Wisdom from The Devil's Notebook

Corona

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Here are some wise or incendiary comments from the "The Devil's Notebook" that you can apply in your pursuit toward (or your analysis of) the Don Juan or pick-up lifestyle. (All credit to Anton Szandor LaVey)

"Never enter a business deal with anyone who has less than yourself"

"Distrust 'experts' unless it is obvious that their expertise is paying off."

"Be wary of advice from anyone who is less successful than yourself."

"Don't help someone who has proven himself a consistent failure in the past."

"Too much freedom is dangerous to those who cannot cope with the responsibilities that accompany independence."

"The true test of anyone's worth as a living creature is how much he can utilize what he has."

"There are many who would take my time. I shun them.
There are some who share my time. I am entertained by them.
There are precious few who contribute to my time. I cherish them."

"When other people ask me, 'What gives you the right to suggest standards for others?', my answer is, 'If I don't, someone else, perhaps less qualified, will." History has proven that qualification is based on acceptance. The end justifies the means."

"Self-improvement books: those who need them won't read them or heed them."

"After an inferior man has been taught a doctrine of superiority he will remain as inferior as he was before his lesson. He will merely assume himself to be superior, and attempt to employ his recently-learned tactics against his own kind, whom he will then consider his inferiors. With each inferior man enjoying what he considers his unique role, the entire bunch will be reduced to a pack of strutting, foppish, self-centered monkeys gamboling about on an island of ignorance. There they will play their games under the supervision of their keeper, who was and will always be a superior man."

Many see LaVey as having a negative viewpoint towards the human experience (and I can only agree), but he does raise some issues that merit discussion.

What do you guys make of these statements?
 

sam3083

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"Self-improvement books: those who need them won't read them or heed them."
Doesn't make alot of sense to me. Isn't the Devil's notebook a self-improvement book anyway?
 

theunflushables

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No, not really its one of the books that goes along with the Satanist Bible. It was all created by LaVey as a "religion" of sorts.
 

PRMoon

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Corona said:
"Don't help someone who has proven himself a consistent failure in the past."

"Too much freedom is dangerous to those who cannot cope with the responsibilities that accompany independence."
These two are particularly true in my heart. The first one speaks for itself. I'll use the forum as an example but it applys to my life as well. There are some people on this site who you can preach and preach good till your fingers bleed. Others will try to assist with other ropes of aid salavaging them from their pit of demise. Insted they contine to fall seemingly batting away your assistance. When I see this happen I'm more then willing to watch them fall. You can't save everyone so wasting energy on lost causes makes little sense.

The second one is more in depth then that but pulls at my inner most heart string. You decide what it means for yourself.

I might add, my other wisdom is the creed of the contract killer. "Necessity before loyalty" Though you may have had ties to some on in your past if your ultimate survival or proserity lies in your hands with their demise...Have eternal sorrow if necessary but you only get one shot at life. You NEVER know what your roll will be ultimately but if you don't survive when opportunity knocks you'll have lived to your fullest potential. Fortune calls on the fortunate and no one else.
 

Sanity_Cleaver

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I've read La Vey before, and yes it all makes perfect sense blah blah, but don't you think its a little risky posting up excerpts of relgious texts/doctrines? Especially Satanist ones?

Hopefully enough people here are mature and open-minded enough to accept it- but if I were a mod i would monitor this thread closely
 

azanon

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theunflushables said:
No, not really its one of the books that goes along with the Satanist Bible. It was all created by LaVey as a "religion" of sorts.
Seems like a mix of humanism and logic repackaged and sold as "Satanism" to me, presumably to make greenbacks.
 

theunflushables

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azanon said:
Seems like a mix of humanism and logic repackaged and sold as "Satanism" to me, presumably to make greenbacks.
Right on the nose. It's pure marketing. LaVey found a way to sell basic humanism/logic by giving it a controversial name. And hell, reading the book, he even says he does not believe in a god or a satan. He chose the name just because of how it is the antithesis of general religous teachings.
 

Bible_Belt

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He simply formulated the antithesis of religious teaching, which is something like, "Fvck everyone else! I look out for number one!"
 

Gubby

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Yeah, satanism's a real let-down.

Where's the human sacrifices, ritual rapings, and blood-baths?
 
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