A man always blames the woman who fools him. In the same way he blames the door he walks into in the dark.
Interpretation
Men often shift blame onto women when they are deceived, similar to how they blame objects like doors in the dark.
This quote reflects the tendency of individuals, particularly men, to externalize responsibility for their misfortunes or mistakes. H. L. Mencken draws a parallel between blaming a woman for being fooled and blaming a door in the dark for causing an accident, suggesting that it is easier for individuals to point the finger at others rather than reflect on their own actions or decisions that led to the situation.
In practice
In a discussion about accountability in relationships, I could use this quote to illustrate how people often deflect blame.
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.
To marry a fool is to be no fool.
When I look around the world, I don't see too many damsels in distress. If they're a damsel in distress, they're manipulating some guy to help them.
If you close your eyes and think about where you feel the most safe, you're probably not going to tell me it's in a room full of police. You feel safe where you're around people that love you, when you have food and shelter, when you're being pushed to be your best self and learn.
I have a respect for manners as such, they are a way of dealing with people you don't agree with or like.
I trust it will not be giving away professional secrets to say that many readers would be surprised, perhaps shocked, at the questions which some newspaper editors will put to a defenseless woman under the guise of flattery.
I love being a wife and homemaker - because it's my choice. My husband doesn't expect me to do it. I don't mind doing things for him because he does so much for me; we both feel that way so there is no power struggle.
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