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Aleister Crowley Quotes

Poet

Aleister Crowley, a British poet, mystic, and writer, was born on October 12, 1875, and died on December 1, 1947. He is known for his poetic works and mystical practices, and is considered one of the most controversial figures of the 20th century.

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All Thelema Men People Ifs Law Universe Knows Way 1909 Magic

Famous Aleister Crowley Quotes

“The sot drinks, and is drunken: the coward drinks not, and shivers: the wise man, brave and free, drinks, and gives glory to the Most High God.”

Men Giving Wise Drink Glory Brave Coward Shiver

Book:The Equinox Vol. 3. No. 1.

Source: The Equinox Vol. 3. No. 1.

“It will be seen that the formula - 'Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law' has nothing to do with 'Do as you please.' It is much more difficult to comply with the Law of Thelema than to follow out slavishly a set of dead regulations.”

Whole Law Difficult Please Formulas Regulation Thelema

Book:Eight Lectures on Yoga

Source: Eight Lectures on Yoga

“This serpent, SATAN, is not the enemy of Man, but He who made Gods of our race, knowing Good and Evil; He bade 'Know Thyself!' and taught Initiation.”

Knows Men Made Evil Race Enemy Knowing Taught Satan Good And Evil Thyself Know Thyself Serpent Initiation Emblems

Book:Magick: In Theory and Practice

Source: Magick: In Theory and Practice

“The absolute rule of the state shall be a function of the absolute liberty of each individual will.”

States Individual Liberty Function Absolutes

Book:The Book of Law and The Book of Lies

Source: The Book of Law and The Book of Lies

“All questions of the Law are to be decided only by appeal to my writings, each for himself”

Writing Law Decided Appeals Thelema

Book:The Equinox Vol. 1. No. 10.

Source: The Equinox Vol. 1. No. 10.

“I was in the death struggle with self: God and Satan fought for my soul those three long hours. God conquered — now I have only one doubt left — which of the twain was God?”

Long Soul Self Three Left Hours Struggle Doubt My Soul Satan Long Hours

Book:The Works of Aleister Crowley

Source: The Works of Aleister Crowley

“The average man cannot believe that an artist may be as serious and highminded an observer of life as the professed man of science.”

Men Believe May Artist Serious Average Observers Average Man

Author:Aleister Crowley

“Those magicians who object to the use of blood, have endeavored to replace it with incense. But, the bloody sacrifice, though more dangerous, is more efficacious. And for nearly all purposes, human sacrifice is the best.”

Humans Use Purpose Sacrifice Blood Dangerous Objects Bloody Magician Incense

Book:Magick: In Theory and Practice

Source: Magick: In Theory and Practice

“There is no grace: there is no guilt: This is the Law: DO WHAT THOU WILT!”

Law Grace Guilt

Book:The Commentaries of AL: Being the Equinox Volume V, No. 1

Source: The Commentaries of AL: Being the Equinox Volume V, No. 1

“Ever man is eternally alone. But when you get mixed up with a fairly decent crowd, you forget that appalling fact for long enough to give your brain time to recover from the acute symptoms of its disease - that of thinking.”

Thinking Men Giving Long Enough Facts Forget Brain Disease Crowds Decent Symptoms

Book:The Diary of a Drug Fiend

Source: The Diary of a Drug Fiend

“I have been accused of being a ‘black magician.’ No more foolish statement was ever made about me. I despise the thing to such an extent that I can hardly believe in the existence of people so debased and idiotic as to practice it.”

People Believe Has Beens Made I Can Black Existence Practice Foolish Statements Despise Accused Magician Idiotic Black Magic

Author:Aleister Crowley

“To use legal or financial constraint to compel either abstention or submission, is entirely horrible, unnatural and absurd.”

Use Financial Horrible Absurd Submission Constraints Unnatural Thelema Abstention

Book:The Commentaries of AL: Being the Equinox Volume V, No. 1

Source: The Commentaries of AL: Being the Equinox Volume V, No. 1

“A burnt child dreads the fire.”

Children Fire Dread

Book:The Equinox Vol. 1. No. 5.

Source: The Equinox Vol. 1. No. 5.

