--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The greatest evil is not done in those…" description: "\"The greatest evil is not done in those sordid dens of evil that Dickens loved to paint ... but is conceived and ordered (moved, seconded, carried, and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca5/c-s-lewis-2-132_cheeks_the-greatest-evil-is-not-done-in-those-s_448300.jpg" --- # The greatest evil is not done in those sordid dens of evil… ![“The greatest evil is not done in those sordid dens of evil that Dickens loved to paint ... but is conceived and ordered (moved, seconded, carried, and minuted) in clear, carpeted, warmed, well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not…” quote by C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca5/c-s-lewis-2-132_cheeks_the-greatest-evil-is-not-done-in-those-s_448300.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca5/c-s-lewis-2-132_cheeks_the-greatest-evil-is-not-done-in-those-s_448300.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca5/c-s-lewis-2-132_cheeks_the-greatest-evil-is-not-done-in-those-s_448300.jpg) > “The greatest evil is not done in those sordid dens of evil that Dickens loved to paint ... but is conceived and ordered (moved, seconded, carried, and minuted) in clear, carpeted, warmed, well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voices.” [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Evil often operates silently within respectable institutions, not just in overtly dark places. **In simple terms:** Evil can be hidden in respectable settings. Key Takeaway Watch for subtle corruption in everyday environments. Themes power morality institution Mood cautious critical Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - corporate offices - government agencies - educational institutions - medical establishments Key Concepts bureaucracy ethical blindness Questions to Reflect On - What signs indicate hidden wrongdoing? - How can we balance trust and vigilance? A Different Perspective Respectable settings may also foster good, making detection complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cheeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheeks/) [Clear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clear/) [Collars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collars/) [Cutting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cutting/) [Dens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dens/) [Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dickens/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Evil Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-dickens-3917410/) [Evil Sordid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-sordid-3917411/) [Fingernails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fingernails/) [Greatest Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatest-evil-543098/) [Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Moved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moved/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Office](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/office/) [Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint/) [Quiet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quiet/) [Quiet man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quiet-man/) [Quiet Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quiet-men-2370870/) [Raises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/raises/) [Smooth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smooth/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white/) [White collar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-collar/) ## Related quotes > [“I live in the Managerial Age, in a world of "Admin." The greatest evil is not now done in those sordid "dens of crime"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/i-live-in-the-managerial-age-in-a-world-of-admin-the-greatest-evil-is/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“A word of command has made these silent figures our enemies; a word of command might transform them into our friends. At some table…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-maria-remarque/a-word-of-command-has-made-these-silent-figures-our-enemies-a-word-of/) [Erich Maria Remarque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-maria-remarque/) > [“Quiet men keep secrets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-elias/quiet-men-keep-secrets/) [Martin Elias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-elias/) > [God bless pawnbrokers! They are quiet men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-wilkinson/god-bless-pawnbrokers-they-are-quiet-men/) [Marguerite Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-wilkinson/) > [“Where once kings and warriors shaped the world, now quiet men in offices will do the same—and do it far, far more effectively.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/where-once-kings-and-warriors-shaped-the-world-now-quiet-men-in/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [No one knows whether death, which people fear to be the greatest evil, may not be the greatest good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/no-one-knows-whether-death-which-people-fear-to-be-the-greatest-evil/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [The greatest evil that one has to fight constantly, every minute of the day until one dies, is the worst part of oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-mcgoohan/the-greatest-evil-that-one-has-to-fight-constantly-every-minute-of/) [Patrick McGoohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-mcgoohan/) > [The biggest disease today is not leprosy or cancer or tuberculosis, but rather the feeling or being unwanted, uncared for, deserted by everybody. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/the-biggest-disease-today-is-not-leprosy-or-cancer-or-tuberculosis/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [“the greatest evil perpetrated is the evil committed by nobodies, that is, by human beings who refuse to be persons”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/the-greatest-evil-perpetrated-is-the-evil-committed-by-nobodies-that/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [Let me ask you a question Alex. What do you think is the greatest evil on this plant today?" "Is that including, or not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/let-me-ask-you-a-question-alex-what-do-you-think-is-the-greatest-evil/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [“Hope is the greatest gift and the greatest evil...Hope saved us and hope might yet kill us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/hope-is-the-greatest-gift-and-the-greatest-evil-hope-saved-us-and/) [Nalini Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/) > [Duty is but a pot. It holds whatever is put in it, from the greatest evil to the greatest good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/duty-is-but-a-pot-it-holds-whatever-is-put-in-it-from-the-greatest/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [No man can be brave who thinks pain the greatest evil; nor temperate, who considers pleasure the highest good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/no-man-can-be-brave-who-thinks-pain-the-greatest-evil-nor-temperate/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [I do not believe I have any immortality. The greatest evil in the world today is the Christian religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/i-do-not-believe-i-have-any-immortality-the-greatest-evil-in-the/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [Pleasure, or wrong or rightly understood, Our greatest evil, or our greatest good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/pleasure-or-wrong-or-rightly-understood-our-greatest-evil-or-our/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) ## More by C. S. Lewis > [One of our great allies at present is the Church itself. Do not misunderstand me. I do not mean the Church as we see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/one-of-our-great-allies-at-present-is-the-church-itself-do-not/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Either Jesus is the Son of God ; or a madman or worse. But His being just a great teacher? He's not left that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/either-jesus-is-the-son-of-god-or-a-madman-or-worse-but-his-being/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [To every soul, God will look like its first love because He IS