Men are the only animals that devote themselves, day in and day out, to making one another unhappy. It is an art like any other. Its virtuosi are called altruists.
Interpretation
This quote suggests that humans uniquely invest effort into causing unhappiness in others, which is seen as a learned art form.
H.L. Mencken critiques human behavior by indicating that unlike other animals, humans actively engage in making others unhappy. This intricate dynamic, which he likens to an art form, raises questions about the nature of altruism and the paradox of human relationships—where an individual may claim to act selflessly while simultaneously contributing to the unhappiness of others.
In practice
In a discussion about human relationships, one might quote Mencken to illustrate the paradox of altruism.
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.
He who, seeking his own happiness, punishes or kills beings who also long for happiness, will not find happiness after his death.
Look not at what is contrary to propriety; listen not to what is contrary to propriety; speak not what is contrary to propriety; make no movement which is contrary to propriety.
A young man who wishes to remain a sound atheist cannot be too careful of his reading.
Action is no less necessary than thought to the instinctive tendencies of the human frame.
It sounds to me, young one," Haddek said, "that you are searching for something that cannot be found." "The truth?" Sazed said. "No," Haddek replied. "A religion that requires no faith of its believers.
What if I told you insane was working fifty hours a week in some office for fifty years at the end of which they tell you to p*ss off; ending up in some retirement village hoping to die before suffering the indignity of trying to make it to the toilet on time? Wouldn't you consider that to be insane?
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