The shadows of human nature have always fascinated us. There’s something chilling yet captivating about the words used to describe evil. They hold a power that can both repel and mesmerize, making us question the depths of our own souls.
In this article, we have gathered some of the most striking evil quotes. These words, whether from literature, film, or history, reveal dark truths and reflect the complex facets of human nature. Get ready to explore a world where darkness speaks volumes.
Origins of Evil Quotes
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
“We stopped checking for monsters under our bed when we realized they were inside us.”
“The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis.”
“Evil begins when you begin to treat people as things.”
“There is no good and evil, there is only power and those too weak to seek it.”
“To see evil and do nothing is the greatest treason.”
“The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”
“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”
“The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.”
“Evil is always devising more corrosive misery through man’s restless need to exact revenge out of his hate.”
“The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.”
“All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.”
“Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction.”
“The devil’s finest trick is to persuade you that he does not exist.”
“Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster.”
“In the absence of light, darkness prevails.”
“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
“He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster.”
“Evil is a point of view. God kills indiscriminately, and so shall we.”
“If you’re going through hell, keep going.”
“There’s no such thing as evil; it’s just a matter of perspective.”
“When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one I’ve never tried before.”
“The line between good and evil is permeable and almost anyone can be induced to cross it when pressured by situational forces.”
“True evil needs no reason.”
“The heart of the wicked is beyond understanding.”
“The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones.”
“I have seen the dark universe yawning, Where the black planets roll without aim.”
“Evil is unspectacular and always human, And shares our bed and eats at our own table.”
“The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil.”
“The more we deny that we have a dark side, the more power it has over us.”
“Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.”
“we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
Evil Quotes from Literature
“The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.”
“It is a man’s own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.”
“The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis.”
“To be wicked is never excusable, but there is some merit in knowing that you are.”
“Better reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven.”
“We stopped checking for monsters under our bed when we realized they were inside us.”
“Beware, for I am fearless and therefore powerful.”
“There are crimes of passion and crimes of logic. The boundary between them is not clearly defined.”
“The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”
“To do evil a human being must first of all believe that what he’s doing is good.”
“Hell is empty and all the devils are here.”
“Nothing is easier than to denounce the evildoer; nothing is more difficult than to understand him.”
“Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.”
“Evil begins when you begin to treat people as things.”
“There is no denying that there is evil in this world but the light will always conquer the darkness.”
“Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad.”
“He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby become a monster.”
“The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either—but right through every human heart.”
“Evil is always unspectacular and always human. And shares our bed and eats at our own table.”
“I am in blood stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o’er.”
“The world is not divided into good people and Death Eaters. We’ve all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on.”
“Evil when we are in its power is not felt as evil but as a necessity, or even a duty.”
“True evil needs no reason.”
“What we call evil is simply ignorance bumping its head in the dark.”
“Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.”
“The greatest evil is physical pain.”
“Evil is like water, it abounds, is cheap, soon fouls, but runs itself clear of taint.”
“The face of evil is always the face of total need.”
“Be careful not to choke on your aspirations.”
“Evil has to exist alongside goodness, for how else could we differentiate between them?”
“Evil is always possible. And goodness is eternally difficult.”
“No one is born evil, it’s the world that corrupts us.”
“To see and listen to the wicked is already the beginning of wickedness.”
Historical Evil Quotes
“The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”
“Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster.”
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
“So we shall let the reader answer this question for himself: who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed?”
“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
“The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones.”
“All that is necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for enough good men to do nothing.”
“The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.”
“Hell is empty and all the devils are here.”
“Evil begins when you begin to treat people as things.”
“To see and listen to the wicked is already the beginning of wickedness.”
“Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it.”
“All things truly wicked start from an innocence.”
“False face must hide what the false heart doth know.”
“The soul that has conceived one wickedness can nurse no good thereafter.”
“There is no evil in sorcery, only in the hearts of men.”
“I am for the most part so convinced that everything is but one and the same thing, that it matters little to me whether I live or die, day to day, or century to century.”
“The less we deserve good fortune, the more we hope for it.”
“The devil’s finest trick is to persuade you that he does not exist.”
“When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks into you.”
“Those who fight monsters should see to it that they themselves do not become monsters.”
“But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.”
“Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction.”
“The heart of a fool is in his mouth, but the mouth of a wise man is in his heart.”
“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.”
“Good men and bad men are less than they seem.”
“For the love of money is the root of all evil.”
“It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both.”
“Conscience is but a word that cowards use, devised at first to keep the strong in awe.”
“Evil is easy, and has infinite forms.”
“The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.”
Evil Quotes in Pop Culture
“The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.”
“Some men just want to watch the world burn.”
“I became Insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.”
“There is no good and evil, there is only power and those too weak to seek it.”
“The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones.”
“We stopped checking for monsters under our bed when we realized they were inside us.”
