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.

Quote by H L Mencken

Topics: H L Mencken Quotes

The most costly of all follies is to believe passionately in the palpably not true....

The most costly of all follies is to believe passionately in the palpably not true....

Honor is simply the morality of superior men.

Honor is simply the morality of superior men.

All men are frauds. The only difference between them is that some admit it. I...

All men are frauds. The only difference between them is that some admit it. I...

It is hard to believe that a man is telling the truth when you know...

It is hard to believe that a man is telling the truth when you know...

Nevertheless, it is even harder for the average ape to believe that he has descended...

Nevertheless, it is even harder for the average ape to believe that he has descended...

A society made up of individuals who were all capable of original thought would probably...

A society made up of individuals who were all capable of original thought would probably...

I go on working for the same reason that a hen goes on laying eggs.

I go on working for the same reason that a hen goes on laying eggs.

Temptation is an irresistible force at work on a movable body.

Temptation is an irresistible force at work on a movable body.

Love is the delusion that one woman differs from another.

Love is the delusion that one woman differs from another.

There is a saying in Baltimore that crabs may be prepared in fifty ways and...

There is a saying in Baltimore that crabs may be prepared in fifty ways and...

It is inaccurate to say that I hate everything. I am strongly in favor of...

It is inaccurate to say that I hate everything. I am strongly in favor of...

Have you ever watched a crab on the shore crawling backward in search of the...

Have you ever watched a crab on the shore crawling backward in search of the...

Temptation is a woman's weapon and man's excuse.

Temptation is a woman's weapon and man's excuse.

The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to...

The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to...

We are here and it is now. Further than that, all human knowledge is moonshine.

We are here and it is now. Further than that, all human knowledge is moonshine.

War will never cease until babies begin to come into the world with larger cerebrums...

War will never cease until babies begin to come into the world with larger cerebrums...

There is always an easy solution to every problem - neat, plausible, and wrong.

There is always an easy solution to every problem - neat, plausible, and wrong.

For centuries, theologians have been explaining the unknowable in terms of the-not-worth-knowing.

For centuries, theologians have been explaining the unknowable in terms of the-not-worth-knowing.

The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous...

The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous...

Wealth - any income that is at least one hundred dollars more a year than...

Wealth - any income that is at least one hundred dollars more a year than...