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Superstition Quotes

Browse 331 quotes about Superstition.

Superstition Quotes

“God is our final say in who and what's negative and who and what's positive in our lives. It is best not to have this so over-simplified as the illusioned superstitionists have it; an infinite being's tests may not always be so flowery, and the things we may see as positive are in many cases simply desires of our sinful nature. We are to protect our spirit without falling into the narcissistic mistake of trying to protect our selfish emotions, which the latter, in turn, is more than unlikely to bring peace and happiness. But rather guilt and emptiness. When one walks around constantly, in his mind, attempting to separate positive versus negative people, he is already controlled by something even worse than those he calls the 'negative people', and that is before he spots it soon enough to avoid it as he hypocritically tries to avoid them.”

GodSpiritualJudgmentPositivityNegativityDiscernmentSuperstitionApologeticsHypocritical Illusion
Book:Killosophy
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“Science has never killed or persecuted a single person for doubting or denying its teaching, and most of these teaching have been true; but religion has murdered millions for doubting or denying her dogmas and most of these dogmas have been false. All stories about gods and devils, of heavens and hells, as they do not conform to nature, and are not apparent to sense, should be rejected without consideration. Beyond the universe there is nothing and within the universe the supernatural does not and cannot exist. Of all deceivers who have plagued mankind, none are so deeply ruinous to human happiness as those imposters who pretend to lead by a light above nature. The lips of the dead are closed forever. There comes no voice from the tomb. Christianity is responsible for having cast the fable of eternal fire over almost every grave.”

ScienceNatureHellFireAtheismAtheistDogmaGodsSupernaturalFairy TalesSuperstitionFablesEpitaphThreatsHeavensDevilsHellsEternal TortureStonecutterAtheist Epitaph
Author:Gratis P. Spencer
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“To Laver, Crowley insisted upon magic as "something we do to ourselves," a rational use of one's mental capacities: "It is more convenient to assume the objective existence of an Angel who gives us new knowledge than to allege that our invocation has awakened a supernatural power in ourselves.”

PerceptionMythologyBeliefsSuperstitionBelief SystemsSelf WillRelion
Book:Do What Thou Wilt: A Life of Aleister Crowley
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“An interesting contrast between the geology of the present day and that of half a century ago, is presented by the complete emancipation of the modern geologist from the controlling and perverting influence of theology, all-powerful at the earlier date. As the geologist of my young days wrote, he had one eye upon fact, and the other on Genesis; at present, he wisely keeps both eyes on fact, and ignores the pentateuchal mythology altogether. The publication of the 'Principles of Geology' brought upon its illustrious author a period of social ostracism; the instruction given to our children is based upon those principles. Whewell had the courage to attack Lyell's fundamental assumption (which surely is a dictate of common sense) that we ought to exhaust known causes before seeking for the explanation of geological phenomena in causes of which we have no experience.”

ScienceInfluenceExperienceMythMythologyTheologyCommon SenseScience And ReligionSupernaturalFactSuperstitionGenesisGeologyNaturalismScience Vs ReligionOstracismPentateuchMethodological NaturalismIllustriousCharles LyellLyellBiblical MythologyPrinciples Of Geology
Book:Advance of Science in the Last Half-Century, The
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“In a segment of the Sermon on the Mount, appearing in Matthew 5, Jesus is reported to have set six new teachings of his against six old Jewish teachings. The latter are introduced by such words as 'You have heard that it was said by them of old time' and the former by 'But I say unto you.' Since both the teachings of old time and Jesus' new teachings are predicated on the same profoundly mistaken views of human nature and of the world in general, it is unimportant for us here today to compare and contrast these teachings or to determine which is better or worse in some way or other. The point is that whether better or worse, in this way or that, both are lodged in an egregiously mistaken mythology -- but in a mythology of enormous importance for us, because it is one of the wellsprings of Western culture.”

HumanityNatureImportanceMythMythologyMistakenSuperstition
Author:Delos Banning McKown
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“Pausing for a moment, as I routinely do when crossing one of these bridges, I gazed not down into the dark waters of the canal, but upwards into the night sky. It was those stars, I knew that now. Certain of them had been promised specific parts of my body. In the darkest hours of the night, when one is unusually sensitive to such things, I could—and still can, just barely—feel the force of these stars tugging away at various points, eager for the moment of my death when each of them might carry off that part of me which is theirs by right. Of course a child would misinterpret this experience. And how often I have found that every superstition has its basis in truth.”

