Legend: A lie that has attained the dignity of age.
Interpretation
A long-held falsehood can often be accepted as truth through repetition over time.
This quote by H. L. Mencken reflects on how lies can become entrenched in society, gaining acceptance as they are repeated over the years. It serves as a reminder to critically evaluate information and to recognize that something's longevity does not guarantee its truthfulness.
In practice
This quote could be used in a debate about historical narratives and how they shape our understanding of the past.
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.
Each night the black sky and the bright stars were my stunning companions; occasionally Id see their beauty and solemnity so plainly that I'd realize in a piercing way that my mother was right. That someday I WOULD be grateful and that in fact I was grateful now, that I felt something growing in me that was strong and real.
You have to feed your soul and spirit, but you also have to be a professional and remember the business that you're in. Everything is not your passion project.
For the people who ostensibly wish me well or are worried about my immortal soul, I say I take it kindly.
Belief is not the beginning of knowledge - it is the end.
"He sido un hombre afortunado en la vida, nada me ha sido facil." "I've been a fortunate man in life, nothing has come easy"
When someone is mean to me, I just make them a victim in my next book.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.