"We are, in fact, a nation of evangelists; every third American devotes himself to improving and lifting up his fellow-citizens, usually by force; the messianic delusion is our national disease."

Criticism, Evangelism, Force, Culture, Critique

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"We are, in fact, a nation of evangelists; every third American devotes himself to improving and lifting up his fellow-citizens, usually by force; the messianic delusion is our national disease."

Exlpore more Criticism quotes

"I have never been able to look upon America as young and vital but rather as prematurely old, as a fruit which rotted before it had a chance to ripen."

Henry Miller, American Author

Criticism, America, Chance, Old

"I suspect that most authors don't really want criticism, not even constructive criticism. They want straight-out, unabashed, unashamed, fulsome, informed, naked praise, arriving by the shipload every fifteen minutes or so."

Neil Gaiman, British Author

Criticism, Praise, Authors, Creativity

"There is no such thing as constructive criticism. There is constructive advice, constructive guidance, constructive counsel, encouragement, suggestion, and instruction. Criticism, however, is not constructive but a destructive means of faultfinding that cripples all parties involved. Don't be fooled into thinking otherwise."

Richelle E. Goodrich, American Poet

Criticism, Truth, Power, Wisdom, Inspirational

"Learn to brush off criticism as easily as you brush aside hollow compliments."

Richelle E. Goodrich, American Poet

Criticism, Wisdom, Truth, Inspirational, Regret

"A cynic is a man who, when he smells flowers, looks around for a coffin."

H. L. Mencken, American Writer

Criticism, Cynic, Flowers, Man

"But was there ever dog that praised his fleas?"

William Butler Yeats, Irish Poet

Criticism, Fleas

"The unflattering reviews are painful for short periods of time; the badly written ones are deeply, deeply insulting. That reviewer took no time to really read the book."

Toni Morrison, American Novelist

Criticism, Time

"Criticism is prejudice made plausible."

H. L. Mencken, American Writer

Criticism, Prejudice

"Some who have read the book, or at any rate reviewed it, have found it boring, absurd, or contemptible; and I have no reason to complain, since I have similar opinions of their work, or of the kinds of writing that they evidently prefer."

J. R. R. Tolkien, English Novelist

Criticism, Writing, Work

"Some poems are written great, some poems are written swell. But then there are poems that could win a prize in Hell."

Stanley Victor Paskavich, American Politician

Criticism, Poetry, Quality, Humor

Explore more quotes by H. L. Mencken

"It is hard to believe that a man is telling the truth when you know that you would lie if you were in his place."

Perception, Truth, Lie, Man

"Giving every man a vote has no more made men wise and free than Christianity has made them good."

Government, Men, Christianity, Giving, Man

"For it is mutual trust, even more than mutual interest that holds human associations together. Our friends seldom profit us but they make us feel safe. Marriage is a scheme to accomplish exactly that same end."

Friendship, Marriage, Trust, End, Friends

"Faith may be defined briefly as an illogical belief in the occurrence of the improbable."

Faith, Belief, May

"The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out... without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable."

Unity, Government, Man

"All men are frauds. The only difference between them is that some admit it. I myself deny it."

Unity, Men, Difference

"No one in this world has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby."

Unity, Intelligence, Money, People, Office

"The one permanent emotion of the inferior man is fear - fear of the unknown, the complex, the inexplicable. What he wants above everything else is safety."

Fear, Emotion, Inexplicable, Man

"The only cure for contempt is counter-contempt."

Reflection, Contempt, Cure

"Every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under."

Government, Man