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H. L. Mencken

26 quotesEssayist · Born Sep 12, 1880 · Died Jan 29, 1956 · United States Of America · Male

All Democracy (6)Government (3)Superstition (2)Love (2)Religion (2)War (2)Savior Complex (1)solution (1)Paranoia (1)Faith (1)Power (1)fiction (1)Black Flag (1)Hysterical (1)Inner Voice (1)

From “A Little Book In C Major”

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

Democracy

From “A Mencken Chrestomathy”

Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey-cage.

Democracy Inmates Running the Asylum

From “Minority Report”

Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule—and both commonly succeed, and are right.

Democracy Two-Party System

From “In Defense of Women”

Civilization, in fact, grows more maudlin and hysterical; especially under democracy it tends to degenerate into a mere combat of crazes; the whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by an endless series of hobgoblins, most of them…

civilization Maudlin Hysterical Democracy

From “On Politics”

As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. 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.

Democracy White House Moron

From “Notes on Democracy”

Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance. No one in this world, so far as I know—and I have researched the records for years, and employed agents to help me—has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has…

Democracy pathetic Belief Ignorance Collective Wisdom

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