"Democracy is also a form of worship. It is the worship of Jackals by Jackasses"

H. L. Mencken was known for his biting wit and skepticism toward mass political movements, and his statement about democracy as a "form of worship" reveals a deep pessimism about both the governors and the governed. By calling democracy a form of worship, Mencken suggests that the democratic process is endowed with a kind of reverence or unquestioning loyalty, akin to religious veneration. Rather than being guided by reason or an earnest search for truth and justice, democratic societies raise political figures to a level of near-sacred authority, regardless of their virtues or intelligence.

The phrase "worship of Jackals by Jackasses" is a sardonic insult aimed at both leaders and the public. Referring to the leaders as "Jackals" implies that those who attain power in democratic systems are often cunning, predatory, and self-serving. Rather than being noble statesmen, they behave like scavengers, taking advantage of the weaknesses and follies of the populace. On the other side, labeling voters as "Jackasses" (a slang word for donkeys and a derogatory term for foolishness) paints the public as credulous, stubborn, and intellectually limited. Mencken thus casts doubt on the collective wisdom of the masses, suggesting that their poor judgment enables the worst sort of people to rule.

Mencken’s observation taps into a broader distrust of majority rule, a theme that runs through much of his work. He sees in democracy not the triumph of liberty or reason, but a perpetual exchange of mediocrities, those least fit to lead elevated by those least fit to judge. Far from being an advance in human governance, democratic rituals and elections are likened to a misplaced, even destructive, faith. In the end, Mencken’s quip underscores a conviction that, left to itself, democracy produces little but a cycle of folly, where neither leaders nor followers are worthy of the reverence they mutually bestow.