Anton Szandor LaVey, original name Howard Stanton Levey, born 11th April 1930, San Francisco, California was an American author, musician, and occultist who founded the church of satan. LaVey has written several books such as The Satanic Bible, “Satan Speaks!”, “The Devil’s Notebook”, “Satanic Witch” among others. Besides the books, he released three music albums.
Antony LaVey presented Satanism, not as a practice of evil or worshipping a real Antichrist, but as a kind of egoism. According to Anton, traditional religions were hypocritical and dangerously inhibited the emotional needs and physical tendencies that were important to human life. He claimed that his beliefs or rather brand of Satanism was inspired by noticing that the men he saw at the church on Sunday praying, were the same men he had seen at a burlesque show the previous night.
From LaVey’s perspective, Satanism was atheistic: the opposition between God and Satan which according to him represented hypocrisy and repression on one hand and indulgence and liberation on the other. We bring you a collection of inspiring thoughts, opinions, words, and views by this famous author which has been quoted extensively.
Anton LaVey Quotes
1. “The ideal woman to me would be the gun-toting moll. Someone who is true blue and ready to face the world. Open to ideas and suggestion, not stubborn and closed minded.”– Anton LaVey
2. “Hair on a man’s chest is thought to denote strength. The gorilla is the most powerful of bipeds and has hair on every place on his body except for his chest.”– Anton LaVey
3. “Satan has been the best friend the church has ever had, as he has kept it in business all these years!”– Anton LaVey
4. “Since man’s natural instincts lead him to sin, all men are sinners; and all sinners go to hell. If everyone goes to hell, then you will meet all your friends there.”– Anton LaVey
5. “Many of you already read my writings indicating that TV is the new god. There is a little thing I neglected to mention up until now, television is the major mainstream infiltration for the new satanic religion.”– Anton LaVey
6. “The seven deadly sins of the Christian Church are: greed, pride, envy, anger, gluttony, lust, and sloth. Satanism advocates indulging in each of these ‘sins’ as they all lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification.”– Anton LaVey
7. “The true test of anyone’s worth as a living creature is how much he can utilize what he has.”– Anton Lavey
8. “One of the keys to success is an unflinching belief that there are no rules. Anyone who’s ever succeeded has gone on that premise; not buying established procedures, business or otherwise. The naysayers are inevitably left behind amid shouts of ‘it cannot be done’ and “should not be done.”– Anton LaVey
9. “Life is the great indulgence – death the great abstinence. Therefore, make the most of life here and now!”– Anton LaVey
10. “Religions are easy to invent. Most traditional religions have little or nothing to do with reality, are dependent on obfuscation, interpretation, guilt, and unreasoning faith.”– Anton LaVey
11. “Do what you want as long as its paying off for you. But once its become a liability, then something is wrong and you better find out what it is.”– Anton LaVey
12. “But the average person doesnt have that much imagination. They just want to be entertained. They want to have the tableau presented for them. They dont want to participate beyond a certain point. They want the safety of the herd, to be catered to, sit back and enjoy.”– Anton LaVey
13. ” I dont crave companionship. It stands in my way. I live for pleasure. There are few persons who can give me as much pleasure as those acts I perform myself. I would rather create pleasure according to my own whim than be subjected to the whims of others.”– Anton Lavey
15. “It is certainly true that ‘actions speak louder than words,’ but words become as monuments to thoughts.”– Anton LaVey
16. “The reason a person viciously strikes out against you is because they are afraid of you or what you represent, or are resentful of your happiness.”– Anton LaVey
17. “It’s a cinch that if you read it in an occult periodical or paperback, everyone’s doing it. That should be your cue to avoid such stuff, lest you be relegated to the same readership level.”– Anton LaVey
18. “Mysterious beings we seek from birth; what does that mean to me? Something we seek, and as we age it becomes more elusive, yet our spirit remains willing, but our flesh grows weak.”– Anton LaVey
19. “To the Maker the archetype, the self-sustainer, human interaction is usually a waste of the most precious thing in his vital existance: time”– Anton LaVey
20. “Magic is never totally scientifically explainable, but science has always been, at one time or another, considered magic.”– Anton LaVey
21. “In order to perform the supernatural, you must first be able to accomplish the supernormal.”– Anton LaVey
22. “Blessed are the destroyers of false hope, for they are the true Messiahs – Cursed are the god-adorers, for they shall be shorn sheep!”– Anton LaVey
23. “Satanism is developing two circles, an elitist group which I always intended my church to be, and the faddists who are becoming Satanists because it’s the thing to do.”– Anton LaVey
24. “I visualize the day that tridents and pentagrams are thrust into the sky from church roofs instead of crosses.”– Anton LaVey
