| I meant to tell mankind to aspire to a new
state about which I could tell them little or nothing, to teach them to
tread a long and lonely path which might or might not lead thither, to
bid them dare to encounter all possible perils of nature unknown, to
abandon all their settled manners of living and to cut themselves off
from their past and their environment, and to attempt a quixotic
adventure with no resources beyond their native strength and
sagacity, I
had done it myself and found not only that the pearl of great
price was worth far more than I possessed, but that the very
perils and privations of the quest were themselves my dearest
memories. I was certain of this at least: that nothing in
the world except this was worth doing. Aleister Crowley, 1908 Mountaineer and Black Magician |
