Chess game Quote by Terry Pratchett
““There were people who called themselves Satanists who made Crowley squirm. It wasn't just the things they did, it was the way they blamed it all on Hell. They'd come up with some stomach-churning idea that no demon could have thought of in a thousand years, some dark and mindless unpleasantness that only a fully-functioning human brain could conceive, then shout "The Devil Made Me Do It" and get the sympathy of the court when the whole point was that the Devil hardly ever made anyone do anything. He didn't have to. That was what some humans found hard to understand. Hell wasn't a major reservoir of evil, any more than Heaven, in Crowley's opinion, was a fountain of goodness; they were just sides in the great cosmic chess game. Where you found the real McCoy, the real grace and the real heart-stopping evil, was right inside the human mind.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Last Continent, Terry Pratchett, 1998
Crowley argues that evil and goodness are human constructs, not powers of Hell or Heaven, and that true darkness originates in the mind.
In simple terms: Evil and good come from people, not supernatural forces.
Key Takeaway
Recognize personal responsibility for actions.
Themes
responsibility
human nature
morality
myth
psychology
Mood
thoughtful
critical
reflective
Type
philosophical
literary
psychological
When to use this quote
- legal defense
- personal accountability
- ethical debates
- literary analysis
- psychology studies
Key Concepts
free will
cosmic perspective
psychological projection
Questions to Reflect On
- Do you see evil as a personal or external force?
- How does attributing blame to the Devil affect accountability?
A Different Perspective
It may overlook cultural and religious contexts that attribute agency to supernatural forces.
