The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace in a continual state of alarm (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing them with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.

—H. L. Mencken

politics imagination worry alarm menace

About H. L. Mencken

Portrait of H. L. Mencken

Henry Louis Mencken (September 12, 1880 – January 29, 1956) was an American journalist, essayist, satirist, cultural critic, and scholar of American English. He commented widely on literature, music, prominent politicians, and contemporary movements. His satirical reporting on the Scopes trial, which he dubbed the "Monkey Trial", also earned him...

More quotations from H. L. Mencken

A cynic is a man who, when he smells flowers, looks around for a coffin.

—H. L. Mencken

cynicism death flowers coffins

Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence.

—H. L. Mencken

love imagination intelligence

Moral certainty is always a sign of cultural inferiority. . . . All human progress, even in morals, has been the work of men who have doubted the current moral values, not of men who have whooped them up and tried to enforce them.

—H. L. Mencken

progress certainty morality inferiority doubt enforcement

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.

—H. L. Mencken

truth belief lying

The urge to save humanity is almost always only a false-face for the urge to rule it.

—H. L. Mencken in Minority Report

humanity power greed idealism

More quotations tagged with “worry”

People should worry about each other. Because worry is just love in its worst form. But it's still love.

The best thing against worry is to take care of others right away.

others worry care

This is what the world honors: wealth, eminence, long life, a good name. This is what the world finds happiness in: a life of ease, rich food, fine clothes, beautiful sights, sweet sounds. People who can't get these things fret a great deal and are afraid, wear themselves out rushing around on business, spend night and day scheming and scrutinizing. Man lives his life in company with worry, and if he lives a long time, then he has spent that much time worrying. This is a callous way to treat the body.

life fear ease clothes happiness wealth worry business honor food

When you look at yourself from a universal standpoint, something inside always reminds or informs you that there are bigger and better things to worry about.

—Albert Einstein

concern universe worry

Happiness is always a byproduct. It is probably a matter of temperament, and for anything I know it may be glandular. But it is not something that can be demanded from life, and if you are not happy, you had better stop worrying about it and see what treasures you can pluck from your own brand of unhappiness.

—Robertson Davies

life happiness worry unhappiness temperament