--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Imagine listening to Beethoven with the…" description: "\"Imagine listening to Beethoven with the prepossession that C is a good note and F a bad one; yet this is exactly the stand point from which all uniniti..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/986/aleister-crowley-1100_beethoven_imagine-listening-to-beethoven-with-the_2916280.jpg" --- # Imagine listening to Beethoven with the prepossession that… ![“Imagine listening to Beethoven with the prepossession that C is a good note and F a bad one; yet this is exactly the stand point from which all uninitiates contemplate the universe. Obviously, they miss the music.” quote by Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/986/aleister-crowley-1100_beethoven_imagine-listening-to-beethoven-with-the_2916280.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/986/aleister-crowley-1100_beethoven_imagine-listening-to-beethoven-with-the_2916280.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/986/aleister-crowley-1100_beethoven_imagine-listening-to-beethoven-with-the_2916280.jpg) > “Imagine listening to Beethoven with the prepossession that C is a good note and F a bad one; yet this is exactly the stand point from which all uninitiates contemplate the universe. Obviously, they miss the music.” [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Listening to music with preconceived notions blinds one to its true nature. **In simple terms:** Prejudices block true appreciation. Key Takeaway Question your assumptions before judging. Themes music prejudice perception Mood reflective critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - listening to classics - learning new subjects - debates - teaching Key Concepts aesthetics open‑mindedness Questions to Reflect On - How do biases affect learning? - What steps can you take to hear the music? A Different Perspective The analogy may oversimplify complex learning processes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) ## Related quotes > [If I contemplate myself as part of the Universe: what am I?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/if-i-contemplate-myself-as-part-of-the-universe-what-am-i/) [Ludwig van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/) > [For me, listening to Beethoven and Tchaikovsky in particular, there's an emotional aspect - very different kinds of emotional aspects from those two composers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crispin-glover/for-me-listening-to-beethoven-and-tchaikovsky-in-particular-there-s/) [Crispin Glover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crispin-glover/) > [“It is a great adventure to contemplate the universe, beyond man, to contemplate what it would be like without man, as it was in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/it-is-a-great-adventure-to-contemplate-the-universe-beyond-man-to/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [I think it's frightening for all of us to contemplate that there's more to the universe than just us, in whatever form it takes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-blum/i-think-it-s-frightening-for-all-of-us-to-contemplate-that-there-s/) [Jason Blum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-blum/) > [Beethoven can't really be great because his picture isn't on a bubble gum card.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/beethoven-can-t-really-be-great-because-his-picture-isn-t-on-a-bubble/) [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) > [“On behalf of all that is good and melodic, Ludwig van Beethoven, I apologize.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-strohmeyer/on-behalf-of-all-that-is-good-and-melodic-ludwig-van-beethoven-i/) [Sarah Strohmeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-strohmeyer/) > [“Did Beethoven create his symphonies for his glorification? I don't believe it. I believe he created them because the music in his soul demanded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/did-beethoven-create-his-symphonies-for-his-glorification-i-don-t/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [I shall never forget Juliek. How could I forget this concert given before an audience of the dead and dying? Even today, when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-shall-never-forget-juliek-how-could-i-forget-this-concert-given/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [“You'll have a good, secure life when being alive means more to you than security, love more than money, your freedom more than public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/you-ll-have-a-good-secure-life-when-being-alive-means-more-to-you/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) > [The point of recapitulation in the first movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony unleashes one of the most horrifyingly violent episodes in the history of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-mcclary/the-point-of-recapitulation-in-the-first-movement-of-beethoven-s/) [Susan McClary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-mcclary/) > [“He had said it bravely, and that is why one can trust Beethoven when he says other things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster-2/he-had-said-it-bravely-and-that-is-why-one-can-trust-beethoven-when/) [E.M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster-2/) > [“That Beethoven was capable of producing the ultimate musical definition of heroism in this context is itself extraordinary, for he was able to evoke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-solomon/that-beethoven-was-capable-of-producing-the-ultimate-musical/) Maynard Solomon > [And now, in honour of the 150th anniversary of Beethoven's death, I would like to play 'Clear the Saloon', er, 'Clair de Lune', by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-borge/and-now-in-honour-of-the-150th-anniversary-of-beethoven-s-death-i/) [Victor Borge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-borge/) > [I believe so, but at first he must know. He must know in which spirit Beethoven has composed this piece. He must try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-masur/i-believe-so-but-at-first-he-must-know-he-must-know-in-which-spirit/) [Kurt Masur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-masur/) > [For me, musicians are poets. Beethoven describes himself as a poet of tones, just like Coltrane's a poet of tempo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/for-me-musicians-are-poets-beethoven-describes-himself-as-a-poet-of/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) ## More by Aleister Crowley > [“Remember that which is written: "Moderate strength rings the bell: great strength returns the penny." It is always the little bit extra that brings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/remember-that-which-is-written-moderate-strength-rings-the-bell-great/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [Ordinary morality is only for ordinary people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/ordinary-morality-is-only-for-ordinary-people/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [This formula of Love is universal; all the laws of Nature are its servitors. Thus, gravitation, chemical affinity, electrical potential, and the rest -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/this-formula-of-love-is-universal-all-the-laws-of-nature-are-its/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [The Gods are but names for the forces of Nature themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/the-gods-are-but-names-for-the-forces-of-nature-themselves/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [Your kiss is bitter with cocaine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/your-kiss-is-bitter-with-cocaine/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [A single ego is an absurdly narrow vantage point from which to view the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/a-single-ego-is-an-absurdly-narrow-vantage-point-from-which-to-view/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [I must make MAGICK the essential factor in the life of ALL. In presenting this book to the world, I must then explain and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/i-must-make-magick-the-essential-factor-in-the-life-of-all-in/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [What is it in absinthe that makes it a separate cult? The effects of its abuse are totally distinct from those of other stimulants.