StarsDemonsSuperstitionDrapeau
Book:Songs of a Dead Dreamer and Grimscribe
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“Sonnet of Stagnation Stagnated water breeds disease, When in motion it breathes life. Stagnated mind breeds segregation, When in motion it breaks divide. Stagnated air breeds pollution, When in motion it brings rejuvenation. Stagnated ideas breed prejudice, When in motion they bring illumination. We are not a species, we are a family, A stagnated psyche cannot feel its delight. Open your eyes from your rigid sleep, In your vision the world will unite. All animals are bound to live in stagnation. Only human neurons hold the capacity for expansion.”

GrowthProgressIgnorancePrejudiceSonnetBe The ChangeSuperstitionWokeRigidityCivilized Beings
Book:Mucize Insan: When The World is Family
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“All Religions have this in common, that they are an outrage to common sense for they are pieced together out of a variety of elements, some of which seem so unworthy, sordid and at odds with man’s reason, that any strong and vigorous intelligence laughs at them... The human intellect is only capable of tackling mediocre subjects: it disdains petty subjects, and is startled by large ones. There is no reason to be surprised if it finds any religion hard to accept at first, for all are deficient in the mediocre and the commonplace, nor that it should require skill to induce belief. For the strong intellect laughs at religion, while the weak and superstitious mind marvels at it but is easily scandalized by it.”

ReasonIntelligenceCommon SenseTheologianOutrageSuperstitionScandalizeCatholic TheologianCommon Religions
Book:Of wisdome
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“[How "magical charms" work for healing:] [It is Divine Love that heals and cures. But many people have difficulty accessing the full power of Divine Love. So magical charms can act as a permission slip to let Love and faith in, to do the healing.] Ignorant people in their blind faith would accept a piece of wood or stone as their Savior or Divinity in the external creation, for which their heart's natural love will develop till by its energetic tendency it will relieve them of all exciting causes, cool their system down to a normal state, and invograte their vital powers. The adepts, on the other hand, having full control over the whole material world, find their Divinity and Savior in Self and not outside in the external world.”

HealingHealthSuperstitionsSuperstitionSpiritual HealingSpiritual HealthCharmsSpiritual HealerSpiritual Healers
Book:The Holy Science
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“We continue to need exhortations to be sympathetic and just, even if we do not believe that there is a God who has a hand in wishing to make us so. We no longer have to be brought into line by the threat of hell or the promise of paradise; we merely have to be reminded that it is we ourselves -- that is, the most mature and reasonable parts of us (seldom present in the midst of our crises and obsessions) -- who want to lead the sort of life which we once imagined supernatural beings demanded of us. An adequate evolution of morality from superstition to reason should mean recognizing ourselves as the authors of our own moral commandments.”

LifeReasonGodAtheismMoralityMoralsCommandmentsSuperstition
Book:Religion for Atheists: A non-believer's guide to the uses of religion
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“It was sometimes feebly argued, as the political and military war against this enemy ran into difficulties, that it was 'a war without end.' I never saw the point of this plaintive objection. The war against superstition and the totalitarian mentality is an endless war. In protean forms, it is fought and refought in every country and every generation. In bin Ladenism we confront again the awful combination of the highly authoritarian personality with the chaotically nihilist and anarchic one. Temporary victories can be registered against this, but not permanent ones. As Bertold Brecht's character says over the corpse of the terrible Arturo Ui, the bitch that bore him is always in heat. But it is in this struggle that we develop the muscles and sinews that enable us to defend civilization, and the moral courage to name it as something worth fighting for.”

WarTotalitarianismNihilismSuperstitionAl QaedaWar On TerrorAuthoritarianismOsama Bin LadenIslamismWar In Afghanistan 2001Bertold Brecht
Book:The Enemy
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“Burn my friend, burn, Burn so bright that the sun gets fried! Shine my friend, shine, Shine so bright that Rudolf goes blind! Smile my friend, smile, Smile so pure that flowers shy away. Love my friend, love, Love so drunk that Rumi himself lays the way. Fly my friend, fly, Fly so fearless that Tagore himself honors you. Live my friend, live, Live so unchained that time makes gospel of you.”

PrejudiceDiscriminationFearlessHumanistSufismIntoleranceDivine LoveSuperstitionLight WithinSufi Poetry
Book:Dervis Vadisi: 100 Promissory Sonnets
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“I'm not scared of the Maos and the Stalins and the Hitlers. I'm scared of the thousands of millions of people that hallucinate them to be "authority", and so do their bidding, and pay for their empires, and carry out their orders. I don't care if there's one looney with a stupid moustache. He's not a threat if the people do not believe in "authority".”

