--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: So nobody must be allowed to think at…" description: "\"“So nobody must be allowed to think at all. Down with the public schools! Children must be drilled mentally by quarter-educated herdsmen, whose wages w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd8/aleister-crowley-1100_1944_so-nobody-must-be-allowed-to-think-at-al_2637262.jpg" --- # So nobody must be allowed to think at all. Down with the… ![“So nobody must be allowed to think at all. Down with the public schools! Children must be drilled mentally by quarter-educated herdsmen, whose wages would stop at the first sign of disagreement with the bosses. For the rest, deafen the whole world with senseless clamour. Mechanize everything! Give…” quote by Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd8/aleister-crowley-1100_1944_so-nobody-must-be-allowed-to-think-at-al_2637262.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd8/aleister-crowley-1100_1944_so-nobody-must-be-allowed-to-think-at-al_2637262.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd8/aleister-crowley-1100_1944_so-nobody-must-be-allowed-to-think-at-al_2637262.jpg) > ““So nobody must be allowed to think at all. Down with the public schools! Children must be drilled mentally by quarter-educated herdsmen, whose wages would stop at the first sign of disagreement with the bosses. For the rest, deafen the whole world with senseless clamour. Mechanize everything! Give nobody a chance to think. Standardize "amusement." The louder and more cacophonous, the better! Brief intervals between one din and the next can be filled with appeals, repeated 'till hypnotic power gives them the force of orders, to buy this or that product of the "Business men" who are the real power in the State. Men who betray their country as obvious routine. The history of the past thirty years is eloquent enough, one would think. What these sodden imbeciles never realize is that a living organism must adapt itself intelligently to its environment, or go under at the first serious change of circumstance.”” [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. The passage warns that suppressing independent thought through mass distraction and authoritarian control leads to societal decay. **In simple terms:** Suppressing thought harms society. Key Takeaway Guard critical thinking. Themes politics control media conformity freedom Mood cautionary critical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - education reform - media literacy - public discourse - policy making Key Concepts propaganda mass media authoritarianism censorship Questions to Reflect On - What mechanisms protect free thought? - How can individuals resist manipulation? A Different Perspective Overcoming may be resistant to change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [1944](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zz-1944-402/) [Allowed Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allowed-think-989990/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/) [Corporatism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corporatism/) [Drilled Mentally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drilled-mentally-2239356/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Hypnotic Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hypnotic-power-1436190/) [Mentally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mentally/) [Noise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noise/) [Oligarchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oligarchy/) [Public schools](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-schools/) [Real power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-power/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Thirty years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thirty-years/) [Whole world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole-world/) [Yoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yoga/) ## Related quotes > [For me, there is a strong hypnotic power in noise-music, and that's something I don't want to leave out of my music anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-fennesz/for-me-there-is-a-strong-hypnotic-power-in-noise-music-and-that-s/) [Christian Fennesz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-fennesz/) > [“Remember that which is written: "Moderate strength rings the bell: great strength returns the penny." 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It is when it produces eructations of spiritual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/also-asceticism-is-all-right-when-it-is-the-proper-means-of-attaining/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [ “The technical developments of almost every form of wealth \[e.g., oil, minerals\] are the forebears of Big Business; and Big Business, directly or indirectly,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/the-technical-developments-of-almost-every-form-of-wealth-e-g-oil/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [“The proponents of Harlem jive talk ... do not hope that courses in the lingo will ever be offered at Harvard or Columbia. 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Even if you dont allow them to think..…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blessin-bmj/if-wise-are-allowed-to-think-they-do-but-few-dont-speak-in-the-case/) [Blessin Bmj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blessin-bmj/) > [No matter what the belief, if it had modestly said, 'This is our best thought, go on, think farther!' then we could have smoothly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/no-matter-what-the-belief-if-it-had-modestly-said-this-is-our-best/) [Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/) > [I was stupid who took her seriously but what I could do, if she herself allowed me to think that way..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raj-singh/i-was-stupid-who-took-her-seriously-but-what-i-could-do-if-she/) [Raj Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raj-singh/) ## More by Aleister Crowley > [“Remember that which is written: "Moderate strength rings the bell: great strength returns the penny." 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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. 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It is when it produces eructations of spiritual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/also-asceticism-is-all-right-when-it-is-the-proper-means-of-attaining/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [“On the Path of the Wise there is probably no danger more deadly, no poison more pernicious, no seduction more subtle than Spiritual Pride;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/on-the-path-of-the-wise-there-is-probably-no-danger-more-deadly-no/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [“The fact is that very few of us know what words mean; fewer still take the trouble to enquire. We calmly, we carelessly assume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/the-fact-is-that-very-few-of-us-know-what-words-mean-fewer-still-take/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [In every Magical, or similar system, it is invariably the first condition which the Aspirant must fulfill: he must once and for all and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/in-every-magical-or-similar-system-it-is-invariably-the-first/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [“Remember in any case, that not only the Adept, but anyone with the smallest capacity for Adeptship, is fundamentally an Artist; he will certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/remember-in-any-case-that-not-only-the-adept-but-anyone-with-the/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [“The unbearable silliness of English newspapers from about 1900 onward has had two main causes. 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Mechanize everything! Give nobody a chance to think. Standardize \"amusement.\" The louder and more cacophonous, the better! Brief intervals between one din and the next can be filled with appeals, repeated 'till hypnotic power gives them the force of orders, to buy this or that product of the \"Business men\" who are the real power in the State. Men who betray their country as obvious routine. The history of the past thirty years is eloquent enough, one would think. 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