge
Laughter	Law	Leadership
Liberty	Lies	Life
Light	Love	Loyalty
Men	Military	Miscellaneous
Mistakes	Monarchy	Politics
Pride	Quitting	Reading
Religion	Sanity	School
Sorrow	Strength	Taxes
Teaching	Time	Truth
War	Wisdom	Women