25. “We are so inculcated with guilt that we think that weakness is a sin or that it is some crime against nature to be submissive.”– Anton LaVey
26. “Do what you want as long as its paying off for you. But once its become a liability, then something is wrong and you better find out what it is.”– Anton LaVey
27. “It has been said, ‘the truth will make men free.’ The truth alone has never made anyone free. It is only doubt which will bring mental emancipation.”– Anton LaVey
28. “Religions are easy to invent. Most traditional religions have little or nothing to do with reality, are dependent on obfuscation, interpretation, guilt, and unreasoning faith…”– Anton LaVey
29. “There is nothing inherently sacred about moral codes. Like the wooden idols of long ago, they are the work of human hands, and what man has made, man can destroy!”– Anton LaVey
30. “When walking in open territory, bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask him to stop. If he does not stop, destroy him.”– Anton LaVey
31. The Atheist complains about the wind. The Christian prays for it to change. The Satanist adjusts his sails
32. “I find greater companionship in inert figures, animals & speechless artifacts, for I can enjoy their presence & there is no psychic drain.”– Anton LaVey
33. “To be loved, feelings must be rationed. To love, the doors of hysteria, fantasy, and madness may be flung open.”– Anton LaVey
34. “Thrice cursed are the weak whose insecurity makes them vile, for they shall serve and suffer.”– Anton LaVey
35. “There is no heaven of glory bright, and no hell where sinners roast. Here and now is our day of torment! Here and now is our day of joy! Here and now is our opportunity! Choose ye this day, this hour, for no redeemer liveth!”– Anton LaVey
36.” Don’t let that little pyramid with the bright eye fool you. That’s to draw your attention away from the real thing: the big trapezoid beneath it.”– Anton LaVey
37. “When ghettos become the mainstream of society, islands of individuality cannot help but harbor an elite.”– Anton LaVey
38. “How could you set yourself up as the most powerful institution on earth? You first find out what every man feels at least once a day, establish that as a sin, and set yourself up as the only institution capable of pardoning that sin.”– Anton LaVey
39. “Don’t waste your time with people who will ultimately destroy you, but concentrate instead on those who will appreciate your responsibility to them, and, likewise, feel responsible to you.”– Anton LaVey
40. “The first time I read the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, my instinctive reaction was, so what’s wrong with THAT? Isn’t that the way any master plan should work? Doesn’t the public deserve – nay, demand – such despotism?”– Anton LaVey
41. “I thought, acted, and thereupon found myself removed.”– Anton LaVey
42. “Hate your enemy with a whole heart, and if a man smite you on one cheek, SMASH him on the other!”– Anton LaVey
43. “I break away from all conventions that do not lead to my earthly success and happiness.”– Anton LaVey
44. “A Satanist practices the motto, “If a man smite thee on one cheek, smash him on the other!” Let no wrong go unredressed.”– Anton LaVey
45. “I don’t drink much anymore, because it’s supposedly not good for me. I still have gallons of it around though. I smell the cork and do a lot of wishing.”– Anton LaVey
46. “Unfortunately for a multitude of occultists, humor is a rare ingredient in their lives. In fact it is their very lack of humor that has impelled them into the arcane and esoteric.”– Anton LaVey
47. “There is not always ‘two sides to every issue.’ That statement is a ridiculous slogan invoked by vested interests and perpetuated by minds of limited scope.”– Anton LaVey
48. “My parents were lenient. My mother believed God was another word for nature. I took up Satanism not out of desperation, but out of logic. I rebelled, not but because of a religious or repressive childhood. I wanted to join the French Foreign Legion.”– Antony LaVey
49. “I like raunchiness, not like in a biker-chick sort of a way, but like the girl can’t help it. Little bruises, a few hairs out of place, a little stain here and there.’– Anton LaVey
50. “I feel that what is probably the greatest enemy of longevity is popularity, and most people die of popularity.”– Anton LaVey
Related: Darkest quotes about the devil
Video:Anton LaVey on The Joe Pyne Show
If you want to see a good interview with LaVey, where his views are challenged, this is worth a watch!
Summary of Anton LaVey
LaVey was not a nihilist and instructed his audience to follow and obey the law. His message was that indulgence in pleasure could be useful only if it did not harm others. His fam was enhanced via his popular writings the popular one being, The Satanic Bible.
He was part of several talk shows and expressed his views, thoughts, and opinions on subjects close to his heart through many magazines and articles. You can note down whatever you have learnt from these Anton Lavey Quotes.
Also see our vampire quotes and our Damon Salvatore quotes from the vampire diaries.
Video: “Anton LaVey” by Thomas Hawk is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
I’m Alice Judy and AnQuotes is a fun hobby for me. We know that everyone loves a great quote and our mission here is simple – to be the best and most interesting quote site in the world! If you have quotes you would like us to cover, please contact us.
