John C. Lilly Quotes

#1. The experienced, wise, energetic, intelligent individual functioning in a loose coalition with others in a wide network is far more effective than he is in a tightly organized group.

John C. Lilly

#2. I have explored and have voluntarily entered into domains forbidden by a large fraction of those in our culture who are not curious, are not explorative and are not mentally equipped to enter these domains.

John C. Lilly

#3. Cosmic Love is absolutely Ruthless and Highly Indifferent: it teaches its lessons whether you like/dislike them or not.

John C. Lilly

#4. In the province of the mind, there are no limits.

John C. Lilly

#5. The fear that the universe is not what you assume it to be is very basic, especially when you know damn well it isn't what you assume it to be.

John C. Lilly

#6. I believe in our culture we need certain socially accepted places where we don't answer the telephone, we don't have to answer questions or agree with anyone on anything

John C. Lilly

#7. You don't have to suffer continual chaos in order to grow.

John C. Lilly

#8. As I say at the beginning of my workshops, 'Everything I say here is a lie
bullshit, in other words
because anything that you put in words is not experience, is not the experiment. It's a representation
a misrepresentation.

John C. Lilly

#9. All human beings, all persons who reach adulthood in the world today are programmed biocomputers. No one of us can escape our own nature as programmable entities. Literally, each of us may be our programs, nothing more, nothing less.

John C. Lilly

#10. For when it starts feeling like a prison in there - and it usually does for most people - you are confronted with the fact that the bars are of your own making.

John C. Lilly

#11. In the centre of the cyclone one is off the wheel of Karma, of life, rising to join the Creators of the Universe, the Creators of us. Here we find that we have created Them who are Us.

John C. Lilly

#12. I feel that I am merely an agent, giving you some keys that have been given to me to pass on to you. These keys are to unlock doors out of your present prison. Doors opening onto new vistas. Doors beyond where you are now.

John C. Lilly

#13. All laws are simulations of reality.

John C. Lilly

#14. As the LSD began to take effect, I suddenly said in a very loud voice, while pounding on top of a file, "Every psychiatrist, every psychoanalyst should be forced to take LSD in order to know what is over here."

John C. Lilly