Drugs Quote by Aldous Huxley
““There was a thing called Heaven; but all the same they used to drink enormous quantities of alcohol." ... "There was a thing called the soul and a thing called immortality." ... "But they used to take morphia and cocaine." ... "Two thousand pharmacologists and biochemists were subsidized in A.F. 178." ... "Six years later it was being produced commercially. The perfect drug." ... "Euphoric, narcotic, pleasantly hallucinant." ... "All the advantages of Christianity and alcohol; none of their defects." ... "Take a holiday from reality whenever you like, and come back without so much as a headache or a mythology." ... "Stability was practically assured.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Brave New World Revisited, 1958
Huxley satirically describes a synthetic drug that promises spiritual bliss without moral cost, critiquing the pursuit of artificial transcendence.
In simple terms: A fake drug promises bliss without drawbacks.
Key Takeaway
Beware of shortcuts to meaning.
Themes
technology
spirituality
addiction
societal critique
Mood
cynical
skeptical
reflective
Type
satirical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- personal escapism
- pharmaceutical marketing
- modern spirituality
- drug policy debates
Key Concepts
philosophy
synthetic euphoria
religious parody
Questions to Reflect On
- What does it mean to seek transcendence through chemicals?
- Can artificial bliss replace authentic experience?
A Different Perspective
The drug’s promised perfection ignores hidden harms and dependence.
