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.
I am not an Athenian or a Greek, but a citizen of the world.
Individual potential of life is cosmic potential. Individual is divine deep inside. Transcendental experience awakens that divinity in man. And when you kill a man you deprive him of that birthright of it.
Our emphasis here is based not only on the growing seriousness of drug-related crimes, but also on the belief that relieving our police and our courts from having to fight losing battles against drug use will enable their energies and facilities to be devoted more fully to combating other forms of crime.
I'm Gentleman Death in silk and lace, come to put out the candles. The canker in the heart of the rose.
He that hath wife and children hath given hostages to fortune; for they are impediments to great enterprises, either of virtue or mischief.
Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 153
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