--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There were people who called themselves…" description: "\"“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 He..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c5/terry-pratchett-19_chess-game_there-were-people-who-called-themselves_1530583.jpg" --- # There were people who called themselves Satanists who made… ![“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…” quote by Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c5/terry-pratchett-19_chess-game_there-were-people-who-called-themselves_1530583.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c5/terry-pratchett-19_chess-game_there-were-people-who-called-themselves_1530583.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c5/terry-pratchett-19_chess-game_there-were-people-who-called-themselves_1530583.jpg) > ““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.”” [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. 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. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blamed Hell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blamed-hell-5677332/) [Called Satanists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-satanists-5677333/) [Chess game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chess-game/) [Crowley Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crowley-opinion-2542777/) [Heaven Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven-crowley-2542776/) [Human brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-brain/) [Human mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-mind/) [Real heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-heart/) [Satanism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satanism/) [Satanists Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satanists-crowley-5677331/) [Thousand years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand-years/) ## Related quotes > [“Hell wasn't a major reservoir of evil, any more then Heaven, in Crowley's opinion, was a fountain of goodness; they were just sides in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/hell-wasn-t-a-major-reservoir-of-evil-any-more-then-heaven-in-crowley/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [...centre of the centre, the real heart of Christianity as it has been until now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-friedrich-strauss/centre-of-the-centre-the-real-heart-of-christianity-as-it-has-been/) [David Friedrich Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-friedrich-strauss/) > [Let every family meet once a day or week for a real hearty sing, and their sing will give them more pleasure than they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-squire-fowler/let-every-family-meet-once-a-day-or-week-for-a-real-hearty-sing-and/) [Orson Squire Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-squire-fowler/) > [There are a lot of people doing social justice things, which is great. 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They want to engage with them, they want to relate (to) them and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shari-wiedmann/i-think-ultimately-people-are-looking-for-real-heartfelt-true-stories/) [Shari Wiedmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shari-wiedmann/) > [“And since I'm well and on the bum again & aint got nothing else to do, but roam, long-faced, the real America, with my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/and-since-i-m-well-and-on-the-bum-again-aint-got-nothing-else-to-do/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“That was the first time I did coke. My body, it was electric. For the first time in my life I felt as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/that-was-the-first-time-i-did-coke-my-body-it-was-electric-for-the/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) ## More by Terry Pratchett > [“This one’s mental.’ ‘Eccentric.’ ‘What’s the difference?’ ‘A bag of cash.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/this-one-s-mental-eccentric-what-s-the-difference-a-bag-of-cash/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“But I did not return until half past four this morning and I distinctly remember stubbing my toe on the stairs. I am as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/but-i-did-not-return-until-half-past-four-this-morning-and-i/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Someone broke from the scrum and, punching and kicking, staggered towards the Klatchian goal. "Isn't that man your butler?" said Ahmed. "Yes." "One of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/someone-broke-from-the-scrum-and-punching-and-kicking-staggered/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [It's an interesting fact that fewer than 17 % of Real cats end their lives with the same name they started with. Much family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-s-an-interesting-fact-that-fewer-than-17-of-real-cats-end-their/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [You can't trust folk songs. They always sneak up on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-can-t-trust-folk-songs-they-always-sneak-up-on-you/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Either dragons should exist completely or fail to exist at all, he felt. A dragon only half-existing was worse than the extremes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/either-dragons-should-exist-completely-or-fail-to-exist-at-all-he/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Magrat wondered what it was like, spending your whole life doing something you didn’t want to do. Like being dead, she considered, only worse,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/magrat-wondered-what-it-was-like-spending-your-whole-life-doing/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [A hardback's harder at Christmas time because that's a good hardback buying time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/a-hardback-s-harder-at-christmas-time-because-that-s-a-good-hardback/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“There were more old people. The world was full of them,' said the wizard. 'Yes, I know. And now it's full of young people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-were-more-old-people-the-world-was-full-of-them-said-the-wizard/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Hobson was big and heavyset, but not exactly fat; he was probably what you’d get if you shaved a bear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/hobson-was-big-and-heavyset-but-not-exactly-fat-he-was-probably-what/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“There is a night that never comes to an end… The clock of the world turns under its own shadow. Midnight is a moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-is-a-night-that-never-comes-to-an-end-the-clock-of-the-world/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“You'd like Freedom, Truth, and Justice, wouldn't you, Comrade Sergeant?' said Reg encouragingly. 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Perhaps because I realized a very simple truth: not only was I worried, but also my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-tal/later-i-began-to-succeed-in-decisive-games-perhaps-because-i-realized/) [Mikhail Tal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-tal/) > [Human affairs are like a chess game. 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