The capacity of human beings to bore one another seems to be vastly greater than that of any other animal.
Interpretation
Humans have an exceptional ability to find others tedious compared to other animals.
This quote by H. L. Mencken humorously suggests that the capacity for boredom amongst humans is uniquely high. It implies that while animals may have their own forms of social interaction, humans possess a distinct and often comical tendency to find each other dull, highlighting a quirk of human nature that involves social fatigue and the search for stimulation.
In practice
This quote could be used to lighten the mood in a conversation about social gatherings.
I know a good many men of great learning-that is, men born with an extraordinary eagerness and capacity to acquire knowledge. One and all, they tell me that they can't recall learning anything of any value in school. All that schoolmasters managed to accomplish with them was to test and determine the amount of knowledge that they had already acquired independently-and not infrequently the determination was made clumsily and inaccurately.
It takes a long while for a naturally trustful person to reconcile himself to the idea that after all God will not help him
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.
The central belief of every moron is that he is the victim of a mysterious conspiracy against his common rights and true deserts.
The cure for the evils of democracy is more democracy.
It is my conviction that no normal man ever fell in love, within the ordinary meaning of the term, after the age of thirty.
Thanksgiving dinner's sad and thankless. Christmas dinner's dark and blue. When you stop and try to see it From the turkey's point of view.
I don't mean to sound bitter, cold, or cruel, but I am, so that's how it comes out.
The word bipartisan usually means some larger-than-usual deception is being carried out.
For what good turn? Messenger: For the best turn of the bed.
Philanthropist, n.: A rich (and usually bald) old gentleman who has trained himself to grin while his conscience is picking his pocket.
Who's judging American Idol? Paula Abdul? Paula Abdul judging a singing contest is like Christopher Reeve judging a dance contest!
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.