--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The power of good is shown not by…" description: "\"The power of good is shown not by triumphantly conquering evil, but by continuing to resist evil while facing certain defeat.\" — Edith Hamilton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2f/edith-hamilton-7366_certain_the-power-of-good-is-shown-not-by-triump_1551405.jpg" --- # The power of good is shown not by triumphantly conquering… ![“The power of good is shown not by triumphantly conquering evil, but by continuing to resist evil while facing certain defeat.” quote by Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2f/edith-hamilton-7366_certain_the-power-of-good-is-shown-not-by-triump_1551405.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2f/edith-hamilton-7366_certain_the-power-of-good-is-shown-not-by-triump_1551405.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2f/edith-hamilton-7366_certain_the-power-of-good-is-shown-not-by-triump_1551405.jpg) > “The power of good is shown not by triumphantly conquering evil, but by continuing to resist evil while facing certain defeat.” [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Goodness is demonstrated by persistent resistance, not by conquering evil. **In simple terms:** Resist evil despite likely defeat. Key Takeaway Persist in moral struggle. Themes morality resilience good vs evil perseverance defeat Mood inspirational somber Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - social activism - personal integrity - political movements Key Concepts Ethical theory heroism psychology of resistance Questions to Reflect On - What fuels continued resistance? - When does resistance become self‑destructive? A Different Perspective Resistance can be futile without strategic planning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Defeat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defeat/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) ## Related quotes > [Conquering evil, not the opponent is the essence of swordsmanship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yagyu-munenori/conquering-evil-not-the-opponent-is-the-essence-of-swordsmanship/) [Yagyu Munenori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yagyu-munenori/) > [Life is to be lived, not controlled, and humanity is won by continuing to play in face of certain defeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-ellison/life-is-to-be-lived-not-controlled-and-humanity-is-won-by-continuing/) [Ralph Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-ellison/) > [There is nothing more certain than the defeat of the man who gives up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-a-sheehan/there-is-nothing-more-certain-than-the-defeat-of-the-man-who-gives-up/) [George A. Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-a-sheehan/) > [Nothing is more certain than the defeat of a man who gives up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-a-sheehan/nothing-is-more-certain-than-the-defeat-of-a-man-who-gives-up/) [George A. Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-a-sheehan/) > [“There was no guarantee of victory if I remained the same or just tried to be myself, but there was certain defeat in pretending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-w-lord/there-was-no-guarantee-of-victory-if-i-remained-the-same-or-just/) [J. W. Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-w-lord/) > [The word 'defeat' is not to be found in my dictionary, and everyone who is selected as a recruit in my army may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/the-word-defeat-is-not-to-be-found-in-my-dictionary-and-everyone-who/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/resist-not-evil-but-whosoever-shall-smite-thee-on-thy-right-cheek/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/) > [“This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/this-is-why-you-must-take-up-the-full-armor-of-god-so-that-you-may-be/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [And yet this same Deity says to me, resist not evil; pray for those that despitefully use you; love your enemies, but I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/and-yet-this-same-deity-says-to-me-resist-not-evil-pray-for-those/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps your right check, turn the other to him also.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-i-tell-you-not-to-resist-an-evil-person-but-whoever-slaps-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Christ said, "Resist not evil", and we do not understand it until we discover that it is not only moral but actually the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/christ-said-resist-not-evil-and-we-do-not-understand-it-until-we/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [“To resist evil is to stand firm against the wrong committed without reacting to the wrong-doer!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evinda-lepins/to-resist-evil-is-to-stand-firm-against-the-wrong-committed-without/) [Evinda Lepins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evinda-lepins/) > [Did not Jesus say, resist not evil — with evil? Is not war the worst form of that evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/did-not-jesus-say-resist-not-evil-with-evil-is-not-war-the-worst-form/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [Bind to you friends of your own kind, friends who will encourage you, stand with you, live as you desire to live, who will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/bind-to-you-friends-of-your-own-kind-friends-who-will-encourage-you/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) > [When struck on one cheek to turn the other, is really joining a conspiracy to secure the triumph of brutality. To agree not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/when-struck-on-one-cheek-to-turn-the-other-is-really-joining-a/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) ## More by Edith Hamilton > [Poetry and preaching do not go well together; when the preacher mounts the pulpit the poet usually goes away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/poetry-and-preaching-do-not-go-well-together-when-the-preacher-mounts/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [When faith is supported by facts or by logic it ceases to be faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/when-faith-is-supported-by-facts-or-by-logic-it-ceases-to-be-faith/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [Ages of faith and of unbelief are always said to mark the course of history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/ages-of-faith-and-of-unbelief-are-always-said-to-mark-the-course-of/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [None so good that he has no faults, None so wicked that he is worth naught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/none-so-good-that-he-has-no-faults-none-so-wicked-that-he-is-worth/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [To be able to be caught up into the world of thought-that is educated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/to-be-able-to-be-caught-up-into-the-world-of-thought-that-is-educated/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [Convention, so often a mask for injustice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/convention-so-often-a-mask-for-injustice/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [Myths are early science, the result of men's first trying to explain what they saw around them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/myths-are-early-science-the-result-of-men-s-first-trying-to-explain/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [A people's literature is the great textbook for real knowledge of them. The writings of the day show the quality of the people as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/a-people-s-literature-is-the-great-textbook-for-real-knowledge-of/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [“He drew iron tears down Pluto's cheek and make Hell grant what Love did seek. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/he-drew-iron-tears-down-pluto-s-cheek-and-make-hell-grant-what-love/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [Mind and spirit together make up that which separates us from the rest of the animal world, that which enables a man to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/mind-and-spirit-together-make-up-that-which-separates-us-from-the/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [It has always seemed strange to me that in our endless discussions about education so little stress is laid on the pleasure of becoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/it-has-always-seemed-strange-to-me-that-in-our-endless-discussions/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [When we speak of beauty, we're speaking of something we're more or less indifferent to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/when-we-speak-of-beauty-we-re-speaking-of-something-we-re-more-or/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [Love, however, cannot be forbidden. The more that flame is covered up, the hotter it burns. Also love can always find a way. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/love-however-cannot-be-forbidden-the-more-that-flame-is-covered-up/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [In theology the conservative temper tends to formalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/in-theology-the-conservative-temper-tends-to-formalism/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [The Old Testament is the record of men's conviction that God speaks directly to men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/the-old-testament-is-the-record-of-men-s-conviction-that-god-speaks/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) [Explore all 92 Edith Hamilton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) ## More Certain quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [People don't always realize that a record is forever. It'll always be there under your name. You've got to be certain that it's right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-iero/people-don-t-always-realize-that-a-record-is-forever-it-ll-always-be/) [Frank Iero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-iero/) > [Faith gives you a certain structure and meaning to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riffat-hassan/faith-gives-you-a-certain-structure-and-meaning-to-your-life/) Riffat Hassan > [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/) [Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/) > [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [I mean those people who are interested in good government will certainly contribute in order to make certain there's some counter-balance to those whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/i-mean-those-people-who-are-interested-in-good-government-will/) [Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/) > [Why do we love certain homes, and why do they seem to love us? It is the warmth of our individual hearts reflected in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-h-robsjohn-gibbings/why-do-we-love-certain-homes-and-why-do-they-seem-to-love-us-it-is/) T. H. 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