“All things truly wicked start from innocence.”
“Fear profits a man nothing.”
“Evil is a point of view.”
“It’s not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.”
“Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven.”
“To do evil a human being must first of all believe that what he’s doing is good.”
“In wine, there is truth. In government, there is lies.”
“The devil’s finest trick is to persuade you that he does not exist.”
“Hell is empty and all the devils are here.”
“Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.”
“People never notice anything.”
“Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.”
“He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby become a monster.”
“Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor Hell a fury like a woman scorned.”
“Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate.”
“We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell.”
“Evil can have no conversation with good.”
“Evil isn’t born, it’s made.”
“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”
“Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.”
“The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”
“When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.”
“Evil begins when you begin to treat people as things.”
“He who does not punish evil, commands it to be done.”
“No man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness.”
“Even the devil was once an angel.”
Famous Villains and Their Quotes
“I’ll be back.”
“Why so serious?”
“We all go a little mad sometimes.”
“I’m your father.”
“Some men just want to watch the world burn.”
“Elementary, my dear Watson.”
“Welcome to my world, won’t you come on in?”
“Even the devil was once an angel.”
“The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.”
“I have such sights to show you.”
“We accept the love we think we deserve.”
“Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac.”
“You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”
“The end justifies the means.”
“He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby becomes a monster.”
“What is better – to be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?”
“It’s not about money. It’s about sending a message.”
“I will be the one to inherit the world.”
“Do you want to play a game?”
“There is no good and evil, there is only power and those too weak to seek it.”
“Will you join me in a dance of death?”
“Hate has a reason for everything, but love is unreasonable.”
“The heart has reasons that reason cannot know.”
“You have nothing, nothing to threaten me with. Nothing to do with all your strength.”
“Every fairytale needs a good old-fashioned villain.”
“A lie told often enough becomes the truth.”
“He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past.”
“Evil is a point of view.”
“The world is cruel, and the only morality in a cruel world is chance.”
“Sometimes humanity is the greatest villain.”
“Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”
Evil Wisdom: Philosophical Quotes
“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.”
“The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.”
“We stopped checking for monsters under our bed when we realized they were inside us.”
“To do evil a human being must first of all believe that what he’s doing is good.”
“For when we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
“No man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness, the good he seeks.”
“The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones.”
“He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
“The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”
“If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them.”
“Perhaps it’s impossible to wear an identity without becoming what you pretend to be.”
“The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.”
“A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance.”
“There are evils—indeed, great and serious evils—which no man can foresee or guard against.”
“The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either — but right through every human heart.”
“All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”
“Evil begins when you begin to treat people as things.”
“The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil.”
“Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.”
“Nothing is easier than to denounce the evildoer; nothing is more difficult than to understand him.”
“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”
“When the whole world is running towards a cliff, he who is running in the opposite direction appears to have lost his mind.”
“We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell.”
“The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis.”
“Evil, when we are in its power, is not felt as evil, but as a necessity, or even a duty.”
“The devil has the power to assume a pleasing shape.”
“An evil man will burn his own nation to the ground to rule over the ashes.”
“Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster.”
“The function of wisdom is to discriminate between good and evil.”
“Evil is always unspectacular and always human. And shares our bed and eats at our own table.”
“It is a man’s own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.”
Chilling Evil Quotes from Movies
“I am your father.” – Darth Vader, Star Wars: Episode V
“Whatever you do, don’t fall asleep.”
“We all go a little mad sometimes.”
“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”
“I see dead people.”
“Do you want to play a game?”
“A boy’s best friend is his mother.”
“Be afraid… Be very afraid.”
“It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again.”
“I have such sights to show you.”
“You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”
“Here’s Johnny!”
“You can’t handle the truth!”
“In space, no one can hear you scream.”
“I’m having an old friend for dinner.”
“We accept the love we think we deserve.”
“I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.”
“They’re here.”
“Sometimes dead is better.”
“It’s alive! It’s alive!”
“I am a goddamn marvel of modern science.”
“When there’s no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth.”
“I am the devil, and I am here to do the devil’s work.”
“You’re all my children now.”
“I have a bad feeling about this.”
“Death has come to your little town, Sheriff.”
“We have such sights to show you.”
“They’re all going to laugh at you!”
“You think darkness is your ally. But you merely adopted the dark; I was born in it!”
“Your suffering will be legendary even in hell.”
“Whatever you found, it’s behind you now.”
“It’s not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.”
Final Thoughts
So there you have it—a collection of some of the best quotes about evil. These quotes capture the dark side of human nature and provide much to think about. They remind us that evil can come in many forms and often challenges our understanding of good and bad.
By reflecting on these words, we can gain insight into the complex nature of right and wrong. Quotes about evil serve as a reminder to stay vigilant and conscious of our actions. They help us recognize the importance of making choices that lead to a better world.
