Hanging one scoundrel, it appears, does not deter the next. Well, what of it The first one at least is disposed of.
More Quotes from Henry Louis Mencken:
It is common to assume that human progress affects everyone that even the dullest man, in these bright days, knows more than any man of, say, the Eighteenth Century, and is far more civilized. This assumption is quite erroneous.... The great masses of men, even in this inspired republic, are precisely where the mob was at the dawn of history. They are ignorant, they are dishonest, they are cowardly, they are ignoble. They know little if anything that is worth knowing, and there is not the slightest sign of a natural desire among them to increase their knowledge.Henry Louis Mencken
The thing constantly overlooked by those hopefuls who talk About abolishing war is that it is by no means an evidence of the decay but rather a proof of health and vigor.
Henry Louis Mencken
Time is the great legalizer, even in the field of morals.
Henry Louis Mencken
The great artists of the world are never Puritans, and seldom even ordinarily respectable.
Henry Louis Mencken
After all, why be good How many will actually believe it of us.
Henry Louis Mencken
All of the great patriots now engaged in edging and squirming their way toward the Presidency of the Republic run true to form. That is to say, they are all extremely wary, and all more or less palpable frauds. What they want, primarily, is the job the necessary equipment of unescapable issues, immutable principles and soaring ideals can wait until it becomes more certain which way the mob will be whooping.
Henry Louis Mencken
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