--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Pseudo-mysticism seeks to evade reality…" description: "\"Pseudo-mysticism seeks to evade reality; authentic mysticism wants to live it.\" — Vernon Howard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b84/vernon-howard-2173_mysticism_pseudo-mysticism-seeks-to-evade-reality_830780.png" --- # Pseudo-mysticism seeks to evade reality; authentic… ![“Pseudo-mysticism seeks to evade reality; authentic mysticism wants to live it.” quote by Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b84/vernon-howard-2173_mysticism_pseudo-mysticism-seeks-to-evade-reality_830780.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b84/vernon-howard-2173_mysticism_pseudo-mysticism-seeks-to-evade-reality_830780.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b84/vernon-howard-2173_mysticism_pseudo-mysticism-seeks-to-evade-reality_830780.png) > “Pseudo-mysticism seeks to evade reality; authentic mysticism wants to live it.” [Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Distinguishes superficial mysticism that avoids reality from genuine mysticism that embraces it fully. **In simple terms:** True mysticism faces reality, not escape it. Key Takeaway Seek authentic spiritual practice. Themes mysticism authenticity reality Mood inquisitive serene Type spiritual educational When to use this quote - spiritual retreats - daily mindfulness - community worship Key Concepts spiritual growth illusion truth Questions to Reflect On - What does “authentic mysticism” mean to you? - How can you test the reality of your practice? A Different Perspective Superficial practices may give false comfort without depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authentic Mysticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authentic-mysticism-556978/) [Evade Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evade-reality-556981/) [Mysticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mysticism/) [Mysticism Seeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mysticism-seeks-556980/) [Mysticism Wants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mysticism-wants-556979/) [Pseudo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pseudo/) [Pseudo Mysticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pseudo-mysticism-556977/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) ## Related quotes > [We can evade reality, but we cannot evade the consequences of evading reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/we-can-evade-reality-but-we-cannot-evade-the-consequences-of-evading/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [So it is useless to evade reality, because it only makes it more virulent in the end. But instead, look steadfastly into the slit,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-thomas/so-it-is-useless-to-evade-reality-because-it-only-makes-it-more/) [Caitlin Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-thomas/) > [“He is free to evade reality, he is free to unfocus his mind and stumble blindly down any road he pleases, but not free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/he-is-free-to-evade-reality-he-is-free-to-unfocus-his-mind-and/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [How can one hide from the truth when it will eventually catch up with him. How can one evade reality when it is all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-matobo/how-can-one-hide-from-the-truth-when-it-will-eventually-catch-up-with/) [Frank Matobo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-matobo/) > [The bugs are not like us. The Pseudo-Arachnids aren’t even like spiders. They are arthropods who happen to look like a madman’s conception of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/the-bugs-are-not-like-us-the-pseudo-arachnids-aren-t-even-like/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Pseudo' was about, how after moving to Toronto I saw a lot of inauthenticity. A lot of fake people that aren't about having real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-caesar/pseudo-was-about-how-after-moving-to-toronto-i-saw-a-lot-of/) [Daniel Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-caesar/) > [John flung himself into a pseudo-karate stance, one hand poised behind him and one in front, posed like a cartoon cactus. I thought for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wong/john-flung-himself-into-a-pseudo-karate-stance-one-hand-poised-behind/) [David Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wong/) > [“At Sunday worship, as in every dimension of our existence, many of us pretend to believe we are sinners. Consequently, all we can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/at-sunday-worship-as-in-every-dimension-of-our-existence-many-of-us/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [When the accumulation of wealth is no longer of high social importance, there will be great changes in the code of morals. We shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/when-the-accumulation-of-wealth-is-no-longer-of-high-social/) [John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/) > [Institutional psychiatry is a continuation of the Inquisition. All that has really changed is the vocabulary and the social style. The vocabulary conforms to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-szasz/institutional-psychiatry-is-a-continuation-of-the-inquisition-all/) [Thomas Szasz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-szasz/) > [Freud's fanciful pseudo-explanations (precisely because they are brilliant) perform a disservice. Now any ass has these pictures available to use in "explaining" symptoms of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/freud-s-fanciful-pseudo-explanations-precisely-because-they-are/) [Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/) > [The cross where Jesus died became also the cross where His apostle died. The loss, the rejection, the shame, belong both to Christ and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-cross-where-jesus-died-became-also-the-cross-where-his-apostle/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A faith which we follow upon orders imposed from outside is no faith, and a community which puts its dependence upon such a pseudo-faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-wiener/a-faith-which-we-follow-upon-orders-imposed-from-outside-is-no-faith/) [Norbert Wiener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-wiener/) > [“Whatever they may think and say about their "egoism", the great majority nonetheless do nothing for their ego their whole life long: what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/whatever-they-may-think-and-say-about-their-egoism-the-great-majority/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) ## More by Vernon Howard > [“A self-working individual will be sitting around home one day when the startling thought occurs, “Here I am, sitting around, doing nothing of interest,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/a-self-working-individual-will-be-sitting-around-home-one-day-when/) [Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/) > [The terrible immoralities are the cunning ones hiding behind masks of morality, such as exploiting people while pretending to help them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/the-terrible-immoralities-are-the-cunning-ones-hiding-behind-masks-of/) [Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/) > [No one on earth can hurt you, unless you accept the hurt in your own mind. . . The problem is not other people;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/no-one-on-earth-can-hurt-you-unless-you-accept-the-hurt-in-your-own/) [Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/) > [To change what you get you must change who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/to-change-what-you-get-you-must-change-who-you-are/) [Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/) > [Genuine kindness is not what we do, it is what we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/genuine-kindness-is-not-what-we-do-it-is-what-we-are/) [Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/) > [When told that man lives in delusion everyone thinks of himself as the exception; hence his delusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/when-told-that-man-lives-in-delusion-everyone-thinks-of-himself-as/) [Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/) > [It is against the law to permit weak people to steal your strength. Never permit