--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first note in that octave [of our…" description: "\"The first note in that octave [of our cultural transformation], the do, was the discovery of LSD by Albert Hofmann in 1943.\" — Ralph Metzner" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bb/ralph-metzner-33808_change_the-first-note-in-that-octave-of-our-cul_212672.jpg" --- # The first note in that octave \[of our cultural… ![“The first note in that octave [of our cultural transformation], the do, was the discovery of LSD by Albert Hofmann in 1943.” quote by Ralph Metzner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bb/ralph-metzner-33808_change_the-first-note-in-that-octave-of-our-cul_212672.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bb/ralph-metzner-33808_change_the-first-note-in-that-octave-of-our-cul_212672.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bb/ralph-metzner-33808_change_the-first-note-in-that-octave-of-our-cul_212672.jpg) > “The first note in that octave \[of our cultural transformation\], the do, was the discovery of LSD by Albert Hofmann in 1943.” [Ralph Metzner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-metzner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. LSD discovery marked the first major shift in cultural perception, opening new artistic and scientific horizons. **In simple terms:** LSD sparked a cultural transformation. Key Takeaway Acknowledge breakthroughs that reshape culture. Themes culture psychedelia innovation Mood thoughtful curious Type historical philosophical When to use this quote - 1970s counterculture - modern art - psychology research - drug policy debates Key Concepts Consciousness expansion Creative revolution Scientific inquiry Questions to Reflect On - What other discoveries have altered cultural trajectories? - How do we balance creative freedom with societal safety? A Different Perspective Cultural shifts can have unpredictable societal impacts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) [Psychedelic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychedelic/) [Transformation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transformation/) ## Related quotes > [It is true that my discovery of LSD was a chance discovery, but it was the outcome of planned experiments and these experiments took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-hofmann/it-is-true-that-my-discovery-of-lsd-was-a-chance-discovery-but-it-was-2/) [Albert Hofmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-hofmann/) > [Saturday morning was their unrestricted television time, and they usually took advantage of it to watch a series of cartoon shows that would certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/saturday-morning-was-their-unrestricted-television-time-and-they/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [It is true that my discovery of LSD was a chance discovery, but it was the outcome of planned experiments and these experiments took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-hofmann/it-is-true-that-my-discovery-of-lsd-was-a-chance-discovery-but-it-was/) [Albert Hofmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-hofmann/) > [For the first time in human evolution, the individual life is long enough, and the cultural transformation swift enough, that the individual mind is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-irwin-thompson/for-the-first-time-in-human-evolution-the-individual-life-is-long/) [William Irwin Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-irwin-thompson/) > [The world today is experiencing a profound and rapid socio-cultural transformation. But the changes do not occur at a uniform pace, and the discrepancies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustavo-gutierrez/the-world-today-is-experiencing-a-profound-and-rapid-socio-cultural/) [Gustavo Gutiérrez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustavo-gutierrez/) > [“out of informal learning communities if they fail to meet our needs; we enjoy no such mobility in our relations to formal education. Affinity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-jenkins/out-of-informal-learning-communities-if-they-fail-to-meet-our-needs/) [Henry Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-jenkins/) > [Cultural transformation announces itself in sputtering fits and starts, sparked here and there by minor incidents, warmed by new ideas that may smolder for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/cultural-transformation-announces-itself-in-sputtering-fits-and/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [“In this tiny interval of the twenty-first century, we, the human species, will either learn to become a life-enhancing element within the greater Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-plotkin/in-this-tiny-interval-of-the-twenty-first-century-we-the-human/) [Bill Plotkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-plotkin/) > [The Earth itself is stepping in to aid in the agenda of cultural transformation. There are too many doorways in nature that lead to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/the-earth-itself-is-stepping-in-to-aid-in-the-agenda-of-cultural/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [The cultural transformation from the love of power to the power of love is the drama of our time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anodea-judith/the-cultural-transformation-from-the-love-of-power-to-the-power-of/) [Anodea Judith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anodea-judith/) > [The LSD experience usually changes forever the worldview and basic life-orientation of all who experience it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-metzner/the-lsd-experience-usually-changes-forever-the-worldview-and-basic/) [Ralph Metzner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-metzner/) > [I believe it’s true to say that everyone who has experienced LSD or another psychedelic would look on that experience, especially the first one,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-metzner/i-believe-it-s-true-to-say-that-everyone-who-has-experienced-lsd-or/) [Ralph Metzner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-metzner/) > [The introduction of LSD and psychedelics into the culture produced a transformation of the entire culture, the consciousness of the culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-metzner/the-introduction-of-lsd-and-psychedelics-into-the-culture-produced-a/) [Ralph Metzner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-metzner/) > [I'm here today because of LSD. LSD gave me the confidence to be who I am today. Completely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waters/i-m-here-today-because-of-lsd-lsd-gave-me-the-confidence-to-be-who-i/) [John Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waters/) > [ \[In the 1960s\]...you could take LSD but you couldn't wear a pantsuit. