“The professor must be an obscurantist or he is nothing; he has a special and unmatchable talent for dullness, his central aim is not to expose the truth clearly, but to exhibit his profundity, his esotericity - in brief to stagger sophomores and other professors.”

— H.L. Mencken

Source: 1920s, Prejudices, Third Series (1922), Ch. 15 "The Dismal Science"

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H.L. Mencken 281

American journalist and writer 1880–1956

Robert E. Machol (1917–1998) American systems engineer

Robert Machol in: " Now it is to be cited or perish http://books.google.com/books?id=wHphHUhDk7wC&pg=PA491." New Scientist. Vol. 67, nr. 964. August 28, 1974. p. 491

“He (the Professor) was a failure but did his best to hid it. One of his failings was that he could barely write, except in a twelfth century hand, in Latin, with abbreviations.”

T. H. White book Mistress Masham's Repose

Mistress Masham's Repose (1946)

“I am reminded of the professor who, in his declining hours, was asked by his devoted pupils for his final counsel. He replied, "Verify your quotations."”

Winston S. Churchill book The Second World War

The Second World War, Volume IV : The Hinge of Fate (1951).
Post-war years (1945–1955)

“According to Professor S. A. A. Rizvi, “‘Shariat can be fostered through the sword’ was the slogan he raised for his contemporaries.””

Ahmad Sirhindi (1564–1624) Indian philosopher

S.A.A. Rizvi, Muslim Revivalist Movements in Northern India in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries, Agra, 1965, p.247. Quoted from Goel, Sita Ram (1995). Muslim separatism: Causes and consequences. ISBN 9788185990262

“In a theological seminary, if a professor finds a fact inconsistent with the creed, he must keep it secret or deny it, or lose his place. Mental veracity is a crime, cowardice and hypocrisy are virtues.”

Robert G. Ingersoll (1833–1899) Union United States Army officer

The Truth (1896)

“Alok tried to ask the professor for a re-quiz, who stared back as if he had been asked for both his kidneys.”

Chetan Bhagat (1974) Indian author, born 1974

Source: Five Point Someone - What not to do at IIT! (2004), P. 34

“When he gets uppity about his supposed learning, I just take it on myself to remind him that God and his angels know almost as much as college professors.”

Sinclair Lewis (1885–1951) American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright

The God-Seeker (1949), Ch. 23

“A man must stand against evil wherever he finds it and he must use all his talents.”

David Gemmell book The King Beyond the Gate

Source: Drenai series, The King Beyond the Gate, Ch. 6
Context: Nothing in life is easy, Arvan. But it's what I'm trained for. To lead an army. To bring death and destruction on my enemies [... ] A man must stand against evil wherever he finds it and he must use all his talents.

“The aim of the Creator from the time He created His Creation is to reveal His Godliness to others.”

Yehuda Ashlag (1886–1954) Orthodox Jewish Rabbi and Kabbalist

Selected Articles

“The rock is gonna fall on us," he stood and told the class
The professor put his chalk down and peered out through his glasses
But he went on and said; "I've seen it, high up on the hill
If it doesn't fall this year then very soon it will!”

Harry Chapin (1942–1981) American musician

The Rock
Song lyrics, Portrait Gallery (1975)

“The professor must be an obscurantist or he is nothing; he has a special and unmatchable talent for dullness, his central aim is not to expose the truth clearly, but to exhibit his profundity, his esotericity - in brief to stagger sophomores and other professors.”

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H.L. Mencken 281

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