The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by an endless series of hobgoblins, most of them imaginary.

About This Quote

Soren Kierkegaard said: "The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by an endless series of hobgoblins, most of them imaginary." For much of modern history, the United States has been a country where political choices were much clearer than they are today. In the 1960s and 1970s, the main choice that the American people faced was between two very distinct groups: those who wanted to continue with the policies of the 1950s and those who wanted to change those policies. Today, however, this dichotomy has been replaced by a bewildering choice between four very different and often incompatible groups: (A) those who want to continue and make minor adjustments to current policy; (B) those who want the government to do more; (C) those who want it to do less; and (D) those who would like nothing done at all.

Source: In Defense Of Women

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More Quotes By H.l. Mencken

1. Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.

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