“The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out for himself, without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane and intolerable, and so, if he is romantic, he tries to change it. And even if he is not romantic personally he is very apt to spread discontent among those who are.”
― A Mencken Chrestomathy
― A Mencken Chrestomathy
“Every war when it comes, or before it comes, is represented not as a war but as an act of self-defense against a homicidal maniac. In our time political speech and writing are largely the defense of the indefensible. But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought. All the war-propaganda, all the screaming and lies and hatred, comes invariably from people who are not fighting. Political language...is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidarity to pure wind. War against a foreign country only happens when the moneyed classes think they are going to profit from it. Nationalism is power hunger tempered by self-deception. War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength. (On the manipulation of language for political ends.) We have now sunk to a depth at which restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men. If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear. In times of universal deceit, telling the truth will be a revolutionary act.”
― Facing Unpleasant Facts: Narrative Essays
― Facing Unpleasant Facts: Narrative Essays
“I killed a plant once because I gave
it too much water. Lord, I worry
that love is violence.”
― Citizen Illegal
it too much water. Lord, I worry
that love is violence.”
― Citizen Illegal
“We're born naked, and the rest is drag.”
― Lettin it All Hang Out: An Autobiography
― Lettin it All Hang Out: An Autobiography
“Is it possible to love something so much, you imagine it wants to destroy you only because it has denied you?”
― House of Leaves
― House of Leaves
Badjas (SapeN)’s 2024 Year in Books
Take a look at Badjas (SapeN)’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
More friends…
Favorite Genres
Polls voted on by Badjas (SapeN)
Lists liked by Badjas (SapeN)






















