Finally, I am finishing reading this very entertaining and very pessimistic book. And the last 20% of the book is even more fun to read than the previous chapters. One funny thing about Mencken is that he is against all the major wars. He doesn’t like the Civil War and he thinks the South should be allowed to go independent; he doesn’t like the Revolutionary War either and he has one chapter about the Revolutionary War in which he lists all the reasons for his argument. The interesting thing is he also doesn’t think it is a good thing to remain in the Commonwealth. I guess he doesn’t want to support anything–the only thing he supports is his own complaint. And he is the best complainer. He is so funny that people would love to listen to his complaints all day long.
Here are some quotes from “Mencken Chrestomathy” by H.L. Mencken
Friendship is a common belief in the same fallacies, mountebanks and hobgoblins.
The chief value of money lies in the fact that one lives in a world in which it is overestimated.
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.
Every failure teaches a man something, to wit, that he will probably fail again next time.
Hope is a pathological belief in the occurrence of the impossible.
Every man is his own hell.
Immortality is the condition of a dead man who doesn’t believe that he is dead.
A celebrity is one who is known to many persons he is glad he doesn’t know.
Morality is the theory that every human act must be either right or wrong, and that 99% of them are wrong.
The difference between a moral man and a man of honor is that the latter regrets a discreditable act, even when it has worked and he has not been caught.
Truth – Something somehow discreditable to someone.
Popularity – The capacity for listening sympathetically when men boast of their wives and women complain of their husbands.
This guy is soo funny!! The way he looks at the world is mind blowing!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, he doesn’t look the world as most people. He is funny.
LikeLike
Haha, kinda shows how there’s always an audience in every niche. I should hone my complaining too. Thanks for sharing this! Would never have known about this book or author otherwise.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Mencken is on the throne of all complaints and he just can’t stop it. He enjoys it so much that we just can’t stop enjoying with him.
LikeLike
Haha! They made me laugh. Is reality really based on sarcasm and pessimism? I think it might be… 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha, reality is not so great, but at least in Mencken’s world it is laughable. Or at least he makes it so. I wish I can find fun in all the pessimistic aspects of life. I wish but I am not quite capable of doing that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’d like to list all the differences between a normal man and Mencken, but I fear the list would be too long.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hahaha. So true. The list can be endless. He’s so not normal.
LikeLiked by 1 person
He also sounds like a contrarian. He was against everything!
LikeLiked by 1 person
True. He is. That’s his style.
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Men are the only animals that devote themselves, day in and day out, to making one another unhappy.” How very true! I love an author who rants 😉
LikeLiked by 2 people
Haha. He’s really a pessimistic man. A brilliant pessimist. Haha. Very funny.
LikeLike