--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The devil is not as black as he is painted." description: "\"The devil is not as black as he is painted.\" — Dante Alighieri" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f1/dante-alighieri-590_black_the-devil-is-not-as-black-as-he-is-paint_3233889.jpg" --- # The devil is not as black as he is painted. ![“The devil is not as black as he is painted.” quote by Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f1/dante-alighieri-590_black_the-devil-is-not-as-black-as-he-is-paint_3233889.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f1/dante-alighieri-590_black_the-devil-is-not-as-black-as-he-is-paint_3233889.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f1/dante-alighieri-590_black_the-devil-is-not-as-black-as-he-is-paint_3233889.jpg) > “The devil is not as black as he is painted.” [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Evil is often misunderstood; its true nature is more nuanced than simple darkness. **In simple terms:** Evil is complex, not just black. Key Takeaway Recognize nuance in moral judgments. Themes morality perception nuance Mood thoughtful reflective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - ethical debates - literary analysis - cultural criticism Key Concepts theology philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions do you make about “evil”? - How does nuance change your view of wrongdoing? A Different Perspective Simplifies complex moral landscapes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Devil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devil/) ## Related quotes > [I've always loved black, and I realized that, from the beginning, man went into completely dark caves to paint. They painted with black too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-soulages/i-ve-always-loved-black-and-i-realized-that-from-the-beginning-man/) [Pierre Soulages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-soulages/) > [I don't write for a particular audience. I work as an artist, and I think the audience of one, which is the self, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/i-don-t-write-for-a-particular-audience-i-work-as-an-artist-and-i/) [August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/) > [For those who know how to read, I have painted my autobiography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/for-those-who-know-how-to-read-i-have-painted-my-autobiography/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [“The front door is painted a rich, bright red. The corners of my mouth curl into a smile. Have I mentioned my love affair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-scott/the-front-door-is-painted-a-rich-bright-red-the-corners-of-my-mouth/) [Victoria Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-scott/) > [I taught elementary school and painted apartments for ten years. Now I write full-time and never have to change a thing I write. Every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-scieszka/i-taught-elementary-school-and-painted-apartments-for-ten-years-now-i/) [Jon Scieszka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-scieszka/) > [Seeks painted trifles and fantastic toys, and eagerly pursues imaginary joys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-akenside/seeks-painted-trifles-and-fantastic-toys-and-eagerly-pursues/) [Mark Akenside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-akenside/) > [Monet was like a conductor. He painted with quite a straight arm and used bold strokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-armitage/monet-was-like-a-conductor-he-painted-with-quite-a-straight-arm-and/) [Richard Armitage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-armitage/) > [I've had a lifelong love affair with makeup. When I was a little girl, I used to take my mother's makeup and paint all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobbi-brown/i-ve-had-a-lifelong-love-affair-with-makeup-when-i-was-a-little-girl/) [Bobbi Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobbi-brown/) > [It seems like if you are not painted up special way or have some tailor made outfit to put on to go out on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-anselmo/it-seems-like-if-you-are-not-painted-up-special-way-or-have-some/) [Phil Anselmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-anselmo/) > [“White-walled once. Red-roofed. But painted in weather-colors now. With brushes dipped in nature’s palette. Mossgreen. Earth-brown. Crumbleblack”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/white-walled-once-red-roofed-but-painted-in-weather-colors-now-with/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [I have driven school buses, sold egg rolls and painted houses, and I have often wondered what my life would have been like if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-have-driven-school-buses-sold-egg-rolls-and-painted-houses-and-i/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [“painted in weather-colors now. With brushes dipped in nature’s palette. Mossgreen. Earth-brown. Crumbleblack”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/painted-in-weather-colors-now-with-brushes-dipped-in-nature-s-palette/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [A painted landscape is always more beautiful than a real one, because there's more there. Everything is more sensual, and one takes refuge in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-botero/a-painted-landscape-is-always-more-beautiful-than-a-real-one-because/) [Fernando Botero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-botero/) > [I wanted to wear the mantle and the pearls. I wanted to know the man who painted her like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-chevalier/i-wanted-to-wear-the-mantle-and-the-pearls-i-wanted-to-know-the-man/) [Tracy Chevalier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-chevalier/) > [Melbourne, where I grew up, is one of the street art capitals of the world. Something about discovering freshly painted walls always fills me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-mitchell/melbourne-where-i-grew-up-is-one-of-the-street-art-capitals-of-the/) [Penelope Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-mitchell/) ## More by Dante Alighieri > [In that part of the book of my memory before the which is little that can be read, there is a rubric, saying, Incipit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/in-that-part-of-the-book-of-my-memory-before-the-which-is-little-that/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [“Be as a tower, that, firmly set, Shakes not its top for any blast that blows!