“A man who is doing his True Will has the inertia of the Universe to assist him.”

Men Universe Inertia

Book:Magick: In Theory and Practice

Source: Magick: In Theory and Practice

“One must find out for oneself, and make sure beyond doubt, 'who' one is, 'what' one is, 'why' one is... Being thus conscious of the proper course to pursue, the next thing is to understand the conditions necessary to following it out. After that, one must eliminate from oneself every element alien or hostile to success, and develop those parts of oneself which are specially needed to control the aforesaid conditions.”

Courses Next Doubt Conditions Needed Elements Conscious Oneself Following Pursue Aliens Hostile

Book:Magick: In Theory and Practice

Source: Magick: In Theory and Practice

“I admit that my visions can never mean to other men as much as they do to me. I do not regret this. All I ask is that my results should convince seekers after truth that there is beyond doubt something worth while seeking, attainable by methods more or less like mine. I do not want to father a flock, to be the fetish of fools and fanatics, or the founder of a faith whose followers are content to echo my opinions. I want each man to cut his own way through the jungle.”

Men Way Want Should Mean Asks Father Results Vision Opinion Doubt Cutting Mines Regret Fool Method Seeking Convince Followers Founders Echoes Jungle Seekers Fanatics Flocks Fetish Thelema

Author:Aleister Crowley

“There is no part of me that is not of the Gods.”

Thelema

Book:The Equinox Vol. 1. No. 3.

Source: The Equinox Vol. 1. No. 3.

“I did not hate God or Christ, but merely the God and Christ of the people whom I hated.”

People Hate Christ I Hate Hated Hate God

Author:Aleister Crowley

“It would be unwise to condemn as irrational the practice of devouring the heart and liver of an adversary while yet warm. For the highest spiritual working one must choose that victim which contains the greatest and purest force; a male child of perfect innocence and high intelligence is the most satisfactory.”

Heart Children Would Be Spiritual Force Perfect Practice Highest Victim Males Warm Innocence Irrational Adversaries Liver Unwise Devouring

Author:Aleister Crowley

“The word of Sin is Restriction”

Sin Restriction

Book:The Equinox Vol. 3. No. 1.

Source: The Equinox Vol. 3. No. 1.

“I will interpret every phenomenon as a particular dealing of God with my soul”

Soul Particular My Soul Phenomenon

Book:Mysticism & Magick

Source: Mysticism & Magick

“There is a single main definition of the object of all magical Ritual. It is the uniting of the Microcosm with the Macrocosm. The Supreme and Complete Ritual is therefore the Invocation of the Holy Guardian Angel; or, in the language of Mysticism, Union with God.”

Language Magic Objects Holy Angel Unions Definitions Supreme Mysticism Ritual Guardian Guardian Angel Uniting Microcosm Invocation

Book:Magick in Theory and Practice

Source: Magick in Theory and Practice

“It is necessary that we stop, once for all, this ignorant meddling with other people's business. Each individual must be left free to follow his own path.”

People Individual Left Path Ignorant Meddling

Book:The Commentaries of AL: Being the Equinox Volume V, No. 1

Source: The Commentaries of AL: Being the Equinox Volume V, No. 1

“Sex is the sacred song of the soul; Sex is the sanctuary of Self.”

Soul Self Song Sex Sacred Sanctuary Thelema

Author:Aleister Crowley

“I do not want to father a flock, to be the fetish of fools and fanatics or the founder of a faith whose followers are content to echo my opinions. I want each man to cut his own way through the jungle.”

Men Way Want Father Opinion Cutting Fool Followers Founders Echoes Jungle Fanatics Flocks Fetish Thelema

Author:Aleister Crowley

“Invoke often! Inflame thyself with prayer!”

Prayer Thyself Invoke

Author:Aleister Crowley

“They look for a victim to chivy, and howl him down, and finally lynch him in a sheer storm of sexual frenzy which they honestly imagine to be moral indignation, patriotic passion or some equally allowable emotion, it may be an innocent Negro, a Jew like Leo Frank, a harmless half-witted German; a Christ-like idealist of the type of Debs, an enthusiastic reformer like Emma Goldman.”

