1. Terence McKenna
“Nature loves courage. You make the commitment and nature will respond to that commitment by removing impossible obstacles. Dream the impossible dream and the world will not grind you under, it will lift you up.”
Context: McKenna, an ethnobotanist and psychonaut, often spoke about the transformative power of psychedelics and human imagination. This quote reflects his belief that psychedelics can inspire bold action and creativity, aligning individuals with the natural flow of life. For a deeper dive into McKenna’s mind, check out this YouTube interview.
2. Aldous Huxley
“There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception.”
Context: From Huxley’s book “The Doors of Perception” (1954), where he documents his experiences with mescaline. This quote encapsulates his view that psychedelics allow humans to glimpse deeper realities beyond ordinary perception, challenging the limits of human understanding. The phrase inspired the name of the rock band The Doors.
These quotes capture the diversity of thought and inspiration that psychedelics have sparked across disciplines like psychology, spirituality, and science.
3. Stanislav Grof
“Psychedelics, used responsibly and with proper caution, would be for psychiatry what the microscope is for biology and medicine or the telescope is for astronomy.”
Context: Grof, a Czech psychiatrist and researcher, has extensively studied the therapeutic potential of psychedelics (mainly LSD). This quote highlights his belief that psychedelics offer a powerful tool for exploring the human psyche and understanding mental health. Grof was also the pioneer of holotropic breathwork, used to entered altered states of consciousness, once it became illegal to use LSD.
4. Ram Dass (Richard Alpert)
“The game is not about becoming somebody, it’s about becoming nobody.”
Context: Ram Dass, once a colleague of Timothy Leary at Harvard, shifted from studying psychedelics to exploring spiritual practices after his experiences with psilocybin and LSD. This quote reflects his understanding of ego dissolution, a common effect of psychedelics, and its role in achieving a deeper connection with the universe.
5. Alexander Shulgin
“What is most important about psychedelics is not the psychedelic experience itself but what you do with it afterward.”
Context: Shulgin (deemed the “godfather of ecstacy”), a chemist who synthesized and tested hundreds of psychedelic compounds, emphasizes the importance of integration—using insights gained during a psychedelic experience to bring meaningful change to one’s life.
6. Michael Pollan
“Psychedelics are a profound mystery. What they do to the brain is extraordinary, and they are giving us a tool to better understand how the brain works and, more importantly, how the mind works.”
Context: From Pollan’s book “How to Change Your Mind” (2018), which explores the resurgence of scientific interest in psychedelics. Pollan, a journalist, advocates for understanding psychedelics not just as substances but as tools for uncovering the mysteries of human consciousness.
7. Dennis McKenna
“Plants and fungi are the original alchemists. They transform sunlight into life.”
Context: Dennis McKenna, brother of Terence McKenna, is an ethnopharmacologist who studies plant-based psychedelics. This quote reflects his awe for nature’s ingenuity and the sacred role of plants and fungi in human consciousness.
8. Albert Hofmann
“LSD is just a tool to turn us into what we are supposed to be.”
Context: Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who discovered LSD, believed it could help humans achieve self-actualization and greater understanding. While he warned against misuse, he saw psychedelics as a means of aligning with one’s true nature.
9. Timothy Leary
“Turn on, tune in, drop out.”
Context: Timothy Leary was a controversial proponent of psychedelics in the 1960s. He was a Harvard psychologist who coined this phrase during a speech at the Human Be-In in 1967. It became a countercultural slogan advocating for self-awareness and personal transformation through psychedelics. Leary suggested “turning on” to higher states of consciousness, “tuning in” to one’s inner self and community, and “dropping out” of conventional societal norms. Though his benefit to the psychedelic movement has been questioned in the time since, this is arguably the most widely-known psychedelic quote.
These quotes capture the diversity of thought and inspiration that psychedelics have sparked across disciplines like psychology, spirituality, and science.
