--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A bad man is worse when he pretends to be…" description: "\"A bad man is worse when he pretends to be a saint.\" — Francis Bacon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6c/francis-bacon-297_bad-man_a-bad-man-is-worse-when-he-pretends-to-b_2723883.jpg" --- # A bad man is worse when he pretends to be a saint. ![“A bad man is worse when he pretends to be a saint.” quote by Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6c/francis-bacon-297_bad-man_a-bad-man-is-worse-when-he-pretends-to-b_2723883.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6c/francis-bacon-297_bad-man_a-bad-man-is-worse-when-he-pretends-to-b_2723883.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6c/francis-bacon-297_bad-man_a-bad-man-is-worse-when-he-pretends-to-b_2723883.jpg) > “A bad man is worse when he pretends to be a saint.” [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pretending virtue while harboring vice deepens moral corruption and societal harm. **In simple terms:** Fake virtue worsens evil. Key Takeaway Seek authentic virtue. Themes ethics hypocrisy morality Mood critical thoughtful Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - leadership - politics - personal conduct Key Concepts philosophy social critique Questions to Reflect On - How do you recognize genuine virtue? - What are the costs of hypocrisy? A Different Perspective Appearances can mask true intent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-man/) [Man Worse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-worse-337713/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Pretends Saint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretends-saint-2903432/) [Saint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saint/) [Worse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worse/) [Worse Pretends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worse-pretends-2903433/) ## Related quotes > [A bad man becomes worse when he apes a saint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/publilius-syrus/a-bad-man-becomes-worse-when-he-apes-a-saint/) [Publilius Syrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/publilius-syrus/) > [Be sure that religion cannot be right that a man is the worse for having.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/be-sure-that-religion-cannot-be-right-that-a-man-is-the-worse-for/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [A man has no worse enemy than himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/a-man-has-no-worse-enemy-than-himself/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [Man is always worse than most people suspect, but also generally better than most people dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/man-is-always-worse-than-most-people-suspect-but-also-generally/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [Pride in the case of a rich man is bad, but pride in the case of a poor man is worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-bakr/pride-in-the-case-of-a-rich-man-is-bad-but-pride-in-the-case-of-a/) [Abu Bakr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-bakr/) > [No man is the worse for knowing the worst of himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/no-man-is-the-worse-for-knowing-the-worst-of-himself/) [Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/) > [“he knew in his body, even if he hadn’t yet put it together in his mind, that in America the worst thing you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaa-gyasi/he-knew-in-his-body-even-if-he-hadn-t-yet-put-it-together-in-his-mind/) [Yaa Gyasi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaa-gyasi/) > [Well, you may not know this, but there's things that gnaw at a man worse than dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-waite/well-you-may-not-know-this-but-there-s-things-that-gnaw-at-a-man/) [Charlie Waite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-waite/) > [A bitter and perplexed "What shall I do?" Is worse to man than worse necessity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/a-bitter-and-perplexed-what-shall-i-do-is-worse-to-man-than-worse/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [The more kindness shown to an envious man, the worse he becomes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helmut-schoeck/the-more-kindness-shown-to-an-envious-man-the-worse-he-becomes/) [Helmut Schoeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helmut-schoeck/) > [“in America the worst thing you could be was a black man. Worse than dead, you were a dead man walking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaa-gyasi/in-america-the-worst-thing-you-could-be-was-a-black-man-worse-than/) [Yaa Gyasi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaa-gyasi/) > [That which makes the man no worse than he was makes his life no worse: it has no power to harm, without or within.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/that-which-makes-the-man-no-worse-than-he-was-makes-his-life-no-worse/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [Taking all the round of professions and occupations, you will find that every man is the worse for being poor; and the doctor is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/taking-all-the-round-of-professions-and-occupations-you-will-find/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [If originally it was not good for a man to be alone, it is much worse for a sick man to be so; he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/if-originally-it-was-not-good-for-a-man-to-be-alone-it-is-much-worse/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [A man may do worse than make what the world calls a not wholly happy marriage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/a-man-may-do-worse-than-make-what-the-world-calls-a-not-wholly-happy/) [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) ## More by Francis Bacon > [Princes are like heavenly bodies, which cause good or evil times, and which have much veneration, but no rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/princes-are-like-heavenly-bodies-which-cause-good-or-evil-times-and/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [The best preservative to keep the mind in health is the faithful admonition of a friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/the-best-preservative-to-keep-the-mind-in-health-is-the-faithful/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [Since custom is the principal magistrate of man's life, let men by all means endeavor to obtain good customs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/since-custom-is-the-principal-magistrate-of-man-s-life-let-men-by-all/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [Painting today is pure intuition and luck and taking advantage of what happens when you splash the stuff down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/painting-today-is-pure-intuition-and-luck-and-taking-advantage-of/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [I usually accept bribes from both sides so that tainted money can never influence my decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/i-usually-accept-bribes-from-both-sides-so-that-tainted-money-can/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [Much bending breaks the bow; much unbending the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/much-bending-breaks-the-bow-much-unbending-the-mind/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [When Christ came into the world, peace was sung; and when He went out of the world, peace was bequeathed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/when-christ-came-into-the-world-peace-was-sung-and-when-he-went-out/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [...neither is it possible to discover the more remote and deeper parts of any science, if you stand but upon the level of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/neither-is-it-possible-to-discover-the-more-remote-and-deeper-parts/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [The divisions of science are not like