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsey-johnson/in-the-1960s-you-could-take-lsd-but-you-couldn-t-wear-a-pantsuit/) [Betsey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsey-johnson/) ## More by Ralph Metzner > [“…Some timeless time later, dreamlike images began to emerge, the solar system, the Earth…the last to emerge was the sense of my everyday identity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-metzner/some-timeless-time-later-dreamlike-images-began-to-emerge-the-solar/) [Ralph Metzner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-metzner/) > [“My only reality was a mass of radiant swirling energy of immense proportions that seemed to contain all existence in a condensed and entirely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-metzner/my-only-reality-was-a-mass-of-radiant-swirling-energy-of-immense/) [Ralph Metzner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-metzner/) > [The introduction of LSD and psychedelics into the culture produced a transformation of the entire culture, the consciousness of the culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-metzner/the-introduction-of-lsd-and-psychedelics-into-the-culture-produced-a/) [Ralph Metzner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-metzner/) > [“I lost all contact with the surrounding world, which completely disappeared…The awareness of my everyday existence, my name, my whereabouts and my life disappeared……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-metzner/i-lost-all-contact-with-the-surrounding-world-which-completely/) [Ralph Metzner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-metzner/) > [“The reckless application of technology, harnessed to greed, degrades and destroys the ecosystems in which the energies of the elements are maintained in exquisite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-metzner/the-reckless-application-of-technology-harnessed-to-greed-degrades/) [Ralph Metzner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-metzner/) > [“When the anthropologist asked the Kwakiutl for a map of their coast, they told him stories: "Here? Salmon gather. Here? Sea otter camps. Here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-metzner/when-the-anthropologist-asked-the-kwakiutl-for-a-map-of-their-coast/) [Ralph Metzner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-metzner/) > [Just as Hitler used the Reichstag burning, the U.S. government now uses the so-called two wars, the War on Drugs and the War on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-metzner/just-as-hitler-used-the-reichstag-burning-the-u-s-government-now-uses/) [Ralph Metzner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-metzner/) > [The LSD experience usually changes forever the worldview and basic life-orientation of all who experience it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-metzner/the-lsd-experience-usually-changes-forever-the-worldview-and-basic/) [Ralph Metzner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-metzner/) > [“I get caught in a hell-world of some sort. In the initial phase, I’m aware of and merging with a kind of network of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-metzner/i-get-caught-in-a-hell-world-of-some-sort-in-the-initial-phase-i-m/) [Ralph Metzner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-metzner/) > [I believe it’s true to say that everyone who has experienced LSD or another psychedelic would look on that experience, especially the first one,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-metzner/i-believe-it-s-true-to-say-that-everyone-who-has-experienced-lsd-or/) [Ralph Metzner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-metzner/) > [“(Female) I let go more fully than I ever have. I became the sounds and the movements – no controlling. That is the place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-metzner/female-i-let-go-more-fully-than-i-ever-have-i-became-the-sounds-and/) [Ralph Metzner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-metzner/) > [“The Lacandones have a prophecy that the world will be destroyed when the last mahogany tree is gone. The mahogany is the 'indicator species'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-metzner/the-lacandones-have-a-prophecy-that-the-world-will-be-destroyed-when/) [Ralph Metzner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-metzner/) > [“All the elements were there: the frozen feeling bubbling up and permeating my body like quantum foam fizzing up to engulf the fragmenting mind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-metzner/all-the-elements-were-there-the-frozen-feeling-bubbling-up-and/) [Ralph Metzner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-metzner/) [Explore all 14 Ralph Metzner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-metzner/) ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) Phil Hogan > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The first note in that octave [of our cultural transformation], the do, was the discovery of LSD by Albert Hofmann in 1943.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ralph Metzner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-metzner/the-first-note-in-that-octave-of-our-cultural-transformation-the-do/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Change" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-metzner/the-first-note-in-that-octave-of-our-cultural-transformation-the-do/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bb/ralph-metzner-33808_change_the-first-note-in-that-octave-of-our-cul_212672.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bb/ralph-metzner-33808_change_the-first-note-in-that-octave-of-our-cul_212672.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bb/ralph-metzner-33808_change_the-first-note-in-that-octave-of-our-cul_212672.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The first note in that octave [of our cultural transformation], the do, was the discovery of LSD by Albert…” — Ralph Metzner", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ralph Metzner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-metzner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The first note in that octave...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-metzner/the-first-note-in-that-octave-of-our-cultural-transformation-the-do/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-metzner/the-first-note-in-that-octave-of-our-cultural-transformation-the-do/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```