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/what-is-it-in-absinthe-that-makes-it-a-separate-cult-the-effects-of/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [“Indubitably, Magick is one of the subtlest and most difficult of the sciences and arts. There is more opportunity for errors of comprehension, judgement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/indubitably-magick-is-one-of-the-subtlest-and-most-difficult-of-the/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [Every one interprets everything in terms of his own experience. If you say anything which does not touch a precisely similar spot in another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/every-one-interprets-everything-in-terms-of-his-own-experience-if-you/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [I am inclined to agree with the Head Master of Eton that pæderastic passions among schoolboys 'do no harm'; further, I think them the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/i-am-inclined-to-agree-with-the-head-master-of-eton-that-p-derastic/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [The joy of life consists in the exercise of one's energies, continual growth, constant change, the enjoyment of every new experience. To stop means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/the-joy-of-life-consists-in-the-exercise-of-one-s-energies-continual/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [Every intentional act is a magical act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/every-intentional-act-is-a-magical-act/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [“Sex is, directly or indirectly, the most powerful weapon in the armoury of the Magician; and precisely because there is no moral guide, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/sex-is-directly-or-indirectly-the-most-powerful-weapon-in-the-armoury/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [The old spelling MAGICK has been adopted throughout in order to distinguish the Science of the Magi from all its counterfeits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/the-old-spelling-magick-has-been-adopted-throughout-in-order-to/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) [Explore all 291 Aleister Crowley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) ## More Beethoven quotes > [For me, musicians are poets. Beethoven describes himself as a poet of tones, just like Coltrane's a poet of tempo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/for-me-musicians-are-poets-beethoven-describes-himself-as-a-poet-of/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I believe so, but at first he must know. He must know in which spirit Beethoven has composed this piece. He must try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-masur/i-believe-so-but-at-first-he-must-know-he-must-know-in-which-spirit/) [Kurt Masur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-masur/) > [And now, in honour of the 150th anniversary of Beethoven's death, I would like to play 'Clear the Saloon', er, 'Clair de Lune', by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-borge/and-now-in-honour-of-the-150th-anniversary-of-beethoven-s-death-i/) [Victor Borge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-borge/) > [“That Beethoven was capable of producing the ultimate musical definition of heroism in this context is itself extraordinary, for he was able to evoke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-solomon/that-beethoven-was-capable-of-producing-the-ultimate-musical/) Maynard Solomon > [“He had said it bravely, and that is why one can trust Beethoven when he says other things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster-2/he-had-said-it-bravely-and-that-is-why-one-can-trust-beethoven-when/) [E.M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster-2/) > [The point of recapitulation in the first movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony unleashes one of the most horrifyingly violent episodes in the history of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-mcclary/the-point-of-recapitulation-in-the-first-movement-of-beethoven-s/) [Susan McClary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-mcclary/) > [“You'll have a good, secure life when being alive means more to you than security, love more than money, your freedom more than public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/you-ll-have-a-good-secure-life-when-being-alive-means-more-to-you/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) > [I shall never forget Juliek. How could I forget this concert given before an audience of the dead and dying? Even today, when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-shall-never-forget-juliek-how-could-i-forget-this-concert-given/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [“Did Beethoven create his symphonies for his glorification? I don't believe it. I believe he created them because the music in his soul demanded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/did-beethoven-create-his-symphonies-for-his-glorification-i-don-t/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“On behalf of all that is good and melodic, Ludwig van Beethoven, I apologize.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-strohmeyer/on-behalf-of-all-that-is-good-and-melodic-ludwig-van-beethoven-i/) [Sarah Strohmeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-strohmeyer/) > [Beethoven can't really be great because his picture isn't on a bubble gum card.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/beethoven-can-t-really-be-great-because-his-picture-isn-t-on-a-bubble/) [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) > [“I hope Ludwig van Beethoven gets his cut, Langdon thought, fairly certain that the original inventor of bone conduction technology was the eighteenth-century composer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/i-hope-ludwig-van-beethoven-gets-his-cut-langdon-thought-fairly/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [“A deaf composer's like a cook who's lost his sense of taste. A frog that's lost its webbed feet. A truck driver with his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/a-deaf-composer-s-like-a-cook-who-s-lost-his-sense-of-taste-a-frog/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Pulse as an active means of expression, Stravinsky and Beethoven are the two masters of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esa-pekka-salonen/pulse-as-an-active-means-of-expression-stravinsky-and-beethoven-are/) [Esa-Pekka Salonen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esa-pekka-salonen/) > [I think there are very few people that I would give the title of genius to, really, but Beethoven unquestionably is one of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/i-think-there-are-very-few-people-that-i-would-give-the-title-of/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) Browse all 240 Beethoven quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Imagine listening to Beethoven with the prepossession that C is a good note and F a bad one; yet this is exactly the stand point from which all uninitiates contemplate the universe. 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