It is the theory of all modern civilized governments that they protect…

H. L. Mencken
520 citations
It is the theory of all modern civilized governments that they protect and foster the liberty of the citizen; it is the practice of all of them to limit its exercise, and sometimes very narrowly.
Politics Time
25

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Men are the only animals that devote themselves, day in and day out, to making one another unhappy. It is an art like any other. Its virtuosi are called altruists. ✨ H.L. Mencken (2012). Mencken Chre … ▶
Sin is a dangerous toy in the hands of the virtuous. It should be left to the congenitally sinful, who know when to play with it and when to let it alone. ✨ H.L. Mencken (2012). Mencken Chrestomathy, … ▶
It is the invariable habit of bureaucracies, at all times and everywhere, to assume...that every citizen is a criminal. Their one apparent purpose, pursued with a relentless and furious diligence, is … ▶
A man of active and resilient mind outwears his friendships just as certainly as he outwears his love affairs, his politics and his epistemology. ✨ H.L. Mencken (2012). Mencken Chrestomathy, p.16, Vi … ▶
If we assume that man actually does resemble God, then we are forced into the impossible theory that God is a coward, an idiot and a bounder. ✨ H. L. Mencken (2009). Prejudices: Third Series, p.124, … ▶

It is the theory of all modern civilized governments that they protect and foster the liberty of the citizen; it is the practice of all of them to limit its exercise, and sometimes very narrowly.

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