“Tell the truth, but lead so improbable a life that the truth will never be believed.”

Truth Telling The Truth Improbable

Book:Konx Om Pax: Essays in Light

Source: Konx Om Pax: Essays in Light

“Astrology has no more useful function than this, to discover the inmost nature of a man and to bring it out into his consciousness, that he may fulfil it according to the law of light.”

Men May Light Law Consciousness Function Astrology

Book:The Complete Astrological Writings

Source: The Complete Astrological Writings

“There is only one really safe, mild, harmless beverage and you can drink as much of that as you like without running the slightest risk, and what you say when you want it is, 'Garcon! Un Pernod!'”

Want Running Risk Drink Safe Alcohol Alcoholism Beverages

Author:Aleister Crowley

“The Quest of the Holy Grail, the Search for the Stone of the Philosophers-by whatever name we choose to call the Great Work-is therefore endless. Success only opens up new avenues of brilliant possibility.”

Names Possibility Holy Stones Philosopher Brilliant Endless Quests Great Work Avenues Playgrounds Holy Grail

Book:Little Essays Toward Truth

Source: Little Essays Toward Truth

“The Holy Guardian Angel is the spiritual Sun of the Soul of the Adept.”

Soul Spiritual Sun Holy Angel Guardian Guardian Angel Adept

Author:Aleister Crowley

“Imagine listening to Beethoven with the prepossession that C is a good note and F a bad one; yet this is exactly the stand point from which all uninitiates contemplate the universe. Obviously, they miss the music.”

Universe Imagine Missing Listening Notes Contemplating

Author:Aleister Crowley

“This Universe is a wild revel of atoms, men, and stars, each one a Soul of Light and Mirth, horsed on Eternity.”

Men Soul Light Universe Stars Eternity Atoms Mirth

Book:The Commentaries of AL: Being the Equinox Volume V, No. 1

Source: The Commentaries of AL: Being the Equinox Volume V, No. 1

“Unspeakable is the variety of form and immeasurable the diversity of beauty, but in all is the seal of unity.”

Form Diversity Unity Variety Seals Unspeakable

Book:The Commentaries of AL: Being the Equinox Volume V, No. 1

Source: The Commentaries of AL: Being the Equinox Volume V, No. 1

“Repeal all laws which assume that mankind is a herd of cattle”

Law Mankind Assuming Herds Cattle

Author:Aleister Crowley

“May the New Year bring you courage to break your resolutions early!”

Source: Moonchild

“Magick is the Science of understanding oneself and one's conditions. It is the Art of applying that understanding in action.”

Art Action Understanding Conditions Oneself

Book:Magick: In Theory and Practice

Source: Magick: In Theory and Practice

“Love is the only principle which makes life tolerable.”

Love Is Principles Tolerable

Author:Aleister Crowley

“The customer is usually wrong, but statistics indicate that it doesn't pay to tell him so”

Pay Customers Statistics

Author:Aleister Crowley

“Fortunately we have learnt to combine these ideas, not in the mutual toleration of sub-contraries, but in the affirmation of contraries, that transcending of the laws of intellect which is madness in the ordinary man, genius in the Overman who hath arrived to strike off more fetters from our understanding.”

Men Ideas Law Understanding Genius Ordinary Madness Intellect Strikes Contrary Mutual Affirmation Intriguing Ordinary Man Toleration Fetters Transcending

Book:777 revised: vel, Prolegomena symbolica ad systemam sceptico-mysticae viae explicandae, fundamentum hieroglyphicum sanctissimorum scientiae summae

Source: 777 revised: vel, Prolegomena symbolica ad systemam sceptico-mysticae viae explicandae, fundamentum hieroglyphicum sanctissimorum scientiae summae

“The Devil' is, historically, the God of any people that one personally dislikes... This serpent, SATAN, is not the enemy of Man, but He who made Gods of our race, knowing Good and Evil; He bade 'Know Thyself!' and taught Initiation. He is 'The Devil' of the Book of Thoth, and His emblem is BAPHOMET, the Androgyne who is the hieroglyph of arcane perfection... He is therefore Life, and Love.”