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Of course, he was in favor of Armageddon in general terms…

“Of course, he was in favor of Armageddon in general terms. If anyone had asked him why he'd been spending centuries tinkering in the affairs of mankind he'd have said, "Oh, in order to bring about Armageddon and the triumph of Hell." But it was one thing to work to bring it about, and quite…” quote by Neil Gaiman Terry Pratchett
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““Of course, he was in favor of Armageddon in general terms. If anyone had asked him why he'd been spending centuries tinkering in the affairs of mankind he'd have said, "Oh, in order to bring about Armageddon and the triumph of Hell." But it was one thing to work to bring it about, and quite another for it to actually happen. Crowley had always known that he would be around when the world ended, because he was immortal and wouldn't have any alternative. But he'd hoped it would be a long way off. Because he rather liked people. It was a major failing in a demon. Oh, he did his best to make their short lives miserable, because that was his job, but nothing he could think up was half as bad as the stuff they thought up themselves. They seemed to have a talent for it. It was built into the design, somehow. They were born into a world that was against them in a thousand little ways, and then devoted most of their energies to making it worse. Over the years Crowley had found it increasingly difficult to find anything demonic to do which showed up against the natural background of generalized nastiness. There had been times, over the past millenium, when he'd felt like sending a message back Below saying, Look, we may as well give up right now, we might as well shut down Dis and Pandemonium and everywhere and move up here, there's nothing we can do to them that they don't do to themselves and they do things we've never even though of, often involving electrodes. They've got what we lack. They've got imagination. And electricity, of course.””

Neil Gaiman Terry Pratchett

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A demon reflects on his role in humanity’s downfall, noting that humans create more evil than he can.

In simple terms: Humans are more wicked than demons think

Key Takeaway

Recognize human capacity for self‑destruction

Themes

humor philosophy existence free will evil mortality

Mood

wry darkly humorous contemplative

Type

satire philosophical literary

When to use this quote

  • literary analysis
  • ethical debate
  • creative writing
  • psychology
  • theology

Key Concepts

demonology human nature irony

Questions to Reflect On

  • What does it mean when humans become their own worst enemies?
  • Can evil be a product of imagination rather than intent?
A Different Perspective

The demon’s perspective may downplay his own responsibility

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