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/be-as-a-tower-that-firmly-set-shakes-not-its-top-for-any-blast-that/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [Pure essence, and pure matter, and the two joined into one were shot forth without flaw, like three bright arrows from a three-string bow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/pure-essence-and-pure-matter-and-the-two-joined-into-one-were-shot/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [Into the eternal darkness, into fire and into ice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/into-the-eternal-darkness-into-fire-and-into-ice/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [O power of fantasy that steals our minds from things outside, to leave us unaware, although a thousand trumpets may blow loud--what stirs you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/o-power-of-fantasy-that-steals-our-minds-from-things-outside-to-leave/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [The purpose of the whole (work) is to remove those who are living in this life from a state of wretchedness and lead them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/the-purpose-of-the-whole-work-is-to-remove-those-who-are-living-in/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [“Noi leggeveamo un giorno per diletto Di Lancialotto, come amor lo strinse; Soli eravamo e senza alcun sospetto Per più fiate gli occhi ci…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/noi-leggeveamo-un-giorno-per-diletto-di-lancialotto-come-amor-lo/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [Love can move the Sun and the stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/love-can-move-the-sun-and-the-stars/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [Oh foolish desires of mortals! How weak are the reasons that lead us to not take off our flight from the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/oh-foolish-desires-of-mortals-how-weak-are-the-reasons-that-lead-us/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [“On march the banners of the King of Hell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/on-march-the-banners-of-the-king-of-hell/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [Seldom indeed does human virtue rise From trunk to branch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/seldom-indeed-does-human-virtue-rise-from-trunk-to-branch/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [All hope abandon, ye who enter here!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/all-hope-abandon-ye-who-enter-here/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [We have no hope and yet we live in longing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/we-have-no-hope-and-yet-we-live-in-longing/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [Not one drop of blood is left inside my veins that does not throb: I recognize signs of the ancient flame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/not-one-drop-of-blood-is-left-inside-my-veins-that-does-not-throb-i/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [It is necessity and not pleasure that compels us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/it-is-necessity-and-not-pleasure-that-compels-us/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) [Explore all 414 Dante Alighieri quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) ## More Black quotes > [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/) [Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/) > [How can you be more subject; black woman in a white man's world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/how-can-you-be-more-subject-black-woman-in-a-white-man-s-world/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [We have to build our own power. We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/) Frank B. Wilderson III > [I know how hard it is to be a woman, especially a black woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/i-know-how-hard-it-is-to-be-a-woman-especially-a-black-woman/) [Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/) > [If soot stains your tunic, dye it black. This is vengeance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/if-soot-stains-your-tunic-dye-it-black-this-is-vengeance/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [Hollywood is so fixated on keeping it that way because it's generating the buzz, but that representation isn't right. I definitely feel like it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/hollywood-is-so-fixated-on-keeping-it-that-way-because-it-s/) [John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/) > [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [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 do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) Browse all 11,655 Black quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The devil is not as black as he is painted.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dante Alighieri" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/the-devil-is-not-as-black-as-he-is-painted/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Black" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/the-devil-is-not-as-black-as-he-is-painted/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f1/dante-alighieri-590_black_the-devil-is-not-as-black-as-he-is-paint_3233889.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f1/dante-alighieri-590_black_the-devil-is-not-as-black-as-he-is-paint_3233889.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f1/dante-alighieri-590_black_the-devil-is-not-as-black-as-he-is-paint_3233889.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The devil is not as black as he is painted.” — Dante Alighieri", "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": "Dante Alighieri", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The devil is not as black...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/the-devil-is-not-as-black-as-he-is-painted/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/the-devil-is-not-as-black-as-he-is-painted/#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 } } ] } ```