A good politician is quite as unthinkable as an honest burglar.
Interpretation
The quote suggests that finding a genuinely good politician is as unlikely as finding an honest burglar.
H. L. Mencken's quote draws a parallel between the perceived moral failings of politicians and burglars, implying that just as we cannot expect a burglar to be honest, we should not expect politicians to be truly good. The hyperbolic comparison underscores a deep skepticism about the integrity of political figures, reflecting a common belief that power often corrupts and compromises moral character.
In practice
During a political debate, to highlight the challenges of trust in politicians.
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.
Only armchair politicians are immune from committing mistakes. Errors are inherent in political action.
The 1928 Republican Convention opened with a prayer. If the Lord can see His way clear to bless the Republican Party the way it's been carrying on, then the rest of us ought to get it without even asking.
Tonight, with a new Iraqi government in place, and following consultations with allies abroad and Congress at home, I can announce that America will lead a broad coalition to roll back this terrorist threat.
Governments don't control people like they used to.
That politician who curries favor with the citizens and indulges them and fawns upon them and has a presentiment of their wishes, and is skillful in gratifying them, he is esteemed a great statesman.
Using these unnamed sources, if done properly, carefully and fairly, provides more accountability in government.
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