Nine times out of ten, in the arts as in life, there is actually

H. L. Mencken, the fierce critic and relentless examiner of society, once declared: “Nine times out of ten, in the arts as in life, there is actually no truth to be discovered; there is only error to be exposed.” These words are as sharp as a sword and as unsettling as a storm. For they remind us that the human search for truth is often not the unveiling of some shining ideal, but the steady, painful work of uncovering falsehood. Mencken, with his characteristic wit, teaches that progress is not so much the grasping of perfect truth as it is the stripping away of the many layers of error that deceive us.

The origin of this thought lies in Mencken’s lifelong skepticism. He saw that men are quick to proclaim absolute truths—about politics, religion, art, and society—but these declarations are often illusions. What advances our understanding, whether in science, philosophy, or art, is less the possession of eternal truth than the exposure of falsehood. Thus, he warns us not to be naïve: to seek truth is noble, but in most cases, what we find is error unmasked. Yet even this unmasking is a form of progress, for by knowing what is false, we come closer to what is real.

History bears out his claim. Consider the long struggle of medicine. For centuries, doctors clung to the false belief in humors, bleeding patients to cure illness. The great leap forward was not the discovery of every medical truth at once, but the rejection of error after error. When Pasteur exposed the falsehood of “spontaneous generation,” science advanced. When Semmelweis revealed the error of neglecting hygiene, countless lives were saved. Each step was less about possessing the whole of truth than about casting aside error that blinded mankind.

So too in the arts. Writers, painters, and musicians often change the course of history not by delivering final truths but by shattering illusions. The Impressionists defied the rigid traditions of academic art, exposing the error of believing there was only one way to paint. Modernists like James Joyce revealed the error of thinking that novels must follow strict linear plots. These creators did not claim to reveal the final truth of beauty or literature; instead, they cleared away the errors of convention, leaving space for new visions to grow.

Mencken’s saying also carries a warning for our personal lives. Too often, we search for some perfect truth about who we are, why we suffer, or what we must become. Yet perhaps the greater wisdom is not to seize a single truth, but to gradually let go of the lies we have been taught: lies about our worth, our limits, our divisions. Each falsehood stripped away brings us nearer to freedom. The work of the soul, then, is not to hoard perfect answers, but to humbly expose the errors that bind us.

The lesson for us is profound: do not despair when truth seems distant. Instead, take courage in the smaller victories of unmasking falsehood. If you cannot discover all, you can at least discard what is not real. A single error removed from your heart or your community brings you closer to clarity than a hundred false “truths” embraced. Progress is not perfection—it is liberation from deception, one chain broken at a time.

Practically, this means cultivating a spirit of discernment. Question boldly. Do not accept claims without testing them. In your work, your relationships, and your beliefs, ask: “What here is error? What illusion must be stripped away?” Celebrate not only the grand discoveries, but also the simple exposures of falsehood. For every illusion unmasked strengthens the foundation upon which truth may one day stand.

Thus, Mencken’s words endure as a torch in the fog: there is no truth to be discovered, only error to be exposed. This is not a counsel of despair, but of courage. It calls us to the lifelong labor of peeling away deception, whether in science, in art, or in our own hearts. Let us then take up this work with humility and patience, for though the journey may never yield the whole of truth, it will free us from the prison of error—and that freedom is itself a priceless gift.