H. L. Mencken Biography

H. L. Mencken, Writer
Born asHenry Louis Mencken
Occup.Writer
FromUSA
BornSeptember 12, 1880
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
DiedJanuary 29, 1956
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
CauseStroke
Aged75 years
Henry Louis Mencken, better called H.L. Mencken, was born on September 12, 1880, in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. He was the child of August Mencken, a stogie factory owner, and Anna Abhau, whose forefathers were German immigrants. Mencken's childhood in a German-speaking household had a substantial impact on his viewpoint and also his later writings.

Mencken went to Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, yet his passion for creating, particularly in the area of journalism, was evident from a young age. He started his profession as a press reporter for the Baltimore Morning Herald in 1899 as well as worked for several publications before at some point landing at The Baltimore Sun in 1906, where he ended up being a columnist, editor, as well as literary movie critic.

Mencken's wit as well as acidic style quickly gained him the credibility of being just one of one of the most influential and controversial social movie critics of his time. His creating touched on a series of topics, including national politics, religion, and society, and he was known for his pungent reviews of American society and also its worths.

Along with his column in The Baltimore Sun, Mencken additionally created for a number of other publications, consisting of The New Yorker, The American Mercury, and The Smart Set. He additionally authored numerous books, including "The American Language" and "In Protection of Ladies", both of which ended up being bestsellers.

In spite of his online reputation as a provocateur, Mencken was additionally deeply dedicated to the conservation of constitutionals rights and also spoke up against censorship and political fascism. He utilized his system as an author as well as social analyst to advocate for freedom of expression and various other autonomous worths.

Mencken's profession was not without controversy. He was accused of anti-Semitism and also racism, and also his sights on eugenics were particularly problematic. Nevertheless, his impact on American literature and also journalism was countless, and his heritage continues to be felt today.

Mencken experienced an incapacitating stroke in 1948, which compelled him to relinquish composing. He passed away on January 29, 1956, in his cherished city of Baltimore. In spite of his death, his work continues to be a testament to the power of cost-free speech and also the relevance of thoughtful, intriguing social discourse.

Our collection contains 124 quotes who is written / told by L. Mencken, under the main topics: Love - Politics - History - Marriage - Men.

Related authors: Will Durant (Historian), P. J. O'Rourke (Journalist), Ambrose Bierce (Journalist)

Works:
Source / external links:

