H. L. Mencken Quotes

He whose honor depends on the opinion of the mob must day by day strive with the greatest anxiety, act and scheme in order to retain his reputation. For the mob is varied and inconsistent, and therefore if a reputation is not carefully preserved it dies quickly.

The man who is praised by others is regarded as worthy though he may be really void of all merit. But the man who sings his own praises becomes disgraced though he should be Indra, the possessor of all excellencies.

The opinion of the people is not to be taken from the streets.

No man can honestly sit there and say he doesn't care about what people think, doesn't care if he's got the support of the British public or British fans.

Who confers reputation? who gives respect and veneration to persons, to books, to great men? Who but Opinion? How utterly insufficient are all the riches of the world without her approbation!

We cannot at once catch the applauses of the vulgar and expect the approbation of the wise.

Always remember that the crowd that applauds your coronation is the same crowd that will applaud your beheading. People like a show.

I care what 51 percent of the people think about me.

There are some whom the applause of the multitude has deluded into the belief that they are really statesmen.

We must not always judge of the generality of the opinion by the noise of the acclamation.

I have never been over concerned or obsessed with opinion polls or popularity polls. I think a leader who is, is a weak leader. Between being loved and being feared, I have always believed Machiavelli was right. If nobody is afraid of me, I'm meaningless.

Popularity and democracy aren't a judge, they're just stats.

Virtue is everywhere that which is thought praiseworthy; and nothing else but that which has the allowance of public esteem is called virtue.

I read one thing, and 100 people can say good things then you read one bad thing that says you're the worst and you believe them.

I worry about my judgment when anything I believe in or do regularly begins to be accepted by the American public.

Sometimes I take a temperature of things just because everyone else does. Especially when I'm doing a play. I want to know what people are thinking, positive or negative.

I consider him of no account who esteems himself just as the popular breath may chance to raise him.

Beating Newt Gingrich in a popularity contest is like beating Stephen Hawking in 'Dancing with the Stars.'

The first foundation for the creation of authority is always provided by popularity.

Everybody is so hungry for referrals, for 'likes.' I don't need to be liked. I don't need to be liked at all. I don't care if there's a button right there at the top of Drudge saying 'like' or 'dislike,' 'thumbs up,' 'thumbs down,' it doesn't mean anything.

The best of us would rather be popular than right.

People tell me, "Well, you understand where the voters are, Jeff, where the votes are, or what people are thinking," and they'll sort of - in a complimentary way. And it's a bit of an acknowledgement that we've been blind to some of these issues for too long.

We all do no end of feeling, and we mistake it for thinking. And out of it we get an aggregation which we consider a boon. Its name is public opinion. It is held in reverence. Some think it the voice of God.

Courage, garrulousness and the mob are on our side. What more do we want?