“Most of the evil in this world is done by people with good intentions.”

— T.S. Eliot

Last update July 1, 2022. History

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T.S. Eliot 270

20th century English author 1888–1965

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“No evil can be excused because it is done with a good intention.”

Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican scholastic philosopher of the Roman Catholic Church

Original: (la) Nullum malum bona intentione factum excusatur.
Variant: Variant translation: An evil action cannot be justified by reference to a good intention.
Source: On the Ten Commandments (c. 1273)

“The sad truth of the matter is that most evil is done by people who never made up their minds to be or do either evil or good.”

Hannah Arendt book The Life of the Mind

Source: The Life of the Mind (1978), "Thinking".

“The evil that is in the world always comes of ignorance, and good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence, if they lack understanding.”

Albert Camus book The Plague

The Plague (1947)
Context: The evil that is in the world always comes of ignorance, and good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence, if they lack understanding. On the whole men are more good than bad; that, however, isn't the real point. But they are more or less ignorant, and it is this that we call vice or virtue; the most incorrigible vice being that of an ignorance which fancies it knows everything and therefore claims for itself the right to kill. There can be no true goodness, nor true love, without the utmost clear-sightedness.

“Ultimately evil is done not so much by evil people, but by good people who do not know themselves and who do not probe deeply.”

Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971) American protestant theologian

“Human nature is evil, and goodness is caused by intentional activity.”

Xun Zi (-313–-238 BC) Ancient Chinese philosopher

Quoted in: Fayek S. Hourani (2012) Daily Bread for Your Mind and Soul, p. 336.

“Let us face squarely the paradox that the world which goes to war is a world, usually, genuinely desiring peace. War is the outcome, not mainly of evil intentions, but on the whole, of good intentions which miscarry or are frustrated. It is made, not usually by evil men knowing themselves to be wrong, but is the outcome of policies pursued by good men usually passionately convinced that they are right.”

Norman Angell (1872–1967) British politician

Peace and the Public Mind (1935)

“I have come across most people- with the exception of those that God most High has protected-they rush into misery, worry, the exhaustion of this world, and amassing terrible sins, that will earn them hell-fire, gaining nothing in pursuing their evil deeds… And they know that their evil intentions will neither fulfill their wishes, nor bring any gains; and that with purer intentions they will obtain great rest for their souls.”

Ibn Hazm (994–1064) Arab theologian

Kitab al-Akhlaq wa’l Siyar p: 17

“…there is a sum of evil equal to the sum of good, the continuing equilibrium of the world requires that there be as many good people as wicked people…”

Marquis de Sade (1740–1814) French novelist and philosopher

Justine or The Misfortunes of Virtue (1787)

“It is not for human judgment to dive into the heart of man, to know whether his intentions are good or evil.”

Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon (1732–1802) British Baron

Case of John Lambert and others (1793), 22 How. St. Tr. 1018.

“People see only their good deeds saying, "I have done this good deed." But they do not see their evil deeds saying, "I have done this evil deed" or "This is called evil." But this (tendency) is difficult to see. One should think like this: "It is these things that lead to evil, to violence, to cruelty, anger, pride and jealousy. Let me not ruin myself with these things."”

Ashoka (-304–-232 BC) Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty

And further, one should think: "This leads to happiness in this world and the next."
Edicts of Ashoka (c. 257 BC)

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