--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To discuss evil in a manner implying…" description: "\"To discuss evil in a manner implying neutrality, is to sanction it.\" — Ayn Rand" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41d/ayn-rand-59_evil_to-discuss-evil-in-a-manner-implying-neu_407856.jpg" --- # To discuss evil in a manner implying neutrality, is to… ![“To discuss evil in a manner implying neutrality, is to sanction it.” quote by Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41d/ayn-rand-59_evil_to-discuss-evil-in-a-manner-implying-neu_407856.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41d/ayn-rand-59_evil_to-discuss-evil-in-a-manner-implying-neu_407856.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41d/ayn-rand-59_evil_to-discuss-evil-in-a-manner-implying-neu_407856.jpg) > “To discuss evil in a manner implying neutrality, is to sanction it.” [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Neutral language about evil normalizes it, effectively endorsing it. **In simple terms:** Neutral talk about evil is endorsement. Key Takeaway Avoid neutral phrasing when condemning wrongdoing. Themes ethics responsibility language political ism neutral Mood critical serious Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - political debate - media commentary - legal discourse Key Concepts moral philosophy rhetoric Questions to Reflect On - How does language shape moral judgment? - Can neutrality ever be truly objective? A Different Perspective Neutrality can obscure harm and impede action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Discuss Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discuss-evil-3642322/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Implying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/implying/) [Implying Neutrality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/implying-neutrality-3642321/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Neutrality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neutrality/) [Neutrality Sanction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neutrality-sanction-3642320/) [Sanction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sanction/) [Sanctions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sanctions/) ## Related quotes > [Evil requires the sanction of the victim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/evil-requires-the-sanction-of-the-victim/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [I do not seek the good of others as a sanction for my right to exist, nor do I recognize the good of others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/i-do-not-seek-the-good-of-others-as-a-sanction-for-my-right-to-exist/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [I need no warrant for being, and no word of sanction upon my being. I am the warrant and the sanction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/i-need-no-warrant-for-being-and-no-word-of-sanction-upon-my-being-i/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Judge not, that ye be not judge"... is an abdication of moral responsibility: it is a moral blank check one gives to others in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/judge-not-that-ye-be-not-judge-is-an-abdication-of-moral/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“one state commits an illegal act against another state, and refuses to make reparation or to appear before an international tribunal, there is (or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-state-commits-an-illegal-act-against-another-state-and-refuses-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Not taking the Bible (or other texts based on 'revealed truths') literally leaves it up to the reader to cherry-pick elements for belief. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-tayler/not-taking-the-bible-or-other-texts-based-on-revealed-truths/) [Jeffrey Tayler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-tayler/) > [Where the great force lies, there must be the sanction of peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/where-the-great-force-lies-there-must-be-the-sanction-of-peace/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [The sanction of force stands behind the medley of personal orders and regulations of Martial Law. The sanction of the people's consent stands behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zulfikar-ali-bhutto/the-sanction-of-force-stands-behind-the-medley-of-personal-orders-and/) [Zulfikar Ali Bhutto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zulfikar-ali-bhutto/) > [Charity and good-nature give a sanction to the most common actions; and pride and ill-nature make our best virtues despicable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wycherley/charity-and-good-nature-give-a-sanction-to-the-most-common-actions/) [William Wycherley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wycherley/) > [There have always been different opinions on some elements of our sanction policy. It will probably stay that way... What is important is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federica-mogherini/there-have-always-been-different-opinions-on-some-elements-of-our/) [Federica Mogherini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federica-mogherini/) > [We understand that the Iranian position is very bad because of the well-known sanctions against that country, and it would be unfair to leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/we-understand-that-the-iranian-position-is-very-bad-because-of-the/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [Universal Credit claimants who refuse to accept a zero hours contract job offer, without good reason, can be subject to a sanction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/universal-credit-claimants-who-refuse-to-accept-a-zero-hours-contract/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) > [You create a work of art. You do not know whether it will get public sanction. Sometimes outstanding films do no business, and sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dev-anand/you-create-a-work-of-art-you-do-not-know-whether-it-will-get-public/) [Dev Anand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dev-anand/) > [If the person who can effectively sanction