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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 Mencken Chrestomathy”

All government, in its essence, is a conspiracy against the superior man: its one permanent object is to oppress him and cripple him. If it be aristocratic in organization, then it seeks to protect the man who is superior only in law against the man who is superior in fact; if it be democratic, then…

Government Authority danger Superstition Taboo

From “Minority Report”

The kind of man who wants the government to adopt and enforce his ideas is always the kind of man whose ideas are idiotic.

Government Ideas Idiotic

From “Prejudices”

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

dangerous Government taboos Superstition

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