124 Famous quotes by H. L. Mencken

Small: Love is like war: easy to begin but very hard to stop - H. L. Mencken
"Love is like war: easy to begin but very hard to stop"
Small: Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage - H. L. Mencken
"Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage"
Small: The worst government is often the most moral. One composed of cynics is often very tolerant and humane.
"The worst government is often the most moral. One composed of cynics is often very tolerant and humane. But when fanatics are on top there is no limit to oppression"
Small: Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence - H. L. Mencken
"Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence"
Small: It doesnt take a majority to make a rebellion it takes only a few determined leaders and a sound cause - H. L.
"It doesn't take a majority to make a rebellion; it takes only a few determined leaders and a sound cause"
Small: Injustice is relatively easy to bear what sting is justice - H. L. Mencken
"Injustice is relatively easy to bear; what sting is justice"
Small: In war the heroes always outnumber the soldiers ten to one - H. L. Mencken
"In war the heroes always outnumber the soldiers ten to one"
Small: In this world of sin and sorrow there is always something to be thankful for as for me, I rejoice that I am no
"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"
Small: In the duel of sex woman fights from a dreadnought and man from an open raft - H. L. Mencken
"In the duel of sex woman fights from a dreadnought and man from an open raft"
Small: Immorality: the morality of those who are having a better time - H. L. Mencken
"Immorality: the morality of those who are having a better time"
Small: I believe that all government is evil, and that trying to improve it is largely a waste of time - H. L. Mencke
"I believe that all government is evil, and that trying to improve it is largely a waste of time"
Small: Archbishop - A Christian ecclesiastic of a rank superior to that attained by Christ - H. L. Mencken
"Archbishop - A Christian ecclesiastic of a rank superior to that attained by Christ"
Small: An idealist is one who, on noticing that roses smell better than a cabbage, concludes that it will also make b
"An idealist is one who, on noticing that roses smell better than a cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup"
Small: All men are frauds. The only difference between them is that some admit it. I myself deny it - H. L. Mencken
"All men are frauds. The only difference between them is that some admit it. I myself deny it"
Small: All government, of course, is against liberty - H. L. Mencken
"All government, of course, is against liberty"
Small: Alimony - the ransom that the happy pay to the devil - H. L. Mencken
"Alimony - the ransom that the happy pay to the devil"
Small: Adultery is the application of democracy to love - H. L. Mencken
"Adultery is the application of democracy to love"
Small: A Sunday school is a prison in which children do penance for the evil conscience of their parents - H. L. Menc
"A Sunday school is a prison in which children do penance for the evil conscience of their parents"
Small: I believe in only one thing: liberty but I do not believe in liberty enough to want to force it upon anyone -
"I believe in only one thing: liberty; but I do not believe in liberty enough to want to force it upon anyone"
Small: Husbands never become good they merely become proficient - H. L. Mencken
"Husbands never become good; they merely become proficient"
Small: Honor is simply the morality of superior men - H. L. Mencken
"Honor is simply the morality of superior men"
Small: Historian: an unsuccessful novelist - H. L. Mencken
"Historian: an unsuccessful novelist"
Small: Have you ever watched a crab on the shore crawling backward in search of the Atlantic Ocean, and missing? That
"Have you ever watched a crab on the shore crawling backward in search of the Atlantic Ocean, and missing? That's the way the mind of man operates"
Small: Giving every man a vote has no more made men wise and free than Christianity has made them good - H. L. Mencke
"Giving every man a vote has no more made men wise and free than Christianity has made them good"
Small: For it is mutual trust, even more than mutual interest that holds human associations together. Our friends sel
"For it is mutual trust, even more than mutual interest that holds human associations together. Our friends seldom profit us but they make us feel safe. Marriage is a scheme to accomplish exactly that same end"
Small: For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong - H. L. Mencken
"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong"
Small: For centuries, theologians have been explaining the unknowable in terms of the-not-worth-knowing - H. L. Menck
"For centuries, theologians have been explaining the unknowable in terms of the-not-worth-knowing"
Small: Democracy is only a dream: it should be put in the same category as Arcadia, Santa Claus, and Heaven - H. L. M
"Democracy is only a dream: it should be put in the same category as Arcadia, Santa Claus, and Heaven"
Small: Democracy is also a form of worship. It is the worship of Jackals by Jackasses - H. L. Mencken
"Democracy is also a form of worship. It is the worship of Jackals by Jackasses"
Small: Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance - H. L. Mencken
"Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance"
Small: Criticism is prejudice made plausible - H. L. Mencken
"Criticism is prejudice made plausible"
Small: Conscience is the inner voice that warns us that someone might be looking - H. L. Mencken
"Conscience is the inner voice that warns us that someone might be looking"
Small: Conscience is a mother-in-law whose visit never ends - H. L. Mencken
"Conscience is a mother-in-law whose visit never ends"
Small: Communism, like any other revealed religion, is largely made up of prophecies - H. L. Mencken
"Communism, like any other revealed religion, is largely made up of prophecies"
Small: Before a man speaks it is always safe to assume that he is a fool. After he speaks, it is seldom necessary to
"Before a man speaks it is always safe to assume that he is a fool. After he speaks, it is seldom necessary to assume it"
Small: Bachelors know more about women than married men if they didnt theyd be married too - H. L. Mencken
"Bachelors know more about women than married men; if they didn't they'd be married too"
Small: As the arteries grow hard, the heart grows soft - H. L. Mencken
"As the arteries grow hard, the heart grows soft"
Small: Love is the delusion that one woman differs from another - H. L. Mencken
"Love is the delusion that one woman differs from another"
Small: It is impossible to imagine Goethe or Beethoven being good at billiards or golf - H. L. Mencken
"It is impossible to imagine Goethe or Beethoven being good at billiards or golf"
Small: It is hard to believe that a man is telling the truth when you know that you would lie if you were in his plac
"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"
Small: It is hard for the ape to believe he descended from man - H. L. Mencken
"It is hard for the ape to believe he descended from man"
Small: It is even harder for the average ape to believe that he has descended from man - H. L. Mencken
"It is even harder for the average ape to believe that he has descended from man"
Small: The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety)
"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"
Small: The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule - H. L. Mencken
"The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule"
Small: The theory seems to be that as long as a man is a failure he is one of Gods children, but that as soon as he s
"The theory seems to be that as long as a man is a failure he is one of God's children, but that as soon as he succeeds he is taken over by the Devil"
Small: The penalty for laughing in a courtroom is six months in jail if it were not for this penalty, the jury would
"The penalty for laughing in a courtroom is six months in jail; if it were not for this penalty, the jury would never hear the evidence"
Small: The opera is to music what a bawdy house is to a cathedral - H. L. Mencken
"The opera is to music what a bawdy house is to a cathedral"
Small: The only really happy folk are married women and single men - H. L. Mencken
"The only really happy folk are married women and single men"
Small: The only cure for contempt is counter-contempt - H. L. Mencken
"The only cure for contempt is counter-contempt"
Small: The basic fact about human existence is not that it is a tragedy, but that it is a bore. It is not so much a w
"The basic fact about human existence is not that it is a tragedy, but that it is a bore. It is not so much a war as an endless standing in line"
Next page