--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If only it were all so simple! If only…" description: "\"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 ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e22/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_cutting_if-only-it-were-all-so-simple-if-only-th_2186706.jpg" --- # If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil… ![“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. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to…” quote by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e22/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_cutting_if-only-it-were-all-so-simple-if-only-th_2186706.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e22/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_cutting_if-only-it-were-all-so-simple-if-only-th_2186706.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e22/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_cutting_if-only-it-were-all-so-simple-if-only-th_2186706.jpg) > “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. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?” [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Good and evil are intertwined within every person; separating evil is impossible without harming part of ourselves. **In simple terms:** Evil and good coexist inside each person. Key Takeaway Accept moral complexity within ourselves. Themes morality human nature conflict Mood somber thoughtful Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - personal decision-making - justice systems - conflict resolution Key Concepts ethics psychology Questions to Reflect On - Can we act morally without destroying part of ourselves? - How do we reconcile personal flaws with ethical duties? A Different Perspective It may imply fatalism, discouraging moral action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Committing Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/committing-evil-1050688/) [Cutting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cutting/) [Deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeds/) [Dividing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dividing/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Evil Deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-deeds/) [Evil people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-people/) [Good and evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-and-evil/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Humility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humility/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Pieces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pieces/) [Simple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple/) [Simple Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple-evil-3114528/) [Willing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/willing/) ## Related quotes > [“So let the reader who expects this book to be a political exposé slam its covers shut right now. If only it were all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/so-let-the-reader-who-expects-this-book-to-be-a-political-expos-slam/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [“If you witness evil men committing evil deeds and do nothing, what does that make you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-l-toth/if-you-witness-evil-men-committing-evil-deeds-and-do-nothing-what/) [K.L. Toth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-l-toth/) > [The line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/the-line-dividing-good-and-evil-cuts-through-the-heart-of-every-human/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [For good is simple, evil manifold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/for-good-is-simple-evil-manifold/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Evil is simple and empty. Evil has no mysterious depths. We stare into a dark hole and fill it with our fears, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-weeks/evil-is-simple-and-empty-evil-has-no-mysterious-depths-we-stare-into/) [Brent Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-weeks/) > [People do evil things because they are evil. Some people are evil in the way that some things are coloured indigo. They commit their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/people-do-evil-things-because-they-are-evil-some-people-are-evil-in/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [While God is not the author of evil and He never prompts or condones sin, nothing occurs without His sovereign oversight. Others may choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/while-god-is-not-the-author-of-evil-and-he-never-prompts-or-condones/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The moral world has no greater spectacle than this: a troubled and restless conscience on the verge of committing an evil deed, contemplating the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/the-moral-world-has-no-greater-spectacle-than-this-a-troubled-and/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [“Accepting evil is worse than committing evil. You must – I repeat – you must, as a human being, stand up on the side…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/accepting-evil-is-worse-than-committing-evil-you-must-i-repeat-you/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“Accepting evil is worse than committing evil.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/accepting-evil-is-worse-than-committing-evil/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [God values deeds according to their intentions. For it is said, "The Lord grant unto you according to your heart" (Ps. 19:5) ... Therefore,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-eremita/god-values-deeds-according-to-their-intentions-for-it-is-said-the/) [Marcus Eremita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-eremita/) > [One should not ascribe the evil deeds of individual leaders or political regimes to an innate fault of the Russian people and their country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/one-should-not-ascribe-the-evil-deeds-of-individual-leaders-or/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Rather than dividing the world between good and evil, the Left divided the world in terms of economics. Economic classes, not moral values, explained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/rather-than-dividing-the-world-between-good-and-evil-the-left-divided/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [“The intellectual climate of the 1970s, for which the 1950s had already paved the way, contributed to this. A theory was even finally developed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/the-intellectual-climate-of-the-1970s-for-which-the-1950s-had-already/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/with-or-without-religion-you-would-have-good-people-doing-good-things/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) ## More by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn > [If you wanted to put the world to rights, who should you begin with: yourself or others?