"To die for an idea; it is..." - Quote by H L Mencken

“You come into the world with nothing, and the purpose of your life is to make something out of nothing.”

“Only a jackass ever talks over his affairs with a woman, whether she be his sweetheart, wife, or sister, or mother.”

“To denounce moralizing out of hand is to pronounce a moral judgment.”

“Not less strong than the will to truth must be the will to sincerity. Only an age, which can show the courage of sincerity, can possess truth, which works as a spiritual force within it.”

“A just thinker will allow full swing to his scepticism. I dip my pen in the blackest ink, because I am not afraid of falling into my inkpot.... We are of different opinions at different hours, but we always may be said to be at heart on the side of truth.”

“Go wherever the facts lead.”

“... active love is a harsh and fearful thing compared with the love in dreams. Love in dreams thirsts for immediate action, quickly performed, and with everyone watching. Indeed, it will go as far as the giving even of one's life, provided it does not take long but is soon over, as on stage, and eveyone is looking on and praising. Whereas active love is labor and persistence, and for some people, perhaps, a whole science.”

“...mothers are often fondest of the child which has caused them the greatest pain.”

“High sentiments always win in the end. The leaders who offer blood, toil, tears and sweat always get more out of their followers than those who offer safety and a good time. When it comes to the pinch, human beings are heroic.”