“Human society as a whole is a vast brainwashing machine whose semantic rules and sex roles create a social robot.”
― Robert Anton Wilson, quote from Prometheus Rising
“When we meet somebody whose separate tunnel-reality is obviously far different from ours, we are a bit frightened and always disoriented. We tend to think they are mad, or that they are crooks trying to con us in some way, or that they are hoaxers playing a joke. Yet it is neurologically obvious that no two brains have the same genetically-programmed hard wiring, the same imprints, the same conditioning, the same learning experiences. We are all living in separate realities. That is why communication fails so often, and misunderstandings and resentments are so common. I say "meow" and you say "Bow-wow," and each of us is convinced the other is a bit dumb.”
― Robert Anton Wilson, quote from Prometheus Rising
“The easiest way to get brainwashed is to be born. All of the above principles then immediately go into action, a process which social psychologists euphemistically call socialization.”
― Robert Anton Wilson, quote from Prometheus Rising
“All that we "know" is what registers on our brains, so what you perceive (your individual reality-tunnel) is made up of nothing but thoughts—as Sir Humphrey Davy noted when self-experimenting with nitrous oxide in 1819, and as Buddha noticed by sitting alone until all his social imprints atrophied and dropped away.”
― Robert Anton Wilson, quote from Prometheus Rising
“In summary, Intelligence Intensification is desirable, because there is not a single problem confronting humanity that is not either caused or considerably worsened by the prevailing stupidity (insensitivity) of the species: badly wired robots bumping into and maiming and killing each other.”
― Robert Anton Wilson, quote from Prometheus Rising
“Nothing in this book is an attempt to prevent the really resolute misery addicts from continuing their pursuit of frustration and failure.”
― Robert Anton Wilson, quote from Prometheus Rising
“There is a Zen story (very funny — ha-ha) about a monk who, having failed to achieve “enlightenment” (brain-change) through the normal Zen methods, was told by his teacher to think of nothing but an ox. Day after day after day, the monk thought of the ox, visualized the ox, meditated on the ox. Finally, one day, the teacher came to the monk’s cell and said, “Come out here — I want to talk to you.” “I can’t get out,” the monk said. “My horns won’t fit through the door.” I can’t get out . . . At these words, the monk was “enlightened.” Never mind what “enlightenment” means, right now. The monk went through some species of brain change, obviously. He had developed the delusion that he was an ox, and awakening from that hypnoidal state he saw through the mechanism of all other delusions and how they robotize us. EXERCIZES”
― Robert Anton Wilson, quote from Prometheus Rising
“As Dr. Leonard Orr has noted, the human mind behaves as if it were divided into two parts, the Thinker and the Prover.
The Thinker can think about virtually anything.
(...) The Prover is a much simpler mechanism. It operates on one law only: Whatever the Thinker thinks, the Prover proves. To cite a notorious example which unleashed incredible horrors earlier in this century, if the Thinker thinks that all Jews are rich, the Prover will prove it. It will find evidence that the poorest Jew in the most run-down ghetto has hidden money somewhere. Similarly, Feminists are able to believe that all men, including the starving wretches who live and sleep on the streets, are exploiting all women, including the Queen of England.”
― Robert Anton Wilson, quote from Prometheus Rising
“If I am so fortunate as to be listening to the Hammerklavier sonata, the only correct answer, if you ask me suddenly, "Who are you?" would be to hum the Hammerklavier.”
― Robert Anton Wilson, quote from Prometheus Rising
Robert Anton Wilson
Born place: in Brooklyn, New York, The United States
Born date January 18, 1932
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“Nothing on the face of this earth - and I do mean nothing - is half so dangerous as a children's story that happens to be real...”
― Barry Hughart, quote from Bridge of Birds
“Everybody works . . . . That's what life is. Work and a little play and a lot of prayer.”
― Susan Vreeland, quote from Girl in Hyacinth Blue
“Remain true to yourself, child. If you know your own heart, you will always have one friend who does not lie.”
― Marion Zimmer Bradley, quote from The Forest House
“Your extensive travels must have been fatiguing," Zakath said in that same flat tone, "particularly for the ladies. I'll see to it that your return journey to Mal Zeth is made in easy stages."
"Your Majesty is very kind, but we're not going back to Mal Zeth."
"You're wrong, Belgarion. You are going back to Mal Zeth."
"Sorry, I've got a pressing engagement elsewhere."
"I'll convey your regrets to Zandramas when I see her."
"I'm sure she'd be overjoyed to hear that I'm not coming."
"Not for very long, she won't. I fully intent to have her burned as a witch."
"Good luck, your Majesty, but I don't think you'll find that she's very combustible.”
― David Eddings, quote from Sorceress of Darshiva
“Ci sono momenti così, crediamo nell’importanza di ciò che abbiamo detto o scritto fino a quel punto, soltanto perché non è stato possibile far tacere i suoni o cancellare i tratti, ma ci entra nel corpo la tentazione del silenzio, il fascino dell’immobilità, stare come stanno gli déi, zitti e tranquilli, solo ad assistere.”
― José Saramago, quote from The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis
The Lost Garden
Hard as It Gets
Ramona
Against All Odds
Dark TideBookQuoters is a community of passionate readers who enjoy sharing the most meaningful, memorable and interesting quotes from great books. As the world communicates more and more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become more relevant and important. For some of us a quote becomes a mantra, a goal or a philosophy by which we live. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book and to carry with us the author’s best ideas.
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