--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For I know that nothing good dwells in…" description: "\"“For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94a/anonymous-1_evil_for-i-know-that-nothing-good-dwells-in-m_2491590.jpg" --- # For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my… ![“For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good that I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94a/anonymous-1_evil_for-i-know-that-nothing-good-dwells-in-m_2491590.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94a/anonymous-1_evil_for-i-know-that-nothing-good-dwells-in-m_2491590.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94a/anonymous-1_evil_for-i-know-that-nothing-good-dwells-in-m_2491590.jpg) > ““For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good that I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.”” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage expresses inner conflict: wanting to do good but feeling powerless, attributing unwanted actions to sin within. **In simple terms:** Desire for good clashes with inability, blamed on sin. Key Takeaway Recognize inner struggle and seek transformation. Themes spiritual conflict human nature morality Mood conflicted reflective Type theological personal When to use this quote - personal reflection - spiritual counseling - ethical decision making Key Concepts sin free will inner conflict Questions to Reflect On - What inner forces drive my unwanted actions? - How can I align desire with ability? A Different Perspective The text assumes sin is external, overlooking psychological factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) ## Related quotes > [We...sin not because we want what is evil, but because we want what isn't good enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-hahn/we-sin-not-because-we-want-what-is-evil-but-because-we-want-what-isn/) [Scott Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-hahn/) > [It has beeen said that the love of money is the root of all evil. The want of money is so quite as truly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-has-beeen-said-that-the-love-of-money-is-the-root-of-all-evil-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I do not understand what I do…It is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me...For what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-do-not-understand-what-i-do-it-is-no-longer-i-myself-who-do-it-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I never play a villain that I don't have something I can either do or say so the audience sees there is something redeemable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brion-james/i-never-play-a-villain-that-i-don-t-have-something-i-can-either-do-or/) [Brion James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brion-james/) > [“As for me, when I deliberated upon serving the Lord my God, as I had long planned to do, it was I myself who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustine-of-hippo/as-for-me-when-i-deliberated-upon-serving-the-lord-my-god-as-i-had/) [Augustine of Hippo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustine-of-hippo/) > [“When I do what I know is wrong…it is sin which dwells in my members (body of flesh).” It wasn’t Satan oppressing him; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-snipes/when-i-do-what-i-know-is-wrong-it-is-sin-which-dwells-in-my-members/) [Eddie Snipes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-snipes/) > [“The sin he dwells in, the sin he will not come out of, is the sole ruin of a man. His present, his live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/the-sin-he-dwells-in-the-sin-he-will-not-come-out-of-is-the-sole-ruin/) [George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/) > [Sympathy is one of the principles most widely rooted in our nature: we rejoice to see ourselves reflected in another; and, perversely enough, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/sympathy-is-one-of-the-principles-most-widely-rooted-in-our-nature-we/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [Never venture near the door where sin dwells, lest you are dragged in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gurnall/never-venture-near-the-door-where-sin-dwells-lest-you-are-dragged-in/) [William Gurnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gurnall/) > [Well, I take great comfort in the words of the apostle Paul who said, ‘What I will to do, that I do not practice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-cash/well-i-take-great-comfort-in-the-words-of-the-apostle-paul-who-said/) [Johnny Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-cash/) > [If you want to do evil, science provides the most powerful weapons to do evil; but equally, if you want to do good, science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/if-you-want-to-do-evil-science-provides-the-most-powerful-weapons-to/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [When I feel bad, desperate , sad .I want to run away, to disappear. I want all evil to be gone, to be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/we-came-from-waters/when-i-feel-bad-desperate-sad-i-want-to-run-away-to-disappear-i-want/) We Came From Waters > [“Good men will kill as quickly for what they want as evil men- only the things they want are different.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/good-men-will-kill-as-quickly-for-what-they-want-as-evil-men-only-the/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [If you want to do something evil, put it inside something boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/if-you-want-to-do-something-evil-put-it-inside-something-boring/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [Like anything else, you can use the Internet for good or ill. You can get out of it what you want to. There's no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-nelson/like-anything-else-you-can-use-the-internet-for-good-or-ill-you-can/) [Willie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-nelson/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Evil quotes > [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [If ever I did a man any goodof course it was something exceptional and insignificant compared with the good or evil which I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-ever-i-did-a-man-any-goodof-course-it-was-something-exceptional/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [I do conscientiously and sincerely believe that the Order of Freemasonry, if not the greatest, is one of the greatest moral and political evils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/i-do-conscientiously-and-sincerely-believe-that-the-order-of/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [The Republicans do not look on the Democrats as the evil empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/the-republicans-do-not-look-on-the-democrats-as-the-evil-empire/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [What is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-is-done-out-of-love-always-takes-place-beyond-good-and-evil/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ Evil cannot be "treated" -- nor should it be. Evil has to \[be\] confronted and destroyed and it matters not why the evil is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/evil-cannot-be-treated-nor-should-it-be-evil-has-to-be-confronted-and/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) > [The evil which does me no harm is like the good which in no wise avails me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/the-evil-which-does-me-no-harm-is-like-the-good-which-in-no-wise/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Attack the evil that is within yourself, rather than attacking the evil that is in others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/attack-the-evil-that-is-within-yourself-rather-than-attacking-the/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [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/) > [There is a spirit which I feel that delights to do no evil, nor to revenge any wrong, but delights to endure all things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nayler/there-is-a-spirit-which-i-feel-that-delights-to-do-no-evil-nor-to/) James Nayler > [The politician attempts to remedy the evil by increasing the very thing that caused the evil in the first place: legal plunder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-politician-attempts-to-remedy-the-evil-by-increasing-the-very/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [“Water is so friendly when you have it on your palms, but so evil when they have you on theirs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/water-is-so-friendly-when-you-have-it-on-your-palms-but-so-evil-when/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [THE ART OF PEACE is not easy. It is a fight to the finish, the slaying of evil desires and all falsehood within. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morihei-ueshiba/the-art-of-peace-is-not-easy-it-is-a-fight-to-the-finish-the-slaying/) [Morihei Ueshiba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morihei-ueshiba/) [Browse all 11,163 Evil quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good that I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 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