Hanging one scoundrel, it appears, does not deter the next. Well, what of it? The first one is at least disposed of.
Interpretation
Punishing one wrongdoer does not prevent others from committing similar offenses.
H. L. Mencken's quote suggests that the act of punishing or executing one individual who has done wrong does little to prevent future wrongdoings by others. It reflects a cynical view of justice, implying that although one criminal may be removed from society, new ones will inevitably arise, questioning the effectiveness of punitive measures in deterring crime overall.
In practice
In a discussion about the effectiveness of the death penalty as a deterrent.
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.
Don't tell me to believe. Don't tell me to believe in the same God or laws that men believe in who commit these murders. Don't tell me to believe that God can bless this country and that men are judged by their peers. Who among his peers judged him? Was I there? Was the minister there? Was Harry Williams there? Was Farrell Jarreau? Was my aunt? Was Vivian? No, his peers did not judge him, and I will not believe.
Sex is the mysticism of materialism and the only possible religion in a materialistic society.
They don't understand what it is to be awake, / To be living on several planes at once / Though one cannot speak with several voices at once.
We have contingency plans for war, but none for peace.
There are no beautiful surfaces without a terrible depth.
You are always in the process of creating. Every moment, every minute, every day. You are a big creation machine and you are turning out a new manifestation literally as fast as you can think.
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