The ideal Government of all reflective men, from Aristotle onward, is one which lets the individual alone - one which barely escapes being no government at all.
Interpretation
The ideal government should allow individuals to live freely without interference.
H. L. Mencken's quote reflects a philosophical perspective on governance, suggesting that the best form of government is one that minimizes its influence on the individual. This aligns with classical liberal ideas, where the emphasis is placed on personal liberty and the belief that a government that interferes less is more desirable, empowering individuals to lead their own lives without unnecessary restrictions.
In practice
In a discussion about political philosophy, one might use this quote to support the argument for minimal government intervention.
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.
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It is my conviction that no normal man ever fell in love, within the ordinary meaning of the term, after the age of thirty.
If I should say anything that is not in conformity with what is held by the Holy Roman Catholic Church, it will be through ignorance and not through malice. This may be taken as certain, and also that, through God's goodness, I am, and shall always be, as I always have been, subject to her.
I pray-for fashion's word is out And prayer comes round again- That I may seem, though I die old, A foolish, passionate man.
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the voice of beauty speaks softly; it creeps only into the most fully awakened souls
Principles are the simplicity on the far side of complexity.
God keeps the entire Universe in order, and still finds time to take a personal interest in you and me.
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