Turn on, tune in, drop out New York City on September 19, 1966. It urged people to embrace cultural changes through the use of psychedelics by detaching themselves from the existing conventions and hierarchies in society. It was also the motto of his League for Spiritual Discovery. The phrase was derided by more conservative critics. In his speech, Leary said: Leary later explained in his 1983 autobiography "Flashbacks": "Turn on, tune in, drop out" is also the title of a book () of essays by Timothy Leary, covering topics ranging from religion, education, and politics to Aldous Huxley, neurology, and psychedelic drugs. Leary later (during the
League for Spiritual Discovery be used as an aid to LSD trips), and underground newspapers to which the group subscribed. The League for Spiritual Discovery's belief structure was based on Leary's mantra: "drop out, turn on, tune in." Though the more popular "turn on, tune in, drop out" became synonymous with Leary, his actual definition was: ""Drop Out" – detach yourself from the external social drama which is as dehydrated and ersatz as TV. "Turn On" – find a sacrament which returns you to the temple of God, your own body. Go out of your mind. Get high. "Tune In" – be reborn. Drop