The worshiper is the father of the gods.
Interpretation
This quote suggests that belief and reverence shape our understanding of divinity.
H. L. Mencken's quote, 'The worshiper is the father of the gods,' implies that the concept of God or gods is not inherent and absolute, but rather a product of human perception and devotion. It highlights the idea that the nature of deities is formed and influenced by the beliefs and faith of those who worship them, essentially suggesting that the divine is a reflection of human values and aspirations.
In practice
In a philosophical discussion about the nature of belief systems.
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.
The sick do not ask if the hand that smoothes their pillow is pure, nor the dying care if the lips that touch their brow have known the kiss of sin.
People talk to people who perceive nothing, who have open eyes and see nothing; they shall talk to them and receive no answer; they shall adore those who have ears and hear nothing; they shall burn lamps for those who do not see.
No matter what side of the argument you are on, you always find people on your side that you wish were on the other.
The worst thing that can happen in a democracy - as well as in an individual's life - is to become cynical about the future and lose hope.
People can only live fully by helping others to live. When you give life to friends you truly live. Cultures can only realize their further richness by honoring other traditions. And only by respecting natural life can humanity continue to exist.
I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.