Good Evil Quotes

Be thou good thyself, and let people speak evil of thee; it is better than to be wicked, and that they should consider thee as good. ~ Saadi

Good will always prevail over evil. I see that in me versus Klitschko. ~ Tyson Fury

Far, far below, red liquid bubbled. Blood? Lava? Evil ketchup? None of the posibilities were good. ~ Rick Riordan

The unpleasant things in life make so much noise that we forget the silent operation of the good. Evil is aggressive, rampant, but good is quiet, undemonstrative. ~ Joshua Loth Liebman

There is no possible source of evil except good. ~ Saint Augustine

So far any one shuns evils, so far as he does good. ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

If you have an enemy, do not requite him evil with good, for that would put him to shame. Rather prove that he did you some good. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

True liberty is not liberty to do evil as well as good. ~ John Winthrop

In the world we make good as evil and evil as good. ~ Jim Caviezel

Much that we call evil is really good in disguises; and we should not quarrel rashly with adversities not yet understood, nor overlook the mercies often bound up in them. ~ Horace Mann

When "Do no Evil" has been understood, Then learn the harder, braver rule, "Do Good. ~ Arthur Guiterman

There's good and evil going on. We have cops. We have robbers. ~ Joe Mantegna

The humblest individual exerts some influence, either for good or evil, upon others. ~ Henry Ward Beecher

Each of us has a vision of good and of evil. We have to encourage people to move towards what they think is good ... Everyone has his own idea of good and evil and must choose to follow the good and fight evil as he conceives them. That would be enough to make the world a better place. ~ Pope Francis

The fundamental evil of the world arose from the fact that the good Lord has not created money enough. ~ Heinrich Heine

A dragon is a confusion at the heart of things, a law unto himself. He embraces good, evil, and indifference; in his own nature he makes them indivisible and absolute. He knows who he is. Surely you see that... Put it this way. Dragons all love life's finer things- music, art, treasure- the works of the spirit; yet in their personal habits they're foul and bestial- they burn down cathedrals, for instance, and eat maidens- and they see in their whimsical activities no faintest contradiction... Dragons never grow, never change... Believe me, nothing in this world is more despicable than a dragon. They're a walking- or flying- condemnation of all we stand for, all we pray for our children, nay, for ourselves. We struggle to improve ourselves, we tortuously balance on the delicate line between our duties to society and our duties within- our duties to God and our own nature. ~ John Gardner

I have been brought up open-minded. If I didn't know any people from other countries, I'd think everyone was evil based on news stories. But I know a lot of people, and know that there is no such thing as stark good and evil. Isn't it possible there is the same amount of evil everywhere? ~ Marjane Satrapi

Evil things often look beautiful.
But that's because they've stolen the beauty from the good ... Evil isn't beautiful on its own. ~ Regina Doman

I believe you can make forces of good and evil work for you, to get what you want. ~ GG Allin

There are heroes in evil as well as in good. ~ Francois De La Rochefoucauld

Guns are evil! And very little good comes from the availability of a bullet designed to kill human beings! ~ Mackenzie Astin

It's not enough not to be evil. We also actively try to be good. ~ Sergey Brin

Good and Evil are opposite points on a circle, Dr. Chiver. Greater good is just halfway back to Bad. ~ Sheri Holman

Like sin itself, Satan appeals to the senses. He originated and perfected the art of disguising evil as good. ~ Charles R. Swindoll

Politics is a way of ruling in divided societies without undue violence ... politics is not just a necessary evil; it is a realistic good. ~ Bernard Crick

I view my role now as providing more of a macro-level skepticism, rather than saying this poll is good or this poll is evil. ~ Nate Silver

So certainly, if we can tell evil stories to make people sick, we can also tell good myths that make them well. ~ Rainer Werner Fassbinder

War is good when good survives and evil is crushed. If you don't crush evil then evil will get you. ~ Ted Nugent

A good man would prefer to be defeated than to defeat injustice by evil means. ~ Sallust

Much that may seem evil can be good. ~ George R R Martin

People who have a reputation for being evil are usually good. ~ Sebastian Horsley

It's better to die doing good than to live doing evil. ~ Brigham Young

There has to be evil so that good can prove its purity above it. ~ Gautama Buddha

Lesser, greater, middling, it's all the same. Proportions are negotiated, boundaries blurred. I'm not a pious hermit, I haven't done only good in my life. But if I'm to choose between one evil and another, then I prefer not to choose at all. ~ Andrzej Sapkowski

