Timothy Leary

LSD advocate, turn on tune in drop out

Contemporary weird famous 129 sayings

Sayings by Timothy Leary

I see myself as a midwife to the future.

1980s-1990s — A more nurturing and facilitative self-image, contrasting with 'provocateur'.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

Question authority, and think for yourself.

1960s-1970s — A core message of the counterculture, which he heavily promoted.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The game is over, the game has just begun.

1970s-1980s — A paradox, often suggesting the end of one phase and the start of another.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

Drop out of school before your mind rots from exposure to our mediocre educational system. Go to the library and educate yourself if you don't have the guts to go out into the world.

1970s — A highly controversial and radical call for self-education and rejection of institutional learning.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

My goal is to accelerate the evolution of consciousness.

1960s-1990s — A grand, overarching statement of his life's mission.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

You're only as young as the last time you changed your mind.

1980s-1990s — A quote emphasizing intellectual flexibility and continuous growth.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

I've been dead for years, I just haven't been buried yet.

1990s — A morbid and darkly humorous reflection on his life and public perception, especially during his lat…
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The purpose of life is to find your own purpose.

1960s-1970s — A self-referential and empowering philosophical statement.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

I am a scientist. I am an artist. I am a philosopher. I am a guru. I am a joker. I am a cosmic prankster. I am a cybernetic philosopher. I am a data-flow guru. I am a performance artist. I am a stand-up philosopher. I am a cheerleader for evolution. I am a midwife to the future.

1980s-1990s — A self-description compiling many of his various roles and identities, showing the breadth and eccen…
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The universe is an intelligence test.

1960s — From his book "The Psychedelic Experience"
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

Turn on, tune in, drop out.

1960s — Slogan for the counterculture
Strange & Unusual Confirmed

If you want to change your mind, change your brain.

1960s — On the nature of consciousness
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The psychedelic experience is a religious sacrament.

1960s — On the nature of LSD
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The most important thing you can do is to define your own reality. Create your own reality, because if you don't, others will create it for you.

1980s — Interview
Controversial Unverifiable

Turn on, tune in, drop out. These three instructions are not a command, they're a suggestion. A statement about a new freedom.

1964 — The Psychedelic Experience (book), Introduction
Controversial Unverifiable

You are a god. You are an infinite being. You are the universe.

1990s — Interview
Controversial Unverifiable

If you don't like what's going on, you have a moral obligation to change it.

1960s — Lecture
Controversial Unverifiable

I think drug use is a civil liberty. It's a personal decision.

1980s — Interview
Controversial Unverifiable

The aim of the game is to get high, and stay high.

1960s — Interview
Controversial Unverifiable

Women are the most reliable judges of character, and especially of male character. They have a built-in lie detector.

1980s — Interview
Controversial Unverifiable