--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Shall I tell you what the real evil is?…" description: "\"Shall I tell you what the real evil is? To cringe to the things that are called evils, to surrender to them our freedom, in defiance of which we ought ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e07/anonymous-1_cringe_shall-i-tell-you-what-the-real-evil-is-t_2634211.jpg" --- # Shall I tell you what the real evil is? To cringe to the… ![“Shall I tell you what the real evil is? To cringe to the things that are called evils, to surrender to them our freedom, in defiance of which we ought to face any suffering.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e07/anonymous-1_cringe_shall-i-tell-you-what-the-real-evil-is-t_2634211.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e07/anonymous-1_cringe_shall-i-tell-you-what-the-real-evil-is-t_2634211.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e07/anonymous-1_cringe_shall-i-tell-you-what-the-real-evil-is-t_2634211.jpg) > “Shall I tell you what the real evil is? To cringe to the things that are called evils, to surrender to them our freedom, in defiance of which we ought to face any suffering.” [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. Real evil is surrendering freedom to feared evils, causing suffering. **In simple terms:** Evil is giving up freedom to fear. Key Takeaway Resist defining evils to preserve freedom. Themes ethics freedom fear Mood thought‑provoking critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - political activism - personal decision‑making - social movements - ethical debates Key Concepts existentialism moral philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What evils do we fear most? - How can we confront them without losing freedom? A Different Perspective Defining evils can be subjective and polarizing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cringe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cringe/) [Defiance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defiance/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Surrender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surrender/) ## Related quotes > [The so-called evils are evils only in relation to a certain thing, and that which is evil in relation to a certain existing thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maimonides/the-so-called-evils-are-evils-only-in-relation-to-a-certain-thing-and/) [Maimonides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maimonides/) > [There is no real evil in life, except great pain; all the rest is imaginary, and depends on the light in which we view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-no-real-evil-in-life-except-great-pain-all-the-rest-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The one good thing about repeating your mistakes is that you know when to cringe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-one-good-thing-about-repeating-your-mistakes-is-that-you-know/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Looking back on the memories that we've both had together makes me cringe. Now you're doing it with her? Shame on her for taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/looking-back-on-the-memories-that-we-ve-both-had-together-makes-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All I can do is Cringe and Pretend it all never happened..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-i-can-do-is-cringe-and-pretend-it-all-never-happened/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If some of who you were makes you cringe - you have learnt from your experiences and you should draw strength from your cringeworthy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-some-of-who-you-were-makes-you-cringe-you-have-learnt-from-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Whenever I see pretty people, I cringe for being unattractive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/whenever-i-see-pretty-people-i-cringe-for-being-unattractive/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I know many books which have bored their readers, but I know of none which has done real evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/i-know-many-books-which-have-bored-their-readers-but-i-know-of-none/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [And what constitutes evil, real evil, is the taking of a single human life. Whether a man would die tomorrow or the day after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/and-what-constitutes-evil-real-evil-is-the-taking-of-a-single-human/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [Disabled people used to be either the good person or the real evil villain. There's no way in between.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosie-jones/disabled-people-used-to-be-either-the-good-person-or-the-real-evil/) [Rosie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosie-jones/) > [The real evil isn't the objects of technology but the tendency of technology to isolate people into lonely attitudes of objectivity. It's the objectivity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/the-real-evil-isn-t-the-objects-of-technology-but-the-tendency-of/) [Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/) > [Perhaps this is the only real evil left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/perhaps-this-is-the-only-real-evil-left/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [“And what constitutes evil, real evil, is the taking of a single human life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/and-what-constitutes-evil-real-evil-is-the-taking-of-a-single-human-2/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [You have to understand the good in things, to detect the real evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien-2/you-have-to-understand-the-good-in-things-to-detect-the-real-evil/) [J. R. R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien-2/) > [Kira is evil ... There's no denying that ... But lately I've been starting to think of it more like this ... The real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tsugumi-ohba/kira-is-evil-there-s-no-denying-that-but-lately-i-ve-been-starting-to/) [Tsugumi Ohba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tsugumi-ohba/) ## 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 Cringe quotes > [Some of the things I've done, like getting Justin Edinburgh sent off in the cup final by going down, I'm embarrassed - I cringe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-savage/some-of-the-things-i-ve-done-like-getting-justin-edinburgh-sent-off/) [Robbie Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-savage/) > [I think the first person to call me 'Britain's Obama' was Martin Bright at the New Statesman. Harriet Harman made the comparison once at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuka-umunna/i-think-the-first-person-to-call-me-britain-s-obama-was-martin-bright/) [Chuka Umunna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuka-umunna/) > [You can't knock somebody for how they got into the business. I'm sure I'm gonna look back at 'Roswell' and some of my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hanks/you-can-t-knock-somebody-for-how-they-got-into-the-business-i-m-sure/) [Colin Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hanks/) > [Whenever I write lyrics and an Americanism slips in, I always cut it straight out. I can't use the word 'babe,' for instance. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-o-sullivan/whenever-i-write-lyrics-and-an-americanism-slips-in-i-always-cut-it/) [Gilbert O'Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-o-sullivan/) > [People can see that we are part of a tradition of absurd comedy, stretching from Spike Milligan and Peter Cook through to Monty Python…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barratt/people-can-see-that-we-are-part-of-a-tradition-of-absurd-comedy/) [Julian Barratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barratt/) > [You make mistakes as a parent. Then you wish you hadn't said that, or you wish you hadn't told them how to dress. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-connelly/you-make-mistakes-as-a-parent-then-you-wish-you-hadn-t-said-that-or/) [Jennifer Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-connelly/) > [When I look at pictures when I was younger, I do the quintessential cringe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-roy/when-i-look-at-pictures-when-i-was-younger-i-do-the-quintessential/) [Rachel Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-roy/) > [In terms of hardline right-wing people on television, there's some people that make me cringe when I change the channel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-carmack/in-terms-of-hardline-right-wing-people-on-television-there-s-some/) [Chris Carmack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-carmack/) > [I'll look at photos of myself, when I'm at awards or something, and kind of cringe because I can see myself trying to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kerr/i-ll-look-at-photos-of-myself-when-i-m-at-awards-or-something-and/) [Sam Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kerr/) > [Like anybody who grew up in the Eighties, I cringe at the thought of these movies being remade, because of the corniness and cheesiness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omari-hardwick/like-anybody-who-grew-up-in-the-eighties-i-cringe-at-the-thought-of/) [Omari Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omari-hardwick/) > [There was some real bad alternative - 'alternative' - stuff that came out in the '90s that's completely cringe-worthy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-skiba/there-was-some-real-bad-alternative-alternative-stuff-that-came-out/) [Matt Skiba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-skiba/) > [Do not cringe and make yourself small if you are called the black sheep, the maverick, the lone wolf. Those with slow seeing say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarissa-pinkola-estes/do-not-cringe-and-make-yourself-small-if-you-are-called-the-black/) [Clarissa Pinkola Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarissa-pinkola-estes/) > [Sometimes I look back at myself and remember things I used to say, or my hairstyle, and I cringe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/sometimes-i-look-back-at-myself-and-remember-things-i-used-to-say-or/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [I get embarrassed saying what I do. If you're chatting to a cabbie, and they don't know you're an actor, I cringe because it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-rundle/i-get-embarrassed-saying-what-i-do-if-you-re-chatting-to-a-cabbie-and/) [Sophie Rundle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-rundle/) > [I have a hard time watching the shows now. It is like opening up a yearbook when you were in junior high. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-paul-gosselaar/i-have-a-hard-time-watching-the-shows-now-it-is-like-opening-up-a/) [Mark-Paul Gosselaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-paul-gosselaar/) [Browse all 194 Cringe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cringe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Shall I tell you what the real evil is? 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