No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to…
““No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting against it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness — they have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means — the only complete realist.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Temptation reveals its power only when resisted; only those who struggle understand its strength.
In simple terms: Resisting temptation shows how strong it truly is.
Key Takeaway
Try resisting to know its force.
Themes
tempttemptation
strength
self‑knowledge
Mood
reflective
serious
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- Personal moral choices
- addiction recovery
- ethical leadership
- spiritual growth
Key Concepts
Moral psychology
human nature
spiritual discipline
Questions to Reflect On
- How does resisting shape character?
- What supports you when temptation rises?
A Different Perspective
Resisting may be overwhelming without support or guidance.