GovernmentFreedomLibertyLibertarianDelusionAnarchySuperstitionStatismVoluntaryismAncap
Author:Larken Rose
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“Dear Anarcho-Communist, If you and I ever find ourselves in a stateless society, have no fear. Just mention that you are a communist, and I promise I will never try to "oppress" and "exploit" you by offering to trade with you, or by offering to pay you to do work. Sincerely, Larken Rose”

FreedomLibertySocietyLibertarianSocialismCommunismAnarchyCoercionSuperstitionCollectivismStatismVoluntaryismLaissez FaireNon Aggression PrincipleAncapAnarcho CapitalismAncomLibertopia
Author:Larken Rose
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“100 Questions of Life 6. What is perfection? Perfection is imperfections we've made peace with. ... 13. What is nature? Nature is order within chaos. 14. What is order? Order is but friendship with chaos. 15. What is chaos? Chaos is order we are yet to understand. ... 21. What is knowledge? Knowledge is ignorance we've chosen to correct. 22. What is choice? Choice is the fulcrum of freedom. 23. What is freedom? Freedom is the fulcrum of responsibility. 24. What is responsibility? Responsibility is the act of backbone. 25. What is backbone? Backbone is more than a stick to hang your head. 26. What is the head? Head is the mightiest carrier of progress. 27. What is progress? Progress is much more than mere functioning of nuts and bolts. 28. What are nuts and bolts? Nuts and bolts are our greatest defense against unforeseen terrors of nature, on earth and beyond. ... 53. What is heritage? Heritage, in moderation, is an aid to growth, unmoderated, poison. ... 57. What is death? Death is but the fear of life. 58. What is fear? Fear is but memory of our animal past. 59. What is memory? Memory is the fabric of time. 60. What is time? Time is the meaning behind moments. ... 78. What is curiosity? Curiosity is a challenge to superstition. 79. What is superstition? Superstition is nature's antidote to the insecurity of the unknown. 80. What is insecurity? Insecurity is wisdom of the jungle against possible predatory attack. 81. What is wisdom? Wisdom is the result of travel in mind, not in time or space.”

Life LessonsFreedomKnowledgePsychologyProgressMemoryExistentialismInsecuritySuperstitionMental Health Awareness
Book:Rowdy Scientist: Handbook of Humanitarian Science
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“But if God and immortality be repudiated, what is left? That is the question usually thrown at the atheist's head. The orthodox believer likes to think that nothing is left. That, however, is because he has only been accustomed to think in terms of his orthodoxy. In point of fact, a great deal is left. That is immediately obvious from the fact that many men and women have led active, or self-sacrificing, or noble, or devoted lives without any belief in God or immortality. Buddhism in its uncorrupted form has no such belief; nor did the great nineteenth-century agnostics; nor do the orthodox Russian Communists; nor did the Stoics. Of course, the unbelievers have often been guilty of selfish or wicked actions; but so have the believers. And in any case that is not the fundamental point. The point: is that without these beliefs men and women may yet possess the mainspring of full and purposive living, and just as strong a sense that existence can be worth while as is possible to the most devout believers.”

GodPurposeBeliefBuddhismAtheistNobleDevotionMeaningImmortalityMeaning Of LifePurpose Of LifeSuperstitionAgnosticsCommunistsStoics
Book:Man in the Modern World
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“Rini moved in to kiss him, but on his cheek. She gave him two pecks on his right cheek and one more on his left, which caused him to blush. “Three kisses, huh?” She beamed at him and nodded when she explained, “Fo’ Faith, Hope, an’ Charity.”

LoveRomanceFaithHopeCharityKissJason MedinaSuperstitionSuperstitiousKissesBlushingVoodooTribal PublicationsTribal Publications IncA Ghost In New OrleansBlushRiniRay DuranteVoo DooAnd CharityBeamedFor FaithThree Kisses
Book:A Ghost In New Orleans
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“As Sandy and his wife warmed to the tale, one tripping up another in their eagerness to tell everything, it gradually developed as distinct a superstition as I ever heard, and not without poetry and pathos. How long it was since the voice had been heard first, nobody could tell with certainty. Jarvis's opinion was that his father, who had been coachman at Brentwood before him, had never heard anything about it, and that the whole thing had arisen within the last ten years, since the complete dismantling of the old house: which was a wonderfully modern date for a tale so well authenticated. According to these witnesses, and to several whom I questioned afterwards, and who were all in perfect agreement, it was only in the months of November and December that "the visitation" occurred. During these months, the darkest of the year, scarcely a night passed without the recurrence of these inexplicable cries. Nothing, it was said, had ever been seen - at least nothing that could be identified. Some people, bolder or more imaginative than the others, had seen the darkness moving, Mrs Jarvis said with unconscious poetry. ("The Open Door")”

DarknessGhostHauntingSuperstition
Book:The Gentlewomen of Evil: An Anthology of Rare Supernatural Stories from the Pens of Victorian Ladies
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