Democracy is grounded upon so childish a complex of fallacies that the…

H. L. Mencken
520 citations
Democracy is grounded upon so childish a complex of fallacies that they must be protected by a rigid system of taboos, else even halfwits would argue it to pieces. Its first concern must be to penalize the free play of ideas. ✨ In Defense of Women, rev. ed., introduction (1922)
Thought
17

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The curse of man, and the cause of nearly all his woe, is his stupendous capacity for believing the incredible.

Democracy is grounded upon so childish a complex of fallacies that they must be protected by a rigid system of taboos, else even halfwits would argue it to pieces. Its first concern must be to penalize the free play of ideas. ✨ In Defense of Women, rev. ed., introduction (1922)

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