its first love. Your place in heaven will seem to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/to-every-soul-god-will-look-like-its-first-love-because-he-is-its/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Don't you understand anything? Isn't it absolutely essential to keep a fierce Left and a fierce Right, both on their toes and each terrified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/don-t-you-understand-anything-isn-t-it-absolutely-essential-to-keep-a/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [“Really great moral teachers never do introduce new moralities: it is quacks and cranks who do that. As”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/really-great-moral-teachers-never-do-introduce-new-moralities-it-is/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [“When He died in the Wounded World He died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/when-he-died-in-the-wounded-world-he-died-not-for-men-but-for-each/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [All I am in private life is a literary critic and historian, that's my job...And I'm prepared to say on that basis if anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/all-i-am-in-private-life-is-a-literary-critic-and-historian-that-s-my/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [If a man is going to write on chemistry, he learns chemistry. The same is true of Christianity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/if-a-man-is-going-to-write-on-chemistry-he-learns-chemistry-the-same/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [The first fact in the history of Christendom is a number of people who say they have seen the Resurrection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/the-first-fact-in-the-history-of-christendom-is-a-number-of-people/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [I#pray because the need flows out of me all the time-walking and sleeping. It does not change # God - it changes me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/i-pray-because-the-need-flows-out-of-me-all-the-time-walking-and/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Are the gods not just?' 'Oh no, child. What would become us us if they were?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/are-the-gods-not-just-oh-no-child-what-would-become-us-us-if-they-were/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Love is more than an emotion, it is a decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/love-is-more-than-an-emotion-it-is-a-decision/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Ink is the great cure for all human ills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/ink-is-the-great-cure-for-all-human-ills/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [A man may have to die for our country: but no man must, in any exclusive sense, live for his country. He who surrenders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/a-man-may-have-to-die-for-our-country-but-no-man-must-in-any/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [War creates no absolutely new situation: it simply aggravates the permanent human situation so that we can no longer ignore it. Human life has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/war-creates-no-absolutely-new-situation-it-simply-aggravates-the/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) [Explore all 1,190 C. S. Lewis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) ## More Cheeks quotes > [Those type of whites who are always going to jail with Negroes are the ones who tell Negroes to be loving and be kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/those-type-of-whites-who-are-always-going-to-jail-with-negroes-are/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [I'm cute - and God I hate that. Because that's not cool. I'm like your niece, and nobody wants to date their niece. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-clarkson/i-m-cute-and-god-i-hate-that-because-that-s-not-cool-i-m-like-your/) [Kelly Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-clarkson/) > [Regret is an uneven hand, a rough palm at the cheek — tender and calloused.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorna-dee-cervantes/regret-is-an-uneven-hand-a-rough-palm-at-the-cheek-tender-and/) [Lorna Dee Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorna-dee-cervantes/) > [My knowledge of pain, learned with the sabre, taught me not to be afraid. And just as in dueling when you must concentrate on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-skorzeny/my-knowledge-of-pain-learned-with-the-sabre-taught-me-not-to-be/) [Otto Skorzeny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-skorzeny/) > [If somebody is really trying to take your head off with a baseball bat - I don't know how long you're supposed to stand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-somebody-is-really-trying-to-take-your-head-off-with-a-baseball/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Let the splendor of diamond, pearl and ruby vanish? Only let this one teardrop, this Taj Mahal, glisten spotlessly bright on the cheek of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/let-the-splendor-of-diamond-pearl-and-ruby-vanish-only-let-this-one/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [They were dancing around the fountain, arm in arm, in an old Dutch dance, their cheeks touching, their hands entwined. They had no music;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/they-were-dancing-around-the-fountain-arm-in-arm-in-an-old-dutch/) [Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) > [I love to go and mingle with the young In the gay festal room--when every heart Is beating faster than the merry tune, And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-parker-willis/i-love-to-go-and-mingle-with-the-young-in-the-gay-festal-room-when/) [Nathaniel Parker Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-parker-willis/) > [I was raised to stand up for myself, if I feel I'm in the right. Maybe it would have been best if I'd just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannen-doherty/i-was-raised-to-stand-up-for-myself-if-i-feel-i-m-in-the-right-maybe/) [Shannen Doherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannen-doherty/) > [Lowly, with a broken neck, The crocus lays her cheek to mire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meredith/lowly-with-a-broken-neck-the-crocus-lays-her-cheek-to-mire/) [George Meredith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-meredith/) > [...they'd just tell you to turn the other cheek, wouldn't they?...Trouble is, Mrs. Dowdel observed, after you've turned the other cheek four times, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-peck/they-d-just-tell-you-to-turn-the-other-cheek-wouldn-t-they-trouble-is/) [Richard Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-peck/) > [If revenge is sweet, why does it leave such a bitter taste? In disarming Peter, Christ disarmed ever knight. Turn the other cheek.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-elwell-hunt/if-revenge-is-sweet-why-does-it-leave-such-a-bitter-taste-in/) [Angela Elwell Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-elwell-hunt/) > [John looked ruddy and plump, with a pair of cheeks like a trumpeter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-arbuthnot/john-looked-ruddy-and-plump-with-a-pair-of-cheeks-like-a-trumpeter/) [John Arbuthnot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-arbuthnot/) > [“I clench your love in my butt cheeks, along with all my hard-earned cash.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-clench-your-love-in-my-butt-cheeks-along-with-all-my-hard-earned/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“My face is round, and my cheeks are pinchable, and my ears stick out farther than I'd like.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-perkins/my-face-is-round-and-my-cheeks-are-pinchable-and-my-ears-stick-out/) [Stephanie Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-perkins/) [Browse all 338 Cheeks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheeks/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The greatest evil is not done in those sordid dens of evil that Dickens loved to paint ... but is conceived and ordered (moved, seconded, carried, and minuted) in clear, carpeted, warmed, well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voices.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "C. 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