Resolve not to be overcome by evil, but to combat evil with good. ~ Pope Francis

It's interesting that we can always find someone who will give an articulate and persuasive defense for the ethical legitimacy of some of the activities that God has judged to be an outrage to Him. As humans, our ability to defend ourselves from moral culpability is quite developed and nuanced. We become a culture in trouble when we begin to call evil good and good evil. To do that, we must distort the conscience, and, in essence, make man the final authority in life. All one has to do is to adjust his conscience to suit his ethic. Then we can live life with peace of mind, thinking that we are living in a state of righteousness. ~ R.C. Sproul

I've learned a lot about good and evil. They are not always what they appear to be. ~ Charles Van Doren

How far the existence of the Academy has influenced French literature, either for good or for evil, is an extremely dubious question. ~ Lytton Strachey

Goodness is something that makes us serene and content; it is magnificent. Those who are not good are evil. ~ Bhumibol Adulyadej

Whatever diminishes life is evil, and whatever enhances life is good. ~ John Shelby Spong

America as did with Israel with its blessing has been turning away from God driving Him out of its public squares. Bring in idols in its place and calling what is evil good and what is good evil ... The glory of the city on the hill is fading and America now stands in danger of impending judgment, and we all know it. ~ Jonathan Cahn

Evil communication corrupts good manners. I hope to live to hear that good communication corrects bad manners. ~ Benjamin Banneker

They call good evil and evil good. There are those who are so easily offended that they lose their ability to ever discern any truth, and this is often derived from a sort of frenzy by way of their own masked prejudice. ~ Criss Jami

The mind of one who practises doesn't run away anywhere, it stays right there. Good, evil, happiness and unhappiness, right and wrong arise, and he knows them all. The meditator simply knows them, they don't enter his mind. That is, he has no clinging. He is simply the experiencer. ~ Ajahn Chah

There is no good and evil, there is only power and those too weak to seek it. ~ J.K. Rowling

Mistrust the person who finds everything good, and the person who finds everything evil, and mistrust even more the person who is indifferent to everything. ~ Johann Kaspar Lavater

Evil is the starry sky of the Good. ~ Franz Kafka

I don't know how it will be in the years to come. There are monstrous changes taking place in the world, forces shaping a future whose face we do not know. Some of these forces seem evil to us, perhaps not in themselves but because their tendency is to eliminate other things we hold good. ~ John Steinbeck

There is no such thing as evil. Only relative degrees of good. ~ Meher Baba

Our minds should not be empty because if they are not preoccupied by good, evil will break in upon them. ~ Samuel Johnson

The sharing of goods and resources, from which authentic development proceeds, is not guaranteed by merely technical progress and relationships of utility, but by the potential of love that overcomes evil with good. ~ Pope Benedict XVI

More than anything, there are more images in evil. Evil is based far more on the visual, whereas good has no good images at all. ~ Lars Von Trier

God, the devil, good, evil, it's all in our heads, not in Heaven or Hell, which we also invented. We do not realize that, having invented God, we immediately became His slaves. ~ Jose Saramago

Hatred is gained as much by good works as by evil. ~ Niccolo Machiavelli

You think you understand this world, demoiselle," he whispered, leaning closer. That sharp tang of genévrier needles slapped me in the face. "You think you hear Dexter, or Sinister, and you know what that means. Good, evil, legacy. Pain, poison, power. You imagine these words bound up and trussed away, with clear outlines and hard borders. But they are alive, seething with a complexity you refuse to acknowledge. ~ Lyra Selene

Life isn't one-dimensional. The world isn't simply divided into good versus evil. I think we're all capable of both. ~ Alexander Skarsgard

Good can exist without evil, whereas evil cannot exist without good. ~ Thomas Aquinas

Fantasy is an area where it is possible to talk about right and wrong, good and evil, with a straight face. In mainstream fiction and even in a good deal of mystery, these things are presented as simply two sides of the same coin. Never really more than a matter of where you happen to be standing. ~ Robert Jordan

We must substitute fear for faith, for fear is only inverted faith; it is faith in evil instead of good. ~ Florence Scovel Shinn

