I didn't really like that. Unfortunately, John was driftin' away from us at that point, so none of us actually knew. He never told us; we heard rumors and we were very sad. But he'd embarked on a new cause, which really involved anything and everything. Because John was that kind of guy - he wanted to live life to the full as he saw it. He would often say things like ,"If you find yourself at the edge of a cliff and you wonder whether you should jump or not - try jumping. ~PAUL, 1986, discussing John's heroin use
Up until LSD, I never realized that there was anything beyond this normal working state of consciousness. But all the pressure was such that, as Bob Dylan said, "There must be some way out of here." I think for me it was definately LSD. The first time I took it, I just blew everything away. I had such an incredible feeling of well-being , that there was a God and I could see Him in every blade a glass. It was like gaining hundreds of years experience within twelve hours. It changed me and there was no way back to what I was before. It wasn't all good, though, because it left quite a lot of questions as well. ~GEORGE , 1987
I know the only time we ever took drugs was when we were without hope. And the only way we got out of it was through hope. If we can sustain that, then we don't need drugs, liquior, or anything. ~JOHN , 1969
I don't recommend it [acid]. It can open a few doors, but it's not any answer. You can go out and get the answers yourself. ~PAUL, 1968
[LSD] went on for years. I must have had a thousand trips. I used to just eat it all the time. ~JOHN, 1970
I'm a tidy sort of bloke, I don't like chaos. I keep records in the record rack, tea in the tea caddy, and pot in the pot box. This was the biggest stick of hash I have ever seen and obviously I'd have known about it if I'd seen it before. Those who think it's a low-down dirty thing to smoke pot will be further convinced they're right and we're wrong. But it will strengthen the others who will follow us. We were once everybody's darlings. But it isn't like that anymore. They hate us. ~GEORGE, 1969, discussing his arrest for possession of cannibis
We smoke pot. We like it. We think it's harmless. Just like drainpipe trousers used to be. I had a real suburban upbringing in Liverpool and I can see the other point of view, but it can't change the person I've become.
My dad didn't like it when I wore narrow trousers. Now his are sixteen inches and mine thirty inches. You can see what I'm getting at.
And I guess it'll be like that with drugs. I don't go round preaching the gospel, I just live my life quietly. ~PAUL, date unknown