Here is one of the fundamental defects of American fiction--perhaps the one character that sets it off sharply from all other known kinds of contemporary fiction. It habitually exhibits, not a man of delicate organization in revolt against the inexplicable tragedy of existence, but a man of low sensibilities and elemental desires yielding himself gladly to his environment, and so achieving what, under a third-rate civilization, passes for success. To get on: this is the aim. To weigh and reflect, to doubt and rebel: this is the thing to be avoided.
H. L. MenckenNext to the semi-colon, quotation marks seem to be the chief butts of reformatory ardor.
H. L. MenckenPenetrating so many secrets, we cease to believe in the unknowable. But there it sits nevertheless, calmly licking its chops
H. L. MenckenBalloonists have an unsurpassed view of the scenery, but there is always the possibility that it may collide with them.
H. L. Mencken