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/if-you-wanted-to-put-the-world-to-rights-who-should-you-begin-with/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [“...you are strong only as long as you don't deprive people of everything . For a person you've taken everything from is no longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/you-are-strong-only-as-long-as-you-don-t-deprive-people-of-everything/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Woe to that nation whose literature is cut short by the intrusion of force. This is not merely interference with freedom of the press…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/woe-to-that-nation-whose-literature-is-cut-short-by-the-intrusion-of/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Literature becomes the living memory of a nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/literature-becomes-the-living-memory-of-a-nation/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [If there were no executioners, there would be no executions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/if-there-were-no-executioners-there-would-be-no-executions/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Not everything has a name. Some things lead us into a realm beyond words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/not-everything-has-a-name-some-things-lead-us-into-a-realm-beyond/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [It is almost always impossible to evaluate at the time events which you have already experienced, and to understand their meaning with the guidance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/it-is-almost-always-impossible-to-evaluate-at-the-time-events-which/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Human nature is full of riddles; . . . one of those riddles is: how is it that people who have been crushed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/human-nature-is-full-of-riddles-one-of-those-riddles-is-how-is-it/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [“It was astonishing that the pseudo wreckers, who knew perfectly well that they weren't wreckers, believed that military men and priests were being shaken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/it-was-astonishing-that-the-pseudo-wreckers-who-knew-perfectly-well/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [When the whole discussion of "developing a national idea" hastily began in post-Soviet Russia, I tried to pour cold water on it with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/when-the-whole-discussion-of-developing-a-national-idea-hastily-began/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [“It was granted me to carry away from my prison years on my bent back, which nearly broke beneath its load, this essential experience;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/it-was-granted-me-to-carry-away-from-my-prison-years-on-my-bent-back/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Call no day happy 'til it is done; call no man happy til he is dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/call-no-day-happy-til-it-is-done-call-no-man-happy-til-he-is-dead/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Whenever the tissue of life is woven of legalistic relationships, this creates an atmosphere of spiritual mediocrity that paralyzes a person's noblest impulses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/whenever-the-tissue-of-life-is-woven-of-legalistic-relationships-this/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [The same old caveman feeling-greed, envy, violence, and mutual hate, which along the way assumed respectable pseudonyms like class struggle, racial struggle, mass struggle,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/the-same-old-caveman-feeling-greed-envy-violence-and-mutual-hate/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Surrender one hair, and you'll end up beardless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/surrender-one-hair-and-you-ll-end-up-beardless/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) [Explore all 412 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) ## More Cutting quotes > [“I locked the door and turned on the water to fill the tub. I made it so hot that I had to get in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-crandall/i-locked-the-door-and-turned-on-the-water-to-fill-the-tub-i-made-it/) [Susan Crandall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-crandall/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [Since I worked with Danny Boyle before on Slumdog Millionaire, we have great success and everything. So, when I first got the script and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-r-rahman/since-i-worked-with-danny-boyle-before-on-slumdog-millionaire-we-have/) [A. R. Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-r-rahman/) > [A man has a right to use a saw, an axe, a plane, separately; may he not combine their uses on the same piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-man-has-a-right-to-use-a-saw-an-axe-a-plane-separately-may-he-not/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [I didn't understand Southland Tales script at all! Is there a single word to describe it? Cacophony? It's celebrity meets pornography meets politics -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-grant/i-didn-t-understand-southland-tales-script-at-all-is-there-a-single/) [Beth Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-grant/) > [Confidence comes from cutting yourself some slack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-daly/confidence-comes-from-cutting-yourself-some-slack/) [Tess Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-daly/) > [The nineteenth century lynching mob cuts off ears, toes, and fingers, strips off flesh, and distributes portions of the body as souvenirs among the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-b-wells/the-nineteenth-century-lynching-mob-cuts-off-ears-toes-and-fingers/) [Ida B. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-b-wells/) > [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [ We have no clear ideas of the agency of \[demonic\] spirits, nor is it necessary. The Scripture says little to satisfy our curiosity; but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/we-have-no-clear-ideas-of-the-agency-of-demonic-spirits-nor-is-it/) [John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/) > [The child who ran weeping to you with a cut finger is now brought home, smiling gamely, with a broken collarbone and incredible contusions-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-brown/the-child-who-ran-weeping-to-you-with-a-cut-finger-is-now-brought/) [Pam Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-brown/) > [Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/somewhere-somebody-must-have-some-sense-men-must-see-that-force/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [“I hate the way you talk to me And the way you cut your hair I hate the way you drive my car I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-hate-the-way-you-talk-to-me-and-the-way-you-cut-your-hair-i-hate/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [God holds each of us by a string. When we sin, we cut the string. But God ties it up again, making a knot.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/god-holds-each-of-us-by-a-string-when-we-sin-we-cut-the-string-but/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) > [What's the difference between obsolete and cutting edge? Obsolete works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/what-s-the-difference-between-obsolete-and-cutting-edge-obsolete-works/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) > [Geometry, which should only obey Physics, when united with it sometimes commands it. If it happens that the question which we wish to examine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/geometry-which-should-only-obey-physics-when-united-with-it-sometimes/) [Jean le Rond d'Alembert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/) [Browse all 6,010 Cutting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cutting/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "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. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/if-only-it-were-all-so-simple-if-only-there-were-evil-people/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cutting" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/if-only-it-were-all-so-simple-if-only-there-were-evil-people/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e22/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_cutting_if-only-it-were-all-so-simple-if-only-th_2186706.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e22/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_cutting_if-only-it-were-all-so-simple-if-only-th_2186706.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e22/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_cutting_if-only-it-were-all-so-simple-if-only-th_2186706.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds…” — Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If only it were all so...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/if-only-it-were-all-so-simple-if-only-there-were-evil-people/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/if-only-it-were-all-so-simple-if-only-there-were-evil-people/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```