H. L. Mencken Quotes

If it is right for men to fight for their freedom, and God knows what the human race would be like today if men had not, since time began, fought for their freedom, then it is right for women to fight for their freedom and the freedom of the children they bear.

Here everyone is his own master. Civil liberty places all inhabitants on an equal footing. The humble cannot be oppressed by the mighty, nor the poor by the rich.

Justice means that we want life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all people.

Equality is never given, it is taken.

I believe that all human beings are equal. I believe that no one has the right to authority over anyone else.

The minute I was told what to do at any age, I did the opposite. Hopefully I'll do that for the rest of my life.

We can continue our progress as a Nation toward the promise that all people are created equal and that our Nation will treat every person in that spirit.

If we are to give the people of China complete self-government we must first solve the problem of livelihood for all, and give real freedom to the races within China. If the foundations of democracy are secure, then true equality can be achieved.

I am not interested in picking up crumbs of compassion thrown from the table of someone who considers himself my master. I want the full menu of rights.

Don't care what people say. Don't give a damn about their laws.

I resent limitations. I'm going to be this way for a while.

I don't run behind authority.

I really rebel against authority.

My characters aren't losers. They're rebels. They win by their refusal to play by everyone else's rules.

Enlightenment values of individual freedom are manifested best in individual acts of criticism and defiance.

The quest for freedom, dignity, and the rights of man will never end.

The driving force behind doing everything that I've been doing for 11 years as a stand-up is having problems with authority and not liking to be told what to do.

I'm that weird guy; I hate being told what to do.

All men are born free.

Americans are defiant people; the don’t like authority. That was the revolutionary spirit.

… in an age when human rights are preached loudly from the rooftops, women had to be accepted as equals and allowed to think and act in their own interests and by their own efforts.

… the right to an abortion is society’s down payment on all the rights we [women] are yet due.

I've always had a problem with authority. That's why I had to be my own boss.

In the end, I was the only one with any anarchy left in me.

I believe in Liberty for all men: the space to stretch their arms and their souls, the right to breathe and the right to vote, the freedom to choose their friends, enjoy the sunshine, and ride on the railroads, uncursed by color; thinking, dreaming, working as they will in a kingdom of beauty and love.