We in the West regard the universe as a creation of God; like an invention or a product. After he created the universe, God set himself to oversee it and manage it. We see God as our boss. He created the universe, he is present in it, he manages every part of it, but he is still separate from it. It's like he installed video cameras all over the universe, so he can see everything that happens, and he can cause this or that to happen, but he is not a part of what happens. The Eastern view is very different. To the Hindu, for example, God didn't create the universe, but God became the universe. Then he forgot that he became the universe. Why would God do this? Basically, for entertainment. You create a universe, and that in itself is very exciting. But then what? Should you sit back and watch this universe of yours having all the fun? No, you should have all the fun yourself. To accomplish this, God transformed into the whole universe. God is the Universe, and everything in it. But the universe doesn't know that because that would ruin the suspense. The universe is God's great drama, and God is the stage, the actors, and the audience all at once. The title of this epic drama is "The Great Unknown Outcome." Throw in potent elements like passion, love, hate, good, evil, free will; and who knows what will happen? No one knows, and that is what keeps the universe interesting. But everyone will have a good time. And there is never really any danger, because everyone is really God, a ~ Warren Sharpe

You look like a Greek God, not to attract me per say, but to be attractive to all. It's part of your power, your persuasive way. It's also part of the evil, to make it harder for you to remain good. Evil doesn't just come in the form of a monster, it comes in the form of a beautiful woman, a temptress if you will, in the form of sin. With your incredible good looks, women will be more drawn to you, which could tempt you to evil's sin; a curse, as well as a gift. ~ Deborah Ann

What I have learned from my work up to now, is to try to be open, but also protect myself by not letting the good and the evil get too much importance. ~ Jane Campion

Nowadays, no one believes in evil. It is considered, at most, a mere negation of good. Evil, people say, is done by those who know no better - who are undeveloped - who are to be pitied rather than blamed. But, M. Poirot, evil is real! It is a fact! I believe in Evil as I believe in Good. It exists! It is powerful! It walks the earth!' He stopped. His breath was coming fast. He wiped his forehead with his handkerchief and looked suddenly apologetic. 'I'm sorry. I got carried away. ~ Agatha Christie

Forget them, Meda. Forget her." He reaches up and puts his hand on the side of my face, tugging it toward him. "I like you as you are. Good, evil, whatever. All I care about is that you're alive. Please, Meda. ~ Eliza Crewe

It may be necessary temporarily to accept a lesser evil, but one must never label a necessary evil as good. ~ Margaret Mead

To prefer evil to good is not in human nature; and when a man is compelled to choose one of two evils, no one will choose the greater when he might have the less. ~ Plato

Conservatives divide the world in terms of good and evil while liberals do it in terms of the rich and poor. ~ Dennis Prager

The ultimate test ... to see the good in evil and the evil in good. ~ Frank Herbert

If there is no God, the labels 'good' and 'evil' are merely opinions. They are substitutes for 'I like it' and 'I don't like it.' They are not objective realities. ~ Dennis Prager

Good, evil, these are human concepts, ways people have for understanding what it means to be alive," Nick said. "Before people came along, this planet was teeming with life, fighting to survive, to live long enough to reproduce, completing the circle of life."

"I'm with you so far," Elphaba said. "The circle of life is an essential Wiccan principle, in spite of The Lion King."

Nick ignored Elphaba's bit of humor as his mood became more serious. "Precisely so. And in this circle of life, you have predators and prey. The predators must kill to eat. If they don't, they starve. Are the predators evil?"

"No, of course not. They're simply acting on their nature."

"What is human nature, then? Are we a species that builds societies of trust and cooperation, or are we a species that seeks power over our fellow man, even if that means fighting wars or otherwise killing him?"

Elphaba frowned, carefully considering her answer. "I'd like to think we are a species of trust and cooperation."

"Our entire history is a story of war, of murder and mayhem, of blood running in the streets," Nick said quietly.

"Yes, yes it is." Elphaba leaned back, grimacing.

"We are both," Nick said. "A species of cooperation, and a species of strife. We fight wars, and we also establish the rule of law to mete out justice to the criminals in our midst. Humans are both good and evil. ~ Abramelin Keldor

Good, evil - it all becomes blurred. You go far enough and everything turns to grey. And the power Isaac, you don't understand. The power I have now - I can't let it go. It's in my blood, it's right there in my soul. I can't let it go. ~ Matthew Head

There is nothing good or evil save in the will. ~ Epictetus

Nothing is so good that impious and sacrilegious and wicked people cannot contort its proper benefit into evil. ~ Giordano Bruno

'The Gambler' by Dostoevsky. It was the first time I realised that it was possible to have good and evil in one person. It led me to read a lot of Russian literature. ~ Sue Townsend

Is human nature basically good or evil? No economist can embark upon his profession without considering this question, and yet they all seem to. And they all seem to think human nature is basically good, or they wouldn't be surprised by the effects of deregulation. ~ Jane Smiley

