H. L. Mencken Quotes


To be happy one must be (a) well fed, unhounded by sordid cares, at ease in Zion, (b) full of a comfortable feeling of superiority to the masses of one's fellow men, and (c) delicately and unceasingly amused according to one's taste. It is my contention that, if this definition be accepted, there is no country in the world wherein a man constituted as I am - a man of my peculiar weakness, vanities, appetites, and aversions - can be so happy as he can be in the United States.


Citations

Mencken, H. L. Prejudices: Third Series. Alfred A. Knopf, 1922, p. 10.

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H. L. Mencken
H. L. Mencken
  • Born: September 12, 1880
  • Died: January 29, 1956
  • Nationality: American
  • Profession: Journalist, Essayist, Satirist, Social Critic

Henry Louis Mencken was an American journalist, essayist, satirist, cultural critic, and scholar of American English. He commented widely on the social scene, literature, music, prominent politicians, and contemporary movements. His satirical reporting on the Scopes Trial, which he dubbed the "Monkey Trial," also gained him attention.