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.

Quote by Henry Louis Mencken

Topics: Failure Quotes, Religion Quotes, Theory Quotes

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

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

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...

A critic is a man who writes about things he doesn't like

A critic is a man who writes about things he doesn't like

Democracy is also a form of worship. It is the worship of Jackals by Jackasses.

Democracy is also a form of worship. It is the worship of Jackals by Jackasses.

A good politician is quite as unthinkable as an honest burglar

A good politician is quite as unthinkable as an honest burglar

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....

When women kiss, it always reminds one of prizefighters shaking hands

When women kiss, it always reminds one of prizefighters shaking hands

The average newspaper, especially of the better sort, has the intelligence of a hillbilly evangelist,...

The average newspaper, especially of the better sort, has the intelligence of a hillbilly evangelist,...

Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to...

Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to...

History deals mainly with captains and kings, gods and prophets, exploiters and despoilers, not with...

History deals mainly with captains and kings, gods and prophets, exploiters and despoilers, not with...

Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the...

Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the...

To die for an idea; it is unquestionably noble. But how much nobler it would...

To die for an idea; it is unquestionably noble. But how much nobler it would...

The one permanent emotion of the inferior man is fear - fear of the unknown,...

The one permanent emotion of the inferior man is fear - fear of the unknown,...

To wage a war for a purely moral reason is as absurd as to ravish...

To wage a war for a purely moral reason is as absurd as to ravish...

That it should still be necessary, at this late stage in the senility of the...

That it should still be necessary, at this late stage in the senility of the...

To expect defeat is nine-tenths of defeat itself.

To expect defeat is nine-tenths of defeat itself.

On one issue, at least, men and women agree: they both distrust women.

On one issue, at least, men and women agree: they both distrust women.

Democracy is based upon so childish a complex of fallacies that they must be protected...

Democracy is based upon so childish a complex of fallacies that they must be protected...

I don't have any formula for ousting a dictator or building democracy. All I can...

I don't have any formula for ousting a dictator or building democracy. All I can...

Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word, equality. But notice the difference:...

Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word, equality. But notice the difference:...