it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/it-is-against-the-law-to-permit-weak-people-to-steal-your-strength/) [Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/) > [Men have the illusion of having a duty to make the world spin properly, which is precisely what makes it wobble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/men-have-the-illusion-of-having-a-duty-to-make-the-world-spin/) [Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/) > [Just as surely as distress must follow self-deceit, healing must follow self-honesty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/just-as-surely-as-distress-must-follow-self-deceit-healing-must/) [Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/) > [Quit thinking that you must halt before the barrier of inner negativity. You need not. You can crash through... whatever we see a negative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/quit-thinking-that-you-must-halt-before-the-barrier-of-inner/) [Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/) > [One false idea is that anyone can hurt you. Events can ruin your reputation, take your money, mistreat you, revenge itself upon you, deceive,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/one-false-idea-is-that-anyone-can-hurt-you-events-can-ruin-your/) [Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/) > [Don't try to be unafraid. That is impossible. Rather, go ahead while being afraid. That is the entire secret for abolishing fear. The Supermind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/don-t-try-to-be-unafraid-that-is-impossible-rather-go-ahead-while/) [Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/) > [The only way to do something truly important every day is to seek to understand yourself every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/the-only-way-to-do-something-truly-important-every-day-is-to-seek-to/) [Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/) > [Make it absolutely clear to yourself what you want from other people. That is really half the secret for drawing your desire to you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/make-it-absolutely-clear-to-yourself-what-you-want-from-other-people/) [Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/) > [The only reason you do not do great things is because you timidly cling to small things. Will you let loose of small things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/the-only-reason-you-do-not-do-great-things-is-because-you-timidly/) [Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/) [Explore all 181 Vernon Howard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/) ## More Mysticism quotes > [You can draw power from everything in your life. In order to do that, everything has to be set up in a proper way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-can-draw-power-from-everything-in-your-life-in-order-to-do-that/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“The ultimate aim of reality is to become science fiction!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-of-kittim/the-ultimate-aim-of-reality-is-to-become-science-fiction/) [Eli Of Kittim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-of-kittim/) > [“Whomever or whatever the visitors are, their activities go far beyond a mere study of mankind. They are involved with us on very deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitley-strieber/whomever-or-whatever-the-visitors-are-their-activities-go-far-beyond/) [Whitley Strieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitley-strieber/) > [A lot of energy is lost to false teachers. Wherever dependency is created, energy is lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-lot-of-energy-is-lost-to-false-teachers-wherever-dependency-is/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Without mysticism man can achieve nothing great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/without-mysticism-man-can-achieve-nothing-great/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [We must always be aware of the fact that the body, soul and mind are to be trained simultaneously, for otherwise it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-bardon/we-must-always-be-aware-of-the-fact-that-the-body-soul-and-mind-are/) [Franz Bardon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-bardon/) > [You have got to get your power up and do something and not just sit around. Always be optimistic. Always be positive! And ignore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-have-got-to-get-your-power-up-and-do-something-and-not-just-sit/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“No knowledge comes from the outside world or an imaginary supernatural paradise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/no-knowledge-comes-from-the-outside-world-or-an-imaginary/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [There is no future and there is no past, there never has been, there never will be. You just think there is. It's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-is-no-future-and-there-is-no-past-there-never-has-been-there/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [...mysticism and empiricism go together in opposition to scholasticism...they base themselves on the non-linear world of experience rather than the linear world of letters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/mysticism-and-empiricism-go-together-in-opposition-to-scholasticism/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [Mystical experiences (unlike scientific conclusions) cannot be communicated from one person to another. Philosophers and little children are continually amazed that we, unaccountably, find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/mystical-experiences-unlike-scientific-conclusions-cannot-be/) [Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/) > [Turn your life into a field of power and energy to draw from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/turn-your-life-into-a-field-of-power-and-energy-to-draw-from/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [To have the detached eye of the occultist, to look outward, to not be so self-reflective and to learn to step through the various…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/to-have-the-detached-eye-of-the-occultist-to-look-outward-to-not-be/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [A beautiful woman looking at her image in the mirror may very well believe the image is herself. An ugly woman knows it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/a-beautiful-woman-looking-at-her-image-in-the-mirror-may-very-well/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [Mysticism, poor mysticism! When it is underestimated and oversimplified, it comes down from its original sphere and stands beside religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/mysticism-poor-mysticism-when-it-is-underestimated-and-oversimplified/) [Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/) [Browse all 795 Mysticism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mysticism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Pseudo-mysticism seeks to evade reality; authentic mysticism wants to live it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Vernon Howard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/pseudo-mysticism-seeks-to-evade-reality-authentic-mysticism-wants-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Mysticism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/pseudo-mysticism-seeks-to-evade-reality-authentic-mysticism-wants-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b84/vernon-howard-2173_mysticism_pseudo-mysticism-seeks-to-evade-reality_830780.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b84/vernon-howard-2173_mysticism_pseudo-mysticism-seeks-to-evade-reality_830780.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b84/vernon-howard-2173_mysticism_pseudo-mysticism-seeks-to-evade-reality_830780.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Pseudo-mysticism seeks to evade reality; authentic mysticism wants to live it.” — Vernon Howard", "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": "Vernon Howard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Pseudo-mysticism seeks to evade reality; authentic...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/pseudo-mysticism-seeks-to-evade-reality-authentic-mysticism-wants-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/pseudo-mysticism-seeks-to-evade-reality-authentic-mysticism-wants-to/#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 } } ] } ```