"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"
About this Quote
The pivot to cynics is classic Mencken contrarianism with a practical edge. Cynics, in his frame, don’t believe strongly enough in anyone’s righteousness to enforce a single moral blueprint. Their low expectations become a safeguard: if you assume people are messy, you’re less tempted to "fix" them at gunpoint. Tolerance here isn’t nobility; it’s a byproduct of disbelief, fatigue, and self-interest. That’s the joke, and also the point.
"Fanatics on top" is the true target. Mencken watched American public life harden around Prohibition, nativist crusades, and a growing appetite for moral regulation. He understood how reform movements can evolve into enforcement machines, how the language of purity turns opponents into contaminants. His line about "no limit" isn’t rhetorical excess; it names the mechanism of zeal: once power is framed as a moral duty, restraint looks like complicity.
The subtext is bleakly democratic: tyranny doesn’t always arrive wearing a villain’s cape. Sometimes it comes dressed as a sermon, certain it’s saving you.
Quote Details
| Topic | Freedom |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Mencken, H. L. (2026, January 18). 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. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-worst-government-is-often-the-most-moral-one-19548/
Chicago Style
Mencken, H. L. "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." FixQuotes. January 18, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-worst-government-is-often-the-most-moral-one-19548/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"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." FixQuotes, 18 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-worst-government-is-often-the-most-moral-one-19548/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
