Who said “Men become civilized, not in proportion to their willingness to believe, but in…”?

Verified

H. L. Mencken. A published source records them saying or writing it.

Source"What I Believe" in The Forum 84 (September 1930), p. 136

Evidence: Wikiquote · How we check

Source checked · Something wrong? Report a correction

Authors A–Z
“Men become civilized, not in proportion to their willingness to believe, but in proportion to their readiness to doubt.”
— H. L. Mencken
Verified"What I Believe" in The Forum 84 (September 1930), p. 136 · evidenceDoubt

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: "What I Believe" in The Forum 84 (September 1930), p. 136.

APA

Mencken, H. L. (n.d.). Men become civilized, not in proportion to their willingness to believe, but in proportion to their readiness to doubt. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/13754-men-become-civilized-not-in-proportion-to-their/

MLA

Mencken, H. L. “Men become civilized, not in proportion to their willingness to believe, but in proportion to their readiness to doubt.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/13754-men-become-civilized-not-in-proportion-to-their/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Mencken, H. L. “Men become civilized, not in proportion to their willingness to believe, but in proportion to their readiness to doubt.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/13754-men-become-civilized-not-in-proportion-to-their/.

Related quotes

“Who never doubted never half believed Where doubt there truth is—'t is her shadow.”
— Philip James Bailey
VerifiedFestus (1839), Scene V, A Country Town; comparable to Alfred, Lord Tennyson "There lives more faith in honest doubt / Believe me, than in half the creeds." · evidenceDetails & citeDoubt
“For there is no despair so absolute as that which comes with the first moments of our first great sorrow, when we have not yet known what it is to have suffered and be healed, to have despaired and to have recovered hope.”
— George Eliot
VerifiedAdam Bede (1859) · evidenceDetails & citeDoubt

More quotes by H. L. Mencken

All 130 H. L. Mencken quotes →