Since the purpose of reading, of education, is to become good, our most important task is to choose the right books. Our personal set of stories, our canon, shapes our lives. I believe it is a law of the universe that we will not rise above our canon. Our canon is part of us, deeply, subconsciously. And the characters and teachings in our canon shape our characters
good, evil, mediocre, or great. ~ Oliver DeMille

Among the great struggles of man-good/evil, reason/unreason, etc.-there is also this mighty conflict between the fantasy of Home and the fantasy of Away, the dream of roots and the mirage of the journey. ~ Salman Rushdie

I do not understand what I do ... It is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me ... For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing ... I find this law at work: when I want to do good, evil is right there with me ... I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin ... I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. ~ Anonymous

Good & Evil struggled between us. It was all a matter of control. And choice. Nothing more ang nothing less. ~ Paulo Coelho

God Almighty would in no way permit evil in His works were He not so omnipotent and good that even out of evil He could work good. ~ Saint Augustine

Evil, once manfully fronted, ceases to be evil; there is generous battle-hope in place of dead, passive misery; the evil itself has become a kind of good. ~ Thomas Carlyle

When they had dismounted, he indulged himself in a shudder of his whole body. "That is more than I undertake to do again!' --this to the admiral, in reproachful tones. "Those two monstrously large beasts! Going right up to them like that and dangling their captains in front of them just as if to say, look what I have got, ha ha! I am all astonishment they did not leap upon me at once. I hope they did not get a clear look at me. If they ever saw me again I am sure they would not let it pass."

"I beg you not to repine upon it," Laurence said. "Temeraire understands well that orders must be obeyed, and will not hold it against you; he knows it was not in your power to deliver us to him."

"Well, but it was," Souci said, not conciliated, and Granby said nothing reassuring at all. Iskierka allow of assurances of her behavior, good, evil, or otherwise. ~ Naomi Novik

I profess accurately to describe native Africa - Africa in those places where it has not received the slightest impulse, whether for good or evil, from European civilisation. ~ John Hanning Speke

If television viewing choices serve as a valid measure of our society, they who choose evil surely are more numerous than they who choose good. ~ Joseph B. Wirthlin

Most of us perceive Evil as an entity, a quality that is inherent in some people and not in others. Bad seeds ultimately produce bad fruits as their destinies unfold. . . Upholding a Good-Evil dichotomy also takes 'good people' off the responsibility hook. They are freed from even considering their possible role in creating, sustaining, perpetuating, or conceding to the conditions that contribute to delinquency, crime, vandalism, teasing, bullying, rape, torture, terror, and violence. ~ Philip G. Zimbardo

There surely is in human nature an inherent propensity to extract all the good out of all the evil. ~ Benjamin Haydon

I think that we all know what evil is. We have a sense of what's evil, and certainly killing innocent people is evil. We're less sure about what is good. There's sort of good, good enough, could be better - but absolute good is a little harder to define. ~ Madeleine Albright

The doing evil to avoid an evil cannot be good. ~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge

I do not concern myself with gods and spirits either good or evil nor do I serve any. ~ Lao-Tzu

It is a governing principle of nature, that the agency which can produce most good, when perverted from its proper aim, is most productive of evil. ~ James F. Cooper

--perhaps monsters were misunderstood gods; deities with plans too grand for humans; a phantom of evil that drank from the roots of good. ~ Roshani Chokshi

Some people turn from God because they cannot understand how a good God can permit evil in the world. ~ Walter Lang

It's as boring to see a completely evil villain as it is to see a completely good guy. ~ Brian Helgeland

The world has come to such a state that one can no longer find anyone who does good. ~ Girolamo Savonarola

As long as you still experience the stars as something "above you", you lack the eye of knowledge. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

Taxes are not good things, but if you want services, somebody's got to pay for them so they're a necessary evil. ~ Michael Bloomberg

Governments will rise, and governments will fall, and man will do evil to man, and all we can do is turn our hearts to good. ~ Margaret Peterson Haddix

As we look into the future, we are going to need to be stronger and more responsible for our choices in a world where people "call evil good, and good evil." We do not choose wisely if we use our agency in opposition to God's will or to priesthood counsel. Tomorrow's blessings and opportunities depend on the choices we make today. ~ James E. Faust

The greatest evils, are from within us; and from ourselves also we must look for the greatest good. ~ Jeremy Taylor

The human race will disappear. Other races will appear and disappear in turn. The sky will become icy and void, pierced by the feeble light of half-dead stars. Which will also disappear. Everything will disappear. And what human beings do is just as free of sense as the free motion of elementary particles. Good, evil, morality, feelings? Pure 'Victorian fictions'. Only egotism exists. ~ H.P. Lovecraft