different lines that meet in one angle, but rather like the branches of trees that join in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/the-divisions-of-science-are-not-like-different-lines-that-meet-in/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [The human understanding, when any preposition has been once laid down... forces everything else to add fresh support and confirmation; and although more cogent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/the-human-understanding-when-any-preposition-has-been-once-laid-down/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [I should have been, I don't know, a con-man, a robber or a prostitute. But it was vanity that made me choose painting, vanity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/i-should-have-been-i-don-t-know-a-con-man-a-robber-or-a-prostitute/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [Wounds cannot be cured without searching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/wounds-cannot-be-cured-without-searching/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [The French are wiser than they seem, and the Spaniards seem wiser than they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/the-french-are-wiser-than-they-seem-and-the-spaniards-seem-wiser-than/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [When a man laughs at his troubles he loses a great many friends. They never forgive the loss of their prerogative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/when-a-man-laughs-at-his-troubles-he-loses-a-great-many-friends-they/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [Believing that I was born for the service of mankind, and regarding the care of the commonwealth as a kind of common property which,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/believing-that-i-was-born-for-the-service-of-mankind-and-regarding/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) [Explore all 711 Francis Bacon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) ## More Bad man quotes > [I don't do plays without jokes anymore. I've retired from those plays. I think it's bad manners to invite people to sit in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-don-t-do-plays-without-jokes-anymore-i-ve-retired-from-those-plays/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [“It is said that the hallmark of a gentleman is that he is only ever rude intentionally. Arthur Bryant was no gentleman. His rudeness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fowler/it-is-said-that-the-hallmark-of-a-gentleman-is-that-he-is-only-ever/) [Christopher Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-fowler/) > [Good churches are not built by bad men; at least, there must be probity and enthusiasm somewhere in the society. These minsters were neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/good-churches-are-not-built-by-bad-men-at-least-there-must-be-probity/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Why, just a couple of economic seasons ago, was idle cash considered an indication of bad management or lazy management? Because it meant that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/why-just-a-couple-of-economic-seasons-ago-was-idle-cash-considered-an/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [The Tao is the center of the universe, the good man's treasure, the bad man's refuge. Honors can be bought with fine words, respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-tao-is-the-center-of-the-universe-the-good-man-s-treasure-the-bad/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [Terrorism is obviously on everybody's mind. The other day my son says to me, 'Daddy, how come the bad men hate us?' How sad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-giraldo/terrorism-is-obviously-on-everybody-s-mind-the-other-day-my-son-says/) [Greg Giraldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-giraldo/) > [What is a good man but a bad man's teacher? What is a bad man but a good man's job? If you do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/what-is-a-good-man-but-a-bad-man-s-teacher-what-is-a-bad-man-but-a/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [If I was to ask you tonight if you were saved? Do you say 'Yes, I am saved'. When? 'Oh so and so preached,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/if-i-was-to-ask-you-tonight-if-you-were-saved-do-you-say-yes-i-am/) [Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/) > [What is a good man? Simply one whose life is useful to the world. And a bad man is simply one whose life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-zhao/what-is-a-good-man-simply-one-whose-life-is-useful-to-the-world-and-a/) [Zhang Zhao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-zhao/) > [~I'm strict about manners. I think that kids have a horrible time with other people if they have bad manners… The one thing you've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-thompson/i-m-strict-about-manners-i-think-that-kids-have-a-horrible-time-with/) [Emma Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-thompson/) > [“He never looked at her; and yet, the careful avoidance of his eyes betokened that in some way he knew exactly where, if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/he-never-looked-at-her-and-yet-the-careful-avoidance-of-his-eyes/) [Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/) > [“As it happens, I’m a terrible dancer. Bears are simply not made for dancing. We’re much better at sitting and sleeping and singing. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-macleod/as-it-happens-i-m-a-terrible-dancer-bears-are-simply-not-made-for/) [Doug MacLeod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-macleod/) > [The Gospel of Jesus Christ can make bad men good and good men better, can alter human nature, and can change human lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-o-mckay/the-gospel-of-jesus-christ-can-make-bad-men-good-and-good-men-better/) [David O. McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-o-mckay/) > [This self-congratulatory notion Americans have that their country is Number One is borne of ignorance and bad manners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-cranston/this-self-congratulatory-notion-americans-have-that-their-country-is/) [Bryan Cranston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-cranston/) > [You can learn a lot about good management by working under someone who is a bad manager.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-murray/you-can-learn-a-lot-about-good-management-by-working-under-someone/) [Charles Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-murray/) [Browse all 410 Bad man quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-man/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A bad man is worse when he pretends to be a saint.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Francis Bacon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/a-bad-man-is-worse-when-he-pretends-to-be-a-saint/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bad man" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/a-bad-man-is-worse-when-he-pretends-to-be-a-saint/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6c/francis-bacon-297_bad-man_a-bad-man-is-worse-when-he-pretends-to-b_2723883.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6c/francis-bacon-297_bad-man_a-bad-man-is-worse-when-he-pretends-to-b_2723883.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6c/francis-bacon-297_bad-man_a-bad-man-is-worse-when-he-pretends-to-b_2723883.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A bad man is worse when he pretends to be a saint.” — Francis Bacon", "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": "Francis Bacon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A bad man is worse when...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/a-bad-man-is-worse-when-he-pretends-to-be-a-saint/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/a-bad-man-is-worse-when-he-pretends-to-be-a-saint/#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 } } ] } ```