To sum up: 1. The cosmos is a gigantic fly-wheel making 10, 000 revolutions a minute. 2. Man is a sick fly taking a dizzy ride on it. 3. Religion is the theory that the wheel was designed and set spinning to give him the ride.
Source: Coda, in Smart Set (New York, Dec. 1920; repr. in A Mencken Chrestomathy, pt. 1, 1949).
-- H L Mencken, (Sep 12 1880-1956), US editor, satirist; He is known for his biting satire, insults, and debunking in The American Mercury, 1924-33.