---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Evil is not intrinsic. It's fashioned."
description: "\"Evil is not intrinsic. It's fashioned.\" — Ellen Hopkins"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f42/ellen-hopkins-475_evil_evil-is-not-intrinsic-it-s-fashioned-163_1635626.png"
---

#  Evil is not intrinsic. It's fashioned.

![“Evil is not intrinsic. It's fashioned.” quote by Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f42/ellen-hopkins-475_evil_evil-is-not-intrinsic-it-s-fashioned-163_1635626.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f42/ellen-hopkins-475_evil_evil-is-not-intrinsic-it-s-fashioned-163_1635626.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f42/ellen-hopkins-475_evil_evil-is-not-intrinsic-it-s-fashioned-163_1635626.png)

> “Evil is not intrinsic. It's fashioned.”

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Evil arises from external influences and choices, not from an inherent nature.

**In simple terms:** Evil is shaped, not born.

Key Takeaway

Recognize influences on behavior.

Themes

morality nature vs nurture psychology

Mood

thoughtful critical

Type

philosophical analytical

When to use this quote

- parenting
- education
- media consumption
- criminal justice

Key Concepts

ethics social conditioning

Questions to Reflect On

- What shapes a person's capacity for harm?
- Can inherent traits be completely dismissed?

A Different Perspective

Not all harmful actions are fully controllable by external factors.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Evil Intrinsic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-intrinsic-522868/) [Fashioned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashioned/) [Intrinsic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intrinsic/) [Intrinsic Fashioned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intrinsic-fashioned-522869/)

## Related quotes

> [“Babies aren't born cruel or filled with sick desire. Evil is not intrinsic. It's fashioned”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/babies-aren-t-born-cruel-or-filled-with-sick-desire-evil-is-not/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [I really have to wonder who or what made Daddy become this way. Babies aren't born cruel or filled with sick desire. Evil is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/i-really-have-to-wonder-who-or-what-made-daddy-become-this-way-babies/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [Is any man skillful enough to have fashioned himself?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/is-any-man-skillful-enough-to-have-fashioned-himself/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I'm a gentleman, call me old fashioned if you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/i-m-a-gentleman-call-me-old-fashioned-if-you-want/)

[Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/)

> [Books seem a little old-fashioned, but hey, I can do old-fashioned if it's good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-tharp/books-seem-a-little-old-fashioned-but-hey-i-can-do-old-fashioned-if/)

[Tim Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-tharp/)

> [A character is a completely fashioned will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/a-character-is-a-completely-fashioned-will/)

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

> [“Call me old-fashioned, but I wanted to be persued, not the persuer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristi-cook/call-me-old-fashioned-but-i-wanted-to-be-persued-not-the-persuer/)

[Kristi Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristi-cook/)

> [I have a kind of old-fashioned, artisan approach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-child/i-have-a-kind-of-old-fashioned-artisan-approach/)

[Lee Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-child/)

> [“She is not fashioned for a life among strangers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-spyri/she-is-not-fashioned-for-a-life-among-strangers/)

[Johanna Spyri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-spyri/)

> [If you get old fashioned enough, you'll always be in style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-farmer/if-you-get-old-fashioned-enough-you-ll-always-be-in-style/)

[Frances Farmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-farmer/)

> ['Old Fashioned' can expect strong interest because it taps into a universal human longing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-r-white/old-fashioned-can-expect-strong-interest-because-it-taps-into-a/)

[David A. R. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-r-white/)

> [With everything thats happening, people might need a little old fashioned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/with-everything-thats-happening-people-might-need-a-little-old/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [A commentary on the times is that the word 'honesty' is now preceded by 'old-fashioned.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-walters/a-commentary-on-the-times-is-that-the-word-honesty-is-now-preceded-by/)

[Larry Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-walters/)

> [The only way I'm interested in having a baby is the old-fashioned way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethenny-frankel/the-only-way-i-m-interested-in-having-a-baby-is-the-old-fashioned-way/)

[Bethenny Frankel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bethenny-frankel/)

> [I'm an old-fashioned girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chita-rivera/i-m-an-old-fashioned-girl/)

[Chita Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chita-rivera/)

## More by Ellen Hopkins

> [“I've been alone since my mom met Scott. He sucked the nectar from her heart like a famished butterfly. No nurture, no nourishment left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/i-ve-been-alone-since-my-mom-met-scott-he-sucked-the-nectar-from-her/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [I wonder how long it would take him to realize I'm right as sin - it's the rest of the world that's wrong. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/i-wonder-how-long-it-would-take-him-to-realize-i-m-right-as-sin-it-s/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [Do you know how beautiful you are?' I shook my head 'I'm not. But you make me fell like I am.' I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/do-you-know-how-beautiful-you-are-i-shook-my-head-i-m-not-but-you/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [That's what I'll be. A silhouette, rarely seen, and yet believed in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/that-s-what-i-ll-be-a-silhouette-rarely-seen-and-yet-believed-in/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [One foot in front of the other, counting tiles on the floor so I don't have to focus the blur of painted smiles, fake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/one-foot-in-front-of-the-other-counting-tiles-on-the-floor-so-i-don-t/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [...life is all about chances. You might be safer not taking any. But playing it totally safe means you're only existing. Not living. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/life-is-all-about-chances-you-might-be-safer-not-taking-any-but/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [The truth is, I don't have a real clue what love is - how to find it, how to give it. Once upon a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/the-truth-is-i-don-t-have-a-real-clue-what-love-is-how-to-find-it-how/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [But death doesn't scare me. To know exactly when I might expect it, up close and in my face, would actually be a comfort.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/but-death-doesn-t-scare-me-to-know-exactly-when-i-might-expect-it-up/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [So You Want to Know All about her. Who she really is. (Was?) Why she swerved off the high road. Hard left to nowhere,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/so-you-want-to-know-all-about-her-who-she-really-is-was-why-she/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [“I don’t belong here. I know that. But I don’t belong anywhere else, either. And that is at the heart of the black depression…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/i-don-t-belong-here-i-know-that-but-i-don-t-belong-anywhere-else/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [Six months since we met up again we are inseparable, an intricate weave. No longer do I believe this is a temporary fling. More…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/six-months-since-we-met-up-again-we-are-inseparable-an-intricate/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [“But who ever said the easiest path is the one you should choose?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/but-who-ever-said-the-easiest-path-is-the-one-you-should-choose/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [Afraid to Die Loveless Because I think if you die without knowing love in this life, that's how you'll spend eternity. Alone. Frozen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/afraid-to-die-loveless-because-i-think-if-you-die-without-knowing/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [Every high has an equal, measurable low.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/every-high-has-an-equal-measurable-low/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [Don't Stop ...down, ...Down there ...down where ...monsters, ...Run!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/don-t-stop-down-down-there-down-where-monsters-run/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

[Explore all 534 Ellen Hopkins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

## 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": "Evil is not intrinsic. It's fashioned.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ellen Hopkins"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/evil-is-not-intrinsic-it-s-fashioned/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Evil"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/evil-is-not-intrinsic-it-s-fashioned/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f42/ellen-hopkins-475_evil_evil-is-not-intrinsic-it-s-fashioned-163_1635626.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f42/ellen-hopkins-475_evil_evil-is-not-intrinsic-it-s-fashioned-163_1635626.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f42/ellen-hopkins-475_evil_evil-is-not-intrinsic-it-s-fashioned-163_1635626.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Evil is not intrinsic. It's fashioned.” — Ellen Hopkins",
                "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": "Ellen Hopkins",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Evil is not intrinsic. It's fashioned.",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/evil-is-not-intrinsic-it-s-fashioned/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/evil-is-not-intrinsic-it-s-fashioned/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