ill-conceived wars can play the electric guitar, which is a symbol of rebellion, then that whole worldview…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/if-the-person-who-can-effectively-sanction-ill-conceived-wars-can/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [“There is no guilt greater than to sanction ambition;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/there-is-no-guilt-greater-than-to-sanction-ambition/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) ## More by Ayn Rand > [There are no white lies, there is only the blackest of destruction, and a white lie is the blackest of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-are-no-white-lies-there-is-only-the-blackest-of-destruction-and/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [She watched the prairies the rivers, the towns slipping past at an untouchable distance below - and she noted that the sense of detachment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-watched-the-prairies-the-rivers-the-towns-slipping-past-at-an/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“This was reality, she thought, this sense of clear outlines, of purpose, of lightness, of hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/this-was-reality-she-thought-this-sense-of-clear-outlines-of-purpose/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [A “collective” mind does not exist. It is merely the sum of endless numbers of individual minds. If we have an endless number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/a-collective-mind-does-not-exist-it-is-merely-the-sum-of-endless/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Lobbying' is the activity of attempting to influence legislation by privately influencing the legislators. It is the result and creation of a mixed economy-of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/lobbying-is-the-activity-of-attempting-to-influence-legislation-by/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“She moved her hand and let it rest against his. He did not withdraw his fingers and he did not pretend indifference. She bent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-moved-her-hand-and-let-it-rest-against-his-he-did-not-withdraw/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [This miracle of me is mine to own and keep, and mine to guard, and mine to use, and mine to kneel before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/this-miracle-of-me-is-mine-to-own-and-keep-and-mine-to-guard-and-mine/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“There was still one response, the greatest, that she had missed. She thought: To find a feeling that would hold, as their sum, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-was-still-one-response-the-greatest-that-she-had-missed-she/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Inflation is not caused by the actions of private citizens, but by the government: by an artificial expansion of the money supply required to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/inflation-is-not-caused-by-the-actions-of-private-citizens-but-by-the/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“We are fornicating in the sight of six billion people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/we-are-fornicating-in-the-sight-of-six-billion-people/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“She was fifteen when it occurred to her for the first time that women did not run railroads and that people might object. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-was-fifteen-when-it-occurred-to-her-for-the-first-time-that-women/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Fransisco, you're some kind of very high nobility, aren't you?" He answered, "Not yet. The reason my family has lasted for such a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/fransisco-you-re-some-kind-of-very-high-nobility-aren-t-you-he/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Have you felt it too? Have you seen how your best friends love everything about you- except the things that count? And your most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/have-you-felt-it-too-have-you-seen-how-your-best-friends-love/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Every coercive monopoly was created by government intervention into the economy: by special privileges, such as franchises or subsidies, which closed the entry of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/every-coercive-monopoly-was-created-by-government-intervention-into/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [We are all brothers under the skin - and I, for one, would be willing to skin humanity to prove it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/we-are-all-brothers-under-the-skin-and-i-for-one-would-be-willing-to/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) [Explore all 1,777 Ayn Rand quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "To discuss evil in a manner implying neutrality, is to sanction it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ayn Rand" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/to-discuss-evil-in-a-manner-implying-neutrality-is-to-sanction-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Evil" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/to-discuss-evil-in-a-manner-implying-neutrality-is-to-sanction-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41d/ayn-rand-59_evil_to-discuss-evil-in-a-manner-implying-neu_407856.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41d/ayn-rand-59_evil_to-discuss-evil-in-a-manner-implying-neu_407856.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41d/ayn-rand-59_evil_to-discuss-evil-in-a-manner-implying-neu_407856.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To discuss evil in a manner implying neutrality, is to sanction it.” — Ayn Rand", "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": "Ayn Rand", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To discuss evil in a manner...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/to-discuss-evil-in-a-manner-implying-neutrality-is-to-sanction-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/to-discuss-evil-in-a-manner-implying-neutrality-is-to